New Star Wars 9 footage from D23 shows Rey using double-sided red lightsaber - description

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Here's what happens in the minute-long Rise of Skywalker clip from D23

Star Wars 9
(Image credit: Lucasfilm/Disney)

New footage for Star Wars 9: Rise of Skywalker has debuted to an expectant crowd at D23. While the trailer shown to the crowd has not been released to the public (or online), our writers were at the D23 panel to witness the new footage, which included a final shot of a certain Jedi knight seemingly turning to the Dark side. 

The footage began with a montage of the older Star Wars movies, including footage from the original, prequel and sequel trilogy. Then, the first new shot: Rey, Poe, Finn, C3PO and R2D2 all on a new desert planet. They look out at a huge bustling market-type location.

Does she turn to the Dark side? The fleeting shot, which lasted two seconds, saw Rey wearing an ominous hood and wielding a double ended red sabre,  modelled after her staff, first seen in The Force Awakens.

The debate will surely rage as to whether this is a Palpatine-induced vision or her future. All we know for now is, Rise of the Skywalker looks set to be phenomenal. 

A new Star Wars 9 poster has also been released and is available to see below. Director JJ Abrams also spoke about Carrie Fisher's inclusion in the movie, saying: “We couldn’t possibly tell the end of these films without Leia. Carrie as Leia gets to be in the film using Force Awakens footage.”

Missed out on any of the reveals from a jam-packed D23 2019 schedule? We’ve got you covered: Ewan McGregor is returning at Obi-Wan for a new Disney+ series, while on the other side of a galaxy far, far away, the first Mandalorian trailer has been released to the public.

Meanwhile, on the MCU side of things, some new Marvel TV shows have been confirmed, with She-Hulk, Moon Knight, and Ms. Marvel all coming to the service across the next few years.

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.