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New Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker footage brings back Duel of the Fates

Palpatine declares, "This will be the final word in the story of Skywalker."

Headshot of Gael Cooper
Headshot of Gael Cooper
Gael Cooper
CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s," as well as "The Totally Sweet '90s." She's been a journalist since 1989, working at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and NBC News Digital. She's Gen X in birthdate, word and deed. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she'll be first in line.
Expertise Breaking news, entertainment, lifestyle, travel, food, shopping and deals, product reviews, money and finance, video games, pets, history, books, technology history, and generational studies Credentials
  • Co-author of two Gen X pop-culture encyclopedia for Penguin Books. Won "Headline Writer of the Year"​ award for 2017, 2014 and 2013 from the American Copy Editors Society. Won first place in headline writing from the 2013 Society for Features Journalism.
Gael Cooper

A new 30-second Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker promotional spot dropped on Thanksgiving Day. Some of the footage isn't new, but two things stood out to many fans: A line from Emperor Palpatine and a familiar crash of music from Star Wars legend John Williams.

Palpatine's ever-creepy voice delivers your new favorite all-purpose line, "This will be the final word in the story of Skywalker." Try it now. "This will be the final word in the story of this turkey drumstick." "This will be the final word in this game of Bob's Burgers Clue." Has many uses. 

And some fans have decided the Skywalker in the "story of Skywalker" is definitely Ben Solo/Kylo Ren.

But for some, it was all about the music. The brief spot includes composer John Williams' Duel of the Fates, a recurring Star Wars musical theme that debuted during the famed Darth Maul lightsaber battle in 1999's Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. In the TV spot, Duel of the Fates transitions into The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme). 

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens worldwide Dec. 20, with previews Dec. 19.

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Watch this: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Official Trailer (2019)