Everything we learned about 'The Rise of Skywalker' and 'The Mandalorian' from the newest 'Star Wars' Triple Force Friday toys
Triple the Force, triple the fun. Oct. 4 marks the annual Star Wars: Force Friday event where fans can get their nerf-herding hands on the latest far, far away merchandise coming to our corner of the galaxy. And this year’s edition will arrive packing three times as much punch. Triple Force Friday brings together merch from three of the franchise’s most anticipated upcoming releases: the streaming series The Mandalorian (available on Disney+ on Nov. 12); the video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (available on PS4 and Xbox One on Nov. 15); and, of course, the Skywalker Saga-capping feature film The Rise of Skywalker (in theaters on Dec. 20). Star Wars stalwarts like Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Billy Dee Williams provided a sneak peek at some of these toys via a livestream presentation from Pinewood Studios earlier today.
Even though details on all three properties are being kept tightly under wraps, these toys do provide some hints about what J.J. Abrams, Jon Favreau and the gamemakers at Electronic Arts respectively have in store. Here are the clues we picked up from some Triple Force Friday’s coolest releases.
The Rise of Skywalker
Pasaana, Desert Planet
The first trailer for The Rise of Skywalker showed off a wealth of new planets, including a desert world that’s not Tatooine or Jakku. A new Lego set confirms that the name of this dry, dry place is Pasaana, and it’s here that Rey (Ridley) does her physics-defying leap to avoid a fighter piloted by Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Before that happens, though, she and BB8 apparently try to stay a speeder’s length ahead of a First Order treadspeeder, while a Jet Trooper hovers overhead. “You may have seen something, and not known it was Pasaana,” Ridley remarked during the livestream, no doubt referring to the trailer as well as Abrams’s widely circulated “wrap day” photo that he tweeted in February.
Like daughter, like father?
Look, no one’s come out and said that Jannah (Naomi Ackie) is the offspring of one Lando Calrissian (Williams). But no one — including Ackie and Williams — has outright denied it either. This 6-inch Jannah figure from Hasbro’s Black Series line reveals that Jannah has at least one thing in common with her father (figure?): they both wear a mean cape. “The first thing was finding out who may character was,” Ackie said during the livestream. “Once I knew her history ... it was about training and being on set to figure out where the energy was for my character. There was a lot of running. You have to run a lot if you’re in Star Wars!”
More ships than you can shake a stick at
Based on these Lego sets, the characters in The Rise of Skywalker are going to be logging some serious airtime during the course of the movie. For the first time since Return of the Jedi, Lando is back onboard that old bucket of bolts, the Millennium Falcon, spending some quality time with Finn (Boyega), Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) and the droids. Also onboard is a horned alien named Boolio, but Boyega was careful not to say too much about his role in the story while previewing the Lego Falcon on the livestream. “Can’t talk about Boolio,” the actor said. Something tells us that we’ll all be talking about Boolio once the movie opens.
Kylo Ren, now assuming the mantle of “Supreme Leader,” is also flying a crowded ship: his shuttle comes with plenty of room for his Knights of Ren and new First Order officer General Pryde (Richard E. Grant), who appears to be supplanting the hapless General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) in Kylo’s orbit.
Elsewhere in the galaxy, masked mystery woman Zorri Bliss (Keri Russell) is piloting a Y-Wing on a mission to rescue Resistance hero Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) from First Order Snowtroopoers. Was Poe captured on purpose as part of a sneak attack? Or is the ace pilot’s trigger finger just getting slower as the war rages on? Russell and Isaac appeared together during the livestream, suggesting that their characters spend a lot of time in each other’s company.
And speaking of frequent J.J. Abrams collaborators, Greg Grunberg’s Snap Wexley is inside the cockpit of an A-Wing starfighter — a set that also includes a minifigure version of Billy Lourd’s Lieutenant Connix. Should we take that pairing as a potential new couple alert? Forget Reylo: from now on, we’re all about Wexix.
The scars have it
With those prominent gashes, Kylo’s mask now matches his scarred face. Having assumed Snoke’s former role as Supreme Leader of the First Order, Kylo has redoubled his efforts to hunting down the surviving Resistance fighters, with a particular emphasis on Rey — the Force-enabled warrior who dared to defy him.
Kylo’s inner rage is reflected in Hasbro’s new rage mask, which suggest we’ll be meeting a meaner version of Han and Leia’s son in The Rise of Skywalker. On the other hand, a fall into fury may end with a rise towards redemption.
Our sweet Babu
C-3PO is generally paired with his droid life partner, R2-D2, but the Rise of Skywalker Black Series Threepio comes with a new companion: Babu Frik. Like Boolio, the livestream participants — including Anthony Daniels — couldn’t say too much about this character instead of teasing Babu’s function as a droid builder. That suggests that Frik might be the culprit behind Threepio’s serious case of red eye that’s on display in the Rise trailer. “It’s one of my favorite characters,” Daniels teased. Not for nothing, but this version of the golden droid also appears to be carrying some of Chewbacca’s signature items. Could this mean that Han’s best buddy is one of the big deaths that’s rumored to happen in the movie? (It’s not like he hasn’t died before...)
On the other hand, the Threepio included in Disney’s deluxe figurine set appears to be transporting a whole stash of weaponry, so maybe he’s just repaying Chewie for that rucksack ride way back in Empire Strikes Back. Good to know he’s finally carrying his weight.
The Mandalorian
Have Jawa, will travel
Think Jawas only hang out on Tatooine? Think again. It looks like Pedro Pascal’s Mandalorian will encounter one of these cloaked scavengers during the course of his mission for employer Greef Carga (Carl Weathers). He’d better take care: these offworld Jawas carry pack just as much firepower as their Tatooine-based pals.
Walker, Star Wars ranger
Trailers for The Mandalorian have already teased a Hutt connection, and that’s backed up by Lego’s AT-ST Raider set, which comes with a pair of Klatooinian Raider minifigures that pilot the plus-sized walker. And if you know your Star Wars geography, you’ll recall that Klatooine is located within Hutt Space where Jabba was once a major mover and shaker until he met his untimely — but well-earned — demise.
Unlike the AT-ST’s that patrolled Endor’s moon, this particular model has been decorated with special warpaint. Assuming that the Mandalorian and his traveling companion Cara Dune (Gina Carano) can eject the Raiders first, they should be able to use the walker to stage a Trojan horse-style invasion on their desired target.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
If the title of The Rise of Skywalker hints at some kind of Jedi new world order, EA’s new Star Wars game rewinds the clock to the Order’s biggest defeat. Set in cataclysmic aftermath of Revenge of the Sith, Fallen Order follows one of the few survivors of Order 66 — Padawan Cal Kestis — as he tries to avoid the Galactic Empire’s preferred method of capture and elimination. He’s accompanied everywhere by BB-8’s ancestor, BB-1.
Hunting young Cal across the Galaxy is Darth Vader’s preferred Inquisitor, Second Sister, as well as the Purge Trooper division of the Empire’s Stormtrooper army. Based on the new trailer that just dropped, the Second Sister is going to be the main antagonist of the game.
“It’s cool that people will finally be able to see how expansive and awesome the game is,” Cameron Monaghan — who plays Cal in the game — remarked during the livestream event. “I hope that Cal is going to be some kid’s first Jedi!”
The Mandalorian premieres on Disney+ on Nov. 12. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens in theaters on Dec. 20. All the new Star Wars merchandise will be available on Oct. 4.
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