Star Wars: Can ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ meet expectations?

(Left to right( Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), BB-8, D-O, Rey (Daisy Ridley), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and Finn (John Boyega) in STAR WARS: EPISODE IX

Star Wars: Episode IX now has its title (The Rise of Skywalker) and first trailer. The expectation is a great final chapter, but can it be met?

Spoilers ahead. Only in respect to the teaser trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Episode IX), which will be mentioned. So, if you haven’t seen it… what are you waiting for?

This past weekend brought Star Wars Celebration to Chicago, IL. Basically, it’s a gathering of Star Wars fans showing love for everything from the movies, television shows, and publications all the way to all that terrific merchandise.

Ah, all that merchandise. As Yogurt (Mel Brooks playing a version of Yoda) said in Spaceballs (a comedic spoof of Star Wars): “Merchandising, merchandising. Where the real money from the movie is made.” A statement that is very true, and can also be very troubling when you really think about it.

This particular Star Wars Celebration has an even larger looming presence with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opening at the end of this year (December 20). Check out the first trailer, which is pretty awesome:

Still, this entire sequel trilogy has felt rushed from the very beginning. It is confounding to think that Disney has put such a premium on releasing these films so quickly. Yes, Disney spent over $4 billion acquiring Lucasfilm (specifically for Star Wars). But isn’t an investment like that worthy of putting out the best possible product?