Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker: Trailer, Poster, And Title Revealed For Episode 9

On this beautiful May 4--otherwise known as Star Wars Day (May the Fourth be with you? Get it?)--we're thankful for all we know about Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. Even if that's precious little, from the return of Emperor Palpatine to small hints about one of the movie's new characters. What do you want most from Episode 9? The movie hits theaters December 19, but in the meantime, let us know in the comments below.

The title of the hugely-anticipated next Star Wars film has finally been revealed, and it's Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker. The title was announced during a panel discussion at the franchise's annual Star Wars Celebration convention, which is currently underway in Chicago. Alongside the name reveal, Lucasfilm also shared the movie's first poster, which you can see below. Rather than featuring the broad cast of characters, like previous Star Wars movie posters, it simply consists of the logo on the traditional space backdrop.

One of the biggest bits of information we learned from the Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker teaser trailer was that Ian McDiarmid would return and reprise his role as Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious. Despite his death at the end of Return of the Jedi, he'll apparently be back in some capacity; we hear him laugh at the end of the trailer, and McDiarmid himself appeared on stage at Celebration to reaffirm that it was indeed him. You can get the rundown on all the details in our trailer analysis.

At the end of The Last Jedi, Supreme Leader Snoke, who had been positioned as the main antagonist in The Force Awakens, was defeated, leaving fans wondering who would replace him as the big bad. While many expected Kylo Ren to fill the role, the return of Palpatine indicates Kylo's role in the movie could be more ambiguous, which makes sense given the internal struggle the previous movies have depicted him as having.

Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker hits theaters on December 19. The film stars Daisy Ridley as Rey, Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, John Boyega as Finn, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico, Lupita Nyong'o as Maz Kanata, and Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux. New cast members include Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant, and Keri Russell.

The film will also see appearances from a number of Star Wars veterans including Mark Hamill as Luke, Billy Dee Williams as Lando, and Carrie Fisher as Leia. Fisher died before production began, but will appear in footage originally shot for 2017's The Last Jedi.

Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker isn't the only new Star Wars release that fans have to look forward to this year. It has also been confirmed that the live-action TV show The Mandalorian will be available on the streaming service Disney+ when it launches on November 12.

Star Wars Celebration also promises news and reveals for the new Star Wars game Jedi Fallen Order from the developers of Apex Legends and Titanfall. Go to GameSpot sister site CNET to see a full rundown of what to expect from the show.