This week, we’re getting a bunch of new sneak peeks and glimpses of the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Along with the arrival of Triple Force Friday this week, various media outlets are revealing new details about the final chapter of the Skywalker saga, and today brings our first proper look at a new alien character in the movie named Babu Frik.

Plus, since this is the final chapter of the primary Star Wars franchise, there’s a lot that won’t be revealed leading up to the film’s release. But that doesn’t mean filmmakers can’t tease us about what’s to come. In this case, The Rise of Skywalker writer Chris Terrio keys us into two questions that will drive the narrative of this final movie, and you likely already know one of them.

See the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Babu Frik photo and learn about these questions below.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Babu Frik Photo

StarWars.com provided this official glimpse of Babu Frik while announcing a contest to attend the film’s premiere this December, as well as all the brand partners who are working with Lucasfilm and Disney on cross-promotions. Here’s how they describe the little alien creature who first popped up as an action figure in last week’s Triple Force Friday reveal:

“The tiny Anzellan droidsmith works among the Spice Runners of Kijimi and can reprogram or modify virtually any droid — regardless of the security measures protecting its systems.”

And thanks to the most recent trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, we think we know how this droidsmith will come into play, at least in a vague sense. If you look at the background in the photo above, the lighting color scheme on the right side is very similar to the background of this shot from the trailer:

Since this shot prominently features C-3PO, and you can even see a little golden shimmer in the background behind Babu Frik, we’re betting whatever is going on with the protocol droid is being looked at by this little guy. Of course, this only raises more questions.

The Questions Driving The Rise of Skywalker

Speaking of questions, writer Chris Terrio recently opened up to Empire about two key questions that are driving the narrative in The Rise of Skywalker. One of them you already have had since the beginning of this new trilogy in The Force Awakens. But the other is a far more intriguing question.

The first question, Terrio concedes ,is the easiest one to consider. He says:

“One of them is a simple one: ‘Who is Rey?’ Which is a question that people not only wonder about quite literally, but wonder about in the spiritual sense. How can Rey become the spiritual heir to the Jedi? We kept coming back to ‘Who is Rey?’, and how can we give the most satisfying answer to that not only factually – because obviously people are interested in whether there’s more to be learned of Rey’s story – but more importantly who is she as a character? How will she find the courage and will and inner strength and power to carry on what she’s inherited?”

While many agree that the idea of Rey’s parents isn’t nearly as interesting as some think, the larger question about Rey and her place in the galaxy is much more fascinating. What is driving her, where will it take her, and what truly defines her? Will her past change her future if she learns more about it? What from her past is already influencing her future? These are all questions that will likely be answered by the time the credits roll on The Rise of Skywalker.

In addition, Terrio added this question to the mix:

“The second one is, ‘How strong is the Force?’ It sounds a little simple, but actually when you get down to it, that is a sort of Zen Koan that we would really meditate on – not literally in yoga poses or anything, but like we would discuss, ‘What is the Force and how strong is the Force?’ Those two things were really important.”

This is a question that has become even more important in Star Wars since the abilities of the Force were expanded somewhat in The Last Jedi. The way Kylo Ren and Rey communicate through the Force is a new development, and it seems to come from a stronger connection they have through the Force. But how far can you push the Force? Are there limitations? We know Luke Skywalker was able to project himself with the Force, but it ended up killing him. But this question feels like it goes beyond the idea of what can physically be accomplished with the Force. As we’ve learned, the Force is so much more than power.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker arrives in theaters on December 18, 2019.

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