The moment has almost come for Star Wars fans with the release of Episode 9, The Rise of Skywalker just around the corner. Last night, the cast, crew and select guests attended the world premiere for the first official unveiling of the culmination of the Skywalker saga. Among the big names there was, of course, director JJ Abrams.
In an interview with Variety, Abrams let slip a much sought-after tidbit of information regarding The Rise of Skywalker, confirming once and for all that Baby Yoda is not in it.
“Baby Yoda is not in the movie,” he announced definitively.
Abrams did, however, call The Mandalorian’s breakout star the “cutest thing in the history of time”.
“How do you deny Baby Yoda?” he quipped, when asked about his thoughts on the character when he first saw him. “You can’t.”
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The world got Baby Yoda fever when The Mandalorian launched on Disney+ last month.
The 50-year-old version of the beloved Star Wars character has spawned countless memes, going viral overnight thanks to his adorable nature.
The Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau previously addressed the global phenomenon that is Baby Yoda which is thanks, in part, to the fact Disney and Lucasfilm managed to keep the character under wraps until the series started streaming, making him a very cute surprise.
“I have to thanks Disney and Lucasfilm, because the way the cat usually gets out of the bag with that stuff is merchandising and toy catalogues and things like that,” he said. “So they really back us up.
One attendee tweeted: “#TheRiseofSkywalker isn’t the best Star Wars film, but it is the ULTIMATE Star Wars film.
“A truly stunning finale to a nine film saga. Only weird thing was the amount of screen time spent on characters wolfing down raw vidalia onions,” they added. “I ADORED this movie.”
Another said they were “blown away” by the upcoming Episode 9, saying it “did justice” to the saga.
A third said The Rise of Skywalker “Gets this epic ending right”, adding: “JJ Abrams and the team nails it.
“And gives a whole new appreciation for The Last Jedi in the process.”
“Epic. All of it,” one journalist tweeted. “#TheRiseofSkywalker is a terrific finale that is just stuffed with so much of everything. Action, adventure — answers!! — humour, heart, love, and grit.
“I spend the entire second half with tears in my eyes — a wonderful way to end the Skywalker story,” they said.
“I’m emotional, overwhelmed, surprised, shocked and stunned,” one social media reaction read. “More than anything, I’m happy.
“Thanks for coming through one more time, Star Wars.”
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is released in UK cinemas December 19.