Promotion
Despite staying silent about many details of the film, Abrams expressed his hopes that fans and general audiences would be "satisfied".[130] He headed a panel dedicated to the film on April 12, 2019, during Star Wars Celebration in Chicago,[131] where the film's title was revealed.[86]
Additionally, the story events of the Disneyland themed area Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge precede the film, including the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run motion simulator, which features Chewbacca.[132] On August 24, a new poster and "sizzle reel" was released at D23;[23] the latter was released to the public two days later. The footage includes a montage of the Skywalker saga so far, as well as several new shots from the film.[133]
Tie-in literature and merchandise
A publishing campaign titled "Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" was announced on May 4, 2019. It includes the novel Resistance Reborn, set between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, the young-adult novel Force Collector, the Middle Grade novel Spark of the Resistance, and various other titles.[134] From December 18, 2019, to March 11, 2020, a prequel graphic novel titled The Rise of Kylo Ren, telling the story of how Ben Solo became Kylo Ren and elaborating upon the character's backstory, was published by Marvel Comics, written by Charles Soule and illustrated by Will Sliney.[135]
The official novelization of The Rise of Skywalker is by Rae Carson; hardcover and audiobook versions were released on March 19, 2020. The novel details Palpatine's return in more depth: He transferred his consciousness into a clone body following his death in Return of the Jedi, and his "son", Rey's father, was a failed clone of Palpatine.[136][137] The junior novel and corresponding audiobook are by Michael Kogge and was released on April 21, 2020. A five-issue Marvel Comics adaptation written by Jody Houser and illustrated by Will Sliney was planned to debut in mid-2020,[138][139] but this was later cancelled, making the film the first in the franchise not to receive a serialized comic adaptation.[140] A separate graphic novel adaptation was released by IDW Publishing in 2021.[141]
A story arc of 2020's Darth Vader comic ties into The Rise of Skywalker, utilizing a creature cut from the film as well as Ochi.[142] Further, a novel titled Shadow of the Sith, released mid-2022, explores the backstory of Luke and Lando as they investigate the dead world of Exegol.[143]
Video games
The video game Star Wars Battlefront II (2017) released a free level set on Ajan Kloss.[144] In December 2019, the video game Fortnite Battle Royale released several cosmetics featuring character outfits for Rey, Finn, a Sith Trooper, Kylo Ren, and Zorii Bliss along with a TIE Fighter glider, a Millennium Falcon glider (which was given to players for free from the Winterfest Event), four emotes, and two free banners.[145] On December 14, Fortnite's publisher Epic Games released a preview of the film on an in-game theater screen as a live event.[146] At the end of the event, a message from Palpatine (the one mentioned in the film's opening crawl) was heard.[147] To coincide with the release of the film, a trailer for the forthcoming video game, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga was released on the same day.[148]
