We’re less than a week away from the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and we’re still being treated to new goodies from the film. On Saturday, director J.J. Abrams participated in an in-game Fortnite crossover event where he, as an avatar of himself, unveiled a new clip from Rise of Skywalker.
Let’s cut right to the chase: The new Rise of Skywalker clip is a crowd-pleaser for Star Wars fans everywhere. Even though it’s short, it reveals Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), and Poe (Oscar Isaac) sneaking their way on to a First Order ship. Finn seems to know the ship well from his Stormtrooper days as they make their way through the rabbit’s warren of corridors. Just when it seems like they’ll get to their destination, Rey, Finn, and Poe are stopped by Stormtroops. Without missing a beat, Rey channels her inner Obi-Wan Kenobi, raises her hand, and uses a super chill Jedi mind trick to throw the Stormtroopers off the group’s scent. Watch the clip below to see how it all plays out.
Things got off to a shaky start on Saturday afternoon as the Star Wars x Fortnite crossover event was beset with technical difficulties. Those difficulties resulted from a massive influx of Fortnite players attempting to log in to Fortnite in order to get to the event — which was happening in-game at the drive-in cinema known as Risky Reels — with many folks getting locked out. Thankfully, there were plenty of ways to watch, including Twitch livestreams. Saturday’s Star Wars x Fortnite event began with avatar versions of Game Awards host Geoff Keighley joining Abrams on a stage where a Millennium Falcon hovered overhead.
From there, those who were lucky enough to get into the event were invited to step on different colored pads to vote for what clip would be shown. While some choices seemed legit — like “Knights of Ren” and “Jedi Mind Trick” (the correct answer) — there was an option labeled “Darth Jar Jar,” which feels like a joke but would also be extremely badass if it was a real moment in Rise of Skywalker. Fortnite players were also treated to new Star Wars outfits, emotes, and even a TIE Fighter glider, all available in the Fortnite shop as part of this special crossover event.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker arrives in theaters on Friday, December 20. For more, check out our recent interviews with J.J. Abrams and Adam Driver as well as even more new pictures from the film.
