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The final Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer is a tear-jerking roller coaster

C3PO has a line that had everyone sobbing into their keyboards.

Headshot of Gael Cooper
Headshot of Gael Cooper
Gael Cooper
CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s," as well as "The Totally Sweet '90s." She's been a journalist since 1989, working at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and NBC News Digital. She's Gen X in birthdate, word and deed. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she'll be first in line.
Expertise Breaking news, entertainment, lifestyle, travel, food, shopping and deals, product reviews, money and finance, video games, pets, history, books, technology history, and generational studies Credentials
  • Co-author of two Gen X pop-culture encyclopedia for Penguin Books. Won "Headline Writer of the Year"​ award for 2017, 2014 and 2013 from the American Copy Editors Society. Won first place in headline writing from the 2013 Society for Features Journalism.
Gael Cooper
2 min read
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The end is here.

 Video screenshot by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNET

The final trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has just dropped and it's teeing up an emotional goodbye that's already sending fans into hysterics. The trailer played during Monday Night Football on ESPN and tickets went on sale online just as the teams kicked off. Pre-sale records are already being broken.

The trailer blends action with the familiar elements of Star Wars films -- gathering troops, droid humor, Chewbacca growls, a touching sight of the late Carrie Fisher, lightsaber battles, possibly a new planet? -- with a wistful sweetness acknowledging this is the last film of the third trilogy. Fan favorite C-3PO delivered the line of the night, when the droid announced that he was "taking one last look ... at my friends." Awwww!

And there's another heart-breaking moment later on, when Luke (Mark Hamill) and Leia both chime in to assure Daisy Ridley's Rey that the Force will be with her always.

Fans felt the lump-in-throat moments, too. "Why is he yelling? What is Rey doing? Why can't I stop crying?" wrote Caitlin Hollis on Twitter.

Some fans had questions about plot details revealed in the trailer, from a green lightsaber to troops on horseback to a scene involving Darth Vader's iconic mask. 

Star John Boyega was quick to post about the trailer, writing, "The beginning of the end. It's been an incredible journey. Can't wait for you all to see 9!"

A new poster was also released.

Fans have glimpsed some footage from the long-awaited film before. A teaser trailer came out in April, and a "sizzle reel" showing some highlights was shown at the Disney fan gathering D23 in August. Fans first spotted Rey's double-bladed red lightsaber there, inspiring plenty of theories and rumors about whether Rey (Daisy Ridley) would turn to the dark side.

Watch this: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Official Trailer (2019)

When the tickets became available, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac delivered a short video promoting the news -- along with some overexcited mechanical friends.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens on Dec. 20 worldwide. But even after it disappears from theaters, the Star Wars universe will live on, with additional movies and TV series in the works. As star Mark Hamill wrote in a tweet sent on Sunday, "I have 4 billion+ reasons to think there will be more to come."

New Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer -- everything we think we saw

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Originally published Oct. 21, 6:50 p.m. PT.