The Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker campaign had to do cleanup, escalation, and closure all at once. The trailers leaned into legacy, finality, and spectacle, with each beat trying to sell the last chapter of the Skywalker saga as something momentous.
Teaser Trailer
Release date: April 12, 2019
Premiering at Star Wars Celebration Chicago, the teaser was built around breathless anticipation: Rey in the desert, wreckage, the medal of mystery around Palpatine’s laugh, and a promise that the endgame was finally here.
D23 Special Look
Release date: August 26, 2019
The D23 piece functioned as both trailer and memory reel. It braided saga footage into new material and gave the campaign one of its most talked-about images with the Dark Rey reveal.
Final Trailer
Release date: October 21, 2019
The final trailer pushed destiny, lineage, and last-stand energy. It was the full commitment point for the movie’s end-of-an-era marketing.
Campaign notes
The most interesting thing about this rollout is how often it leaned on memory. Even when it was selling new material, it kept framing the movie as a closing chapter for a much longer story.