4 questions from the final 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' trailer

Are Rey and Kylo Ren joining sides?

The final “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” trailer did its job Monday night during halftime of the Patriots-Jets game.

The 2:22-minute clip generated buzz about the final chapter of the nine-part Star Wars saga. It left no shortage of questions, particularly after creating plenty uncertainty in the previous trailers.

The trailer makes a few things clear. First, there will be no shortage of epic battles in wild settings. But that was probably to be expected. Second, Rey and Kylo Ren seem to have a fair amount of screen time together. They are shown together in three different settings (a watery planet, Ren’s pristine white chamber and the control room of a First Order spaceship). Third, The Rebel forces are somehow strong. While the eighth movie depicted The Rebels with a shortage of survivors and ships, this trailer seems to show they recover nicely.

But goodness, there’s a lot that we don’t know. Let’s dive into that.

1. Are Rey and Kylo Ren joining sides?

In “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” the late Supreme Leader Snoke creates a force bond between Rey and Kylo Ren. Even when they’re apart, they can speak to each other through the force. It’s unclear if that bond is intact in this movie. But they seem to still have a bond.

“People keep telling me they know me. No one does,” Rey says.

“But I do,” Kyle Ren says.

In the previous trailer, we saw Rey using a red lightsaber. In this trailer, we see Rey and Kyle Ron destroy a shrine for Darth Vader (shown above). Did they destroy it by accident during a duel? Or did they do it on purpose — together?

It’s possible that Rey and Ren come together by abandoning the Jedi and Sith ways. Instead, they could find a centrist stance — they could find the true balance between good and evil.

2. Don’t go, C3PO. Is he dying?

It seems C3PO, who is shown in a state of disrepair, is in some trouble during the course of this movie.

“Taking one last look, sir — at my friends,” he says.

Does that mean he’s going to die? I can only handle so much sadness after all the other characters that have died.

3. Horses can ride on top of spaceships — in outer space?

I don’t think we need to consult a physicist. This doesn’t make a lot of sense. I like it. It is going to make for an epic scene. It’s also pretty ridiculous.

4. Who’s in the chair?

We’re all thinking it: It’s got to be Emperor Palpatine.

How is he alive? Is he a Force Ghost, much like how many powerful Jedi have appeared in past movies? (Yoda did it in “The Last Jedi.”) Does the emperor have a body?

Every trailer seems to be indicating that the real enemy is Palpatine. But will he only live in the minds of Rey and Kyle Ren? Or will he take a physical form?