WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR STAR WARS THE RISE OF SKYWALKER
If you’ve seen Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker, you know that the movie jumps right into the thick of things. From the opening crawl we learn that not only has Sheev Palpatine, the former Emperor of the Galactic Empire and Dark Lord of the Sith survived his supposed death from Return of the Jedi, he has broadcast a message across the galaxy promising revenge.
A lot of eager Star Wars fans were perplexed that this pivotal plot point was left out of the movie.
However, it was possible to hear this message. Just not in the actual film.
Instead, The Emperor’s message was broadcast over the multi-player game Fortnite as part of a special Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker event.
Players in the garb of storm troppers and other Star Wars universe characters rallied around a series of landing platforms as the iconic Millenium Falcon took to the skies. The Falcon was pursuied by First Order TIE Fighters as it sped away.
Then, we hear Palpatine’s transmission. The Emperor’s distinctive voice booms over the airwaves as he promises doom in the name of revenge.
“At last the work of generations is complete,” The Dark Lord said. “The great error is corrected. The day of victory is at hand, the day of revenge, the day of The Sith.”
Of course, Fortnite is no stranger to special events that tie in with major movies. The game recently did a huge crossover with Avengers Endgame.
Players were able to go through the game as several Marvel superheroes as well as the main villain of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thanos.
If players found the Infinity Stones, they could become Thanos. They could then use the stones to execute his iconic “snap” and eliminate half of the other players on the stage.
This Star Wars event represents a first for the game. A major plot point only hinted at in the movie is available through the world of Fortnite. While it is possible that this is a scene from the film that director JJ Abrams had left on the cutting room floor, it’s an amazing inclusion for this event and a true gift to Fortnite players.
Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker is currently in theaters. The movie had a massive opening night take of $40 million. It is the final chapter of what has come to be known as the Skywalker saga, closing out a nine movie arc.