Is Star Wars about to go where Avengers: Endgame went this summer? It's rumor time, Star Wars fans. And this time, we're discussing the possibility of time travel factoring into The Rise of Skywalker. Right up top, we must get two things out of the way: first and foremost, this, at best, is just a rumor for the time being. No more, no less. So it shouldn't be regarded as official, or anything close to it. This is also, in part, based on an alleged leak, which is certainly shaky, to say the least. All of this to say, this is mostly speculative. That said, if this proves to be even remotely true, we're in for a wild ride.
Warning: possible spoilers ahead for The Rise of Skywalker. Those who don't want to risk having something spoiled should turn back now. Moving on. A recent, alleged leak for J.J. Abrams' upcoming finale to this sequel trilogy claims that Rey and Kylo are going to duke it out with lightsabers in a pretty epic fight that will include what was referred to as "Force Flash." In essence, this would allow Rey and Kylo, or any Jedi who mastered this trick, to instantly be transported to a new location, such as a different planet. Sort of the same way beaming works in Star Trek.
However, others have looked at this leak and proposed that Force Flash could actually be time travel. As silly as that may sound to some, this is directly supported by the Star Wars canon, thanks to an episode of the animated series Star Wars: Rebels. The episode in question, titled A World Between Worlds, sees the show's main Jedi character Ezra Bridger discovering, through some ancient Jedi teachings, a window between time and space that allows one to traverse time and revisit various events, with the possibility to change the course of history. This is what allows Ahsoka to survive her clash with Darth Vader from the end of Rebels Season 2, as Ezra pulls her into this world between worlds, saving her from certain doom.
It's also worth mentioning that Emperor Palpatine, who we know will be returning in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, appears in this episode as well. He was also aware of this unique pathway through time. In other parts of the official canon, such as the Battlefront II video game campaign, it's established that Palpatine had been collecting various Jedi and Sith relics and stashing them at various places around the galaxy. So, could it be that Palpatine will somehow open this window through time, which Kylo and Rey could then use in this lightsaber duel?
Nothing is preventing this from happening. More importantly, it would explain how Palpatine could return. Even more than that, it would allow for Rey and Kylo to take us on a trip through the franchise, and could allow for a ton of various characters to appear, in various familiar locations throughout the franchise timeline. It could be truly insane, but if executed correctly, could also be a bold new concept for many fans.
One thing that both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi did was introduce new ideas and concepts about the Force into the canon. If J.J. Abrams continues down that path, there's no reason we couldn't see the concepts from A World Between Worlds introduced on the big screen. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters on December 20. This theory comes to us from user spritezero12 over on Reddit.