‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ Makes Major Change To Stormtroopers

The “Star Wars” universe is nothing without its stormtroopers. Among the most iconic enemies in the “Star Wars” pantheon, stormtroopers themselves have already gone through an immense amount of changes since their conception in 1977’s “A New Hope.”

Yet, with “The Rise of Skywalker” less than a month away, “Star Wars” fans grow ever-more anticipated and Disney knows just how to scratch that itch by way of multitudes of promotional content. Revealed via the most recent clip shared on social media, stormtroopers will be updated once again, this time with rocket-propelled boosters on their backs. Watch the reveal in the video below:

Jet-fueled stormtroopers won’t be the only new additions to “Episode IX,” however, as the highly discussed and theorized Sith Troopers will also be making their debut in the new “Star Wars” movie. It’s unclear what exactly their role is in the new film, though most of the promotional work details them as Kylo Ren’s personal bodyguards.

Director J.J. Abrams has long admitted that “The Rise of Skywalker” will be a no-holds-barred production, seeing that it’s the culmination of generations’ worth of “Star Wars” lore and culture. In an attempt to pull out all of the stops, Abrams will seemingly infuse all kinds of interesting and new content to not only reshape “Star Wars” but also satisfy long-standing fans of the franchise.

Having worked on 2015’s “The Force Awakens,” Abrams certainly knows a thing or two about adapting the sinister pawns of “Star Wars.” The stormtroopers helmet redesign for the First Order helped to bridge said gap between older and newer audiences, blending their nostalgic brethren with that of a newer generation.

One thing that will be making a return from the more recent iterations of “Star Wars” are celebrity stormtrooper cameos. Both “The Force Awakens” and “The Last Jedi” featured the likes of Daniel Craig and Tom Hardy, respectively, as stormtroopers, and the upcoming film will have Ed Sheeran and Stephen Colbert donning the iconic armor.

Aside from Rey’s new lightsaber and potential force abilities, “The Rise of Skywalker” will feature loads of new and interesting content. Main among them will be many faces “Star Wars” fans have never seen before, such as Jannah (Naomi Ackie), Allegiant General Pryde (Richard E. Grant), and Zorii Bliss (Keri Russell).

"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" warps into theaters Dec. 20.