R2-D2 and C-3PO reunite in a new Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker preview. The two droids are the only characters to appear in all nine episodes of the Skywalker saga, going through more than their fair share of adventures together over the years. Unfortunately, they’ve also seen their roles greatly diminished in the ongoing sequel trilogy. They both essentially made glorified cameos in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, giving way for BB-8 to steal the show. It’s true Artoo’s made a notable impact on the overall story (possessing the remainder of the map to Ahch-To), but any screen time for the classic droids is minimal.

At least in Threepio’s case, that’s going to change in The Rise of Skywalker. The film is poised to give the protocol droid his biggest part since the original trilogy, as he’s accompanying Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, and Chewbacca on their mission and having his eyes turn red for unknown purposes. Artoo remains more of a mystery, as he’s largely been absent from marketing, though a recent TV spot showed him flying with Poe in a battle. Fortunately, The Rise of Skywalker is going to have at least one scene with the two droids together.

The video also reveals a new line of C-3PO’s dialogue, where he says, “I want you to know that you have been a real friend, Artoo. My best one, in fact.” It’s the second unexpectedly poignant moment featuring Threepio in Rise of Skywalker marketing, following his “Taking one last look… at my friends” line from the final trailer. From the looks of it, this bit with Artoo and Threepio is set on jungle planet Ajan Kloss (where the Resistance has established headquarters) and could take place early in the film before Threepio leaves on the Resistance mission. It’s difficult to say without the full context, but it’s presented in a way suggesting this could be the duo’s last conversation together, and Threepio wants Artoo to know how much he appreciates their companionship in case he doesn’t return.

With The Rise of Skywalker serving as the final chapter of this story, there’s bound to be many more emotional moments like this between characters in the film. Much like Avengers: Endgame earlier this year, The Rise of Skywalker is aiming to wrap up numerous arcs and storylines - some of which have been going for more than 40 years. R2-D2 and C-3PO have been there from the very beginning (Threepio has the first line in all of Star Wars), so it isn’t surprising director J.J. Abrams looked to give them the spotlight one last time. Hopefully whatever he has in store lands with the intended impact.

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