Star Wars Concept Art From Colin Trevorrow’s Sequel Gives Rose Tico A Badass New Look

Rose Tico in The Rise of Skywalker

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Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker arrived in theaters back in December, and ended the franchise as we knew it. The nine-film story that began with A New Hope came to a close, with director J.J. Abrams tasked with crafting a satisfying ending for the generations of Star Wars fans. But Jurassic World's Colin Trevorrow was originally attached to helm Episode IX, with a bold vision that barely resembles the theatrical cut. Plenty of information about Trevorrow's plan for the movie have become public over the past year, and some concept art shows a thoroughly badass appearance for Kelly Marie Tran's Rose Tico.

Rose Tico debuted in The Last Jedi, and the response was unprecedented. Actress Kelly Marie Tran was harassed online, eventually leaving social media and stepping into therapy as a result of the backlash. Rose had a small role in The Rise of Skywalker, but concept art for Colin Trevorrow's Episode IX shows an awesome new look for the Resistance leader. Check it out below.

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FOMO alert. Rose Tico looks like a certifiable badass in the above image, rocking heavy Resistance artillery and a cool helmet/goggle combination. While Rose would eventually go on to fight in the final battle on Exegol, Kelly Marie Tran's character was given a much more modest uniform for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

This piece of Star Wars concept art comes to us from the social media of Collider's Frosty Weintraub, and features the Resistance in an epic battle against the First Order. Those on the Light Side of the Force are using a mixture of hand to hand weapons, as well as blasters. It certainly resembles the final battle from The Rise of Skywalker's theatrical cut, which saw the Resistance fight the First Order on the top of a Star Destroyer. Of course, there's also a plethora of discrepancies between the two directors' visions.

Rose Tico's look in the concept art for Episode IX is definitely a change that fans would have welcomed when The Rise of Skywalker finally hit theaters. The maintenance tech turned Resistance leader looks like a true warrior here, with munitions around her torso and an awesome helmet. In the end Rose didn't do a ton of battle during the movie's runtime, with the exception of the final stand against Palpatine.

Star Wars fans can re-watch the Skywalker Saga in its entirety on Disney+. You can use this link for a free 7-day trial to the streaming service.

Instead of being on a mission across the galaxy with Rey, Poe, and Finn, Rose Tico stayed on the Rebel Base with Leia. J.J. Abrams thought this was a great way to honor both Rose and the late Carrie Fisher, although quite a bit of that footage ended up on the cutting room floor. And as a result, Kelly Marie Tran's character had a disappointing amount of screen time in The Rise of Skywalker's final product.

Colin Trevorrow's script for The Rise of Skywalker was leaked online a few months ago, and its plot is in stark juxtaposition to what J.J. Abrams eventually landed on. While the theatrical cut was accused of fan service and tying the franchise up too neatly, Trevorrow's vision had some more creative risk and dark moments from what we've seen. But he ultimately departed the blockbuster, giving him the opportunity to return to the director's chair for Jurassic World: Dominion.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is currently streaming on Disney+, while Jurassic World: Dominion is currently set to arrive in theaters June 11th, 2021. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.