Let’s be real for a second. If you’ve been scouring YouTube lately, you’ve probably seen it. A thumbnail with a grizzled Rey Skywalker, maybe a glimpse of a black-clad figure holding a crossguard lightsaber, and a title screaming Star Wars Episode 10 trailer in all caps. It looks legitimate. It has millions of views. But here’s the cold, hard truth that most of those channels won't tell you: that trailer is a total fake.
Every single one of them.
Right now, we are in a weird limbo. Disney and Lucasfilm haven't even officially called the next movie "Episode 10." In fact, they’re leaning away from the numbered saga format. But the internet doesn't care about semantics. People want to know what happens after the Resistance won, and they want to see it now.
Why the internet is obsessed with an Episode 10 trailer that doesn't exist
It’s all about the "New Jedi Order" project. Back at Star Wars Celebration in London, Kathleen Kennedy stood on stage and confirmed that Daisy Ridley is coming back. That’s the spark. That’s why everyone is searching for a Star Wars Episode 10 trailer.
We know Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is directing. We know the story picks up fifteen years after The Rise of Skywalker. That’s a huge gap. It's plenty of time for Rey to have built a temple, found some students, and—let's be honest—probably dealt with some massive bureaucratic headache from a fledgling New New Republic.
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The fans are hungry. When there is a vacuum of real footage, the "concept trailer" creators step in. These editors use high-end AI tools, clips from Ridley's other films like The Marsh King’s Daughter, and even bits of Battlefront II cinematics to stitch together something that looks real at a glance. It’s deceptive, sure, but it also shows just how much demand there is for this specific era of the timeline.
What is actually happening with the next movie?
Forget the fan-made clips. Let's look at the concrete stuff. Steven Knight, the guy who gave us Peaky Blinders, was brought on to write the script. That’s a specific vibe. You don’t hire the creator of Tommy Shelby if you want a bubbly, lighthearted space romp. You hire him for grit. For internal conflict.
There have been rumors of script rewrites, which is basically par for the course with Star Wars these days. Some reports suggest Knight turned in a draft late last year, but Lucasfilm is being incredibly protective of this story. They can't afford another polarized reception like the Sequel Trilogy got.
The movie is currently focused on Rey building a new Jedi Order. It’s a heavy burden. She is the last of the Jedi, literally. No more Luke. No more Leia. Just her and whatever ghosts are hanging around her shoulder.
The "Episode 10" naming controversy
Is it even an "Episode"?
Technically, the Skywalker Saga ended with IX. That was the marketing hook. "The Saga Comes to an End." If Disney labels the new Rey movie as Episode X, they’re reopening a book they promised was closed.
But from a marketing perspective? "Episode 10" sells. It tells the casual fan, "Hey, this is the main story. You need to see this." If they call it Star Wars: New Jedi Order, it sounds like a spin-off. It sounds like Rogue One or Solo.
I’d bet my last credit that even if the official title doesn't have a Roman numeral, the general public will keep calling it the Star Wars Episode 10 trailer until the day it hits Disney+.
Who else is coming back?
This is where the rumor mill gets loud. You’ve probably heard people swearing that John Boyega is returning as Finn.
Honestly? It makes sense. Finn’s story felt half-finished. He was Force-sensitive—that was the big "secret" he wanted to tell Rey in The Rise of Skywalker—but we never saw him ignite a blade. If Rey is starting an academy, Finn has to be her first student. Or her co-master.
Then there’s the Grogu factor.
By the time this movie takes place, Grogu would be... what? In his late 60s or 70s? For his species, that’s still a kid, but maybe a teenager? Integrating the Mandalorian timeline with the Sequel timeline is the "Holy Grail" for Lucasfilm right now. It connects the casual Disney+ viewers with the theatrical audience.
When will we actually see a real trailer?
If you're waiting for a real Star Wars Episode 10 trailer, you need to settle in. It’s going to be a while.
Production hasn't even started filming. Usually, we get a "Behind the Scenes" sizzle reel about a year before release, and a teaser trailer about 8 to 10 months out. If the movie is eyeing a 2026 or 2027 release date—which is the current realistic window—don't expect to see real footage until late 2025 at the earliest.
Everything else you see on YouTube before then? Fake.
Debunking the most popular fake trailers
There are three specific "trailers" going viral right now that you should ignore:
- The "Return of the Sith" one: Shows a red-eyed Rey. This is just edited footage from her vision in Episode IX.
- The "Darth Vader Lives" one: Pure fan fiction. Unless they do some wild multiverse stuff—which Star Wars has mostly avoided—Vader is gone.
- The "Grand Admiral Thrawn" one: Uses clips from the Ahsoka series. While Thrawn could theoretically be alive, he’d be incredibly old by the time Rey’s new movie happens.
How to spot a fake Star Wars trailer in 5 seconds
It's actually getting harder. AI is getting better at mimicking the "Star Wars" aesthetic—that specific lens flare and the way the lightsabers hum. But there are still dead giveaways.
- The Voiceover: If the dialogue sounds generic, like "The darkness is rising... again," it’s likely AI-generated or pulled from a video game.
- The Title Card: Look at the fonts. Lucasfilm has a very specific kerning (the space between letters). Fan editors usually get it slightly wrong.
- The Comments: If the top comments are all "This looks amazing!" and "I can't wait!", but there are no links to official Star Wars social media accounts, it's a trap.
- The Channel Name: If it isn't "Star Wars" or "Walt Disney Studios," it's not official. Period.
What the story needs to get right
The stakes are high. Rey’s new order can't just be a repeat of the Jedi we saw in the prequels. We've seen that story. We saw them fail because they were too rigid. We saw Luke fail because he was too afraid of the past.
Rey has the ancient Jedi texts. She has the guidance (presumably) of Force ghosts. But she also has the lineage of Palpatine. That’s the tension. How do you build something pure when you come from something so rotten?
That is the story I want to see in a Star Wars Episode 10 trailer. I don't want more Death Stars. I don't want another "hidden fleet." I want a character study about a woman trying to fix a broken galaxy while carrying the weight of a name she didn't choose.
The impact of the "Mandalorian & Grogu" movie
It’s worth noting that Disney recently shifted their schedule. The Mandalorian & Grogu movie is actually leading the charge back to theaters. This might push the Rey movie further back.
Why does this matter? Because it means the "Episode 10" hype is going to simmer for much longer. We might get three or four more "seasons" of fake trailers before a real one ever drops.
Actionable steps for the savvy fan
Instead of falling for the clickbait, here is how you can actually stay informed about the future of the franchise:
- Follow official production logs: Keep an eye on trade publications like The Hollywood Reporter or Variety. When the movie actually starts "Principal Photography," that’s your signal that a trailer is about a year away.
- Monitor Star Wars Celebration: The next big event is in Japan in 2025. This is the most likely place for an actual title reveal or a first-look image.
- Check the StarWars.com "Databank": They often update lore entries before a new movie drops to bridge the gap between eras.
- Ignore "Concept" channels: If a video title has the word "Concept" or "Teaser" but the thumbnail looks like a finished movie, save your time. It's just an edit.
The search for the Star Wars Episode 10 trailer is really a search for hope—hope that the franchise can find its footing again. We want that feeling of sitting in a dark theater and hearing the brass section of the orchestra kick in. It’s coming. But for now, we have to be patient and keep our "fake news" sensors turned all the way up.