After forty two years, The Rise of Skywalker will bring the saga to a close next month. Now, a new Special Look takes us behind the scenes of the final installment and looks back at how the saga has influenced pop culture for the last four decades.

From Kevin Smith to President Obama, Family Guy to The Muppets, the Special Look highlights just how completely Star Wars has permeated our social consciousness. It’s become a cultural touchstone, something everyone knows even if they haven’t seen it. There’s archival footage of the crowds waiting for the original movie, of John Boyega leading a crowd in a chant of “Star Wars” on the red carpet for The Force Awakens, and, of course, of the fans cheering on every new reveal at multiple Celebrations.

Our own James Baney even makes an appearance, reacting joyfully to the final trailer for The Rise of Skywalker!

Whilst the new behind the scenes footage gives little away in terms of story, it does reveal two famous cameos. Since Daniel Craig first appeared as a Stormtrooper in The Force Awakens, celebrity cameos have become a bit of a feature in the sequel trilogy. After Craig joined the First Order, Joseph Gordon-Levitt join the Resistance for The Last Jedi. Now, Ed Sheeran is set to join the ranks of the Stormtroopers whilst Lin-Manuel Miranda aids the Resistance:

The photo of Miranda is especially interesting as it shows Naomi Ackie’s Jannah on what appears to be the set for the Resistance’s jungle base. I might be wrong but I believe this is the first time she’s been seen in this location. And you can see Kelly Marie Tran (Rose Tico) smiling in the background.

We get to see Daisy Ridley calling action on a shot that looks to be on a First Order ship or base. And is that Finn, at the edge of the shot, sporting his First Order uniform once more? Another disguise infiltration or simply another First Order officer? We’ll have to wait for the movie to find out.

Then we see a shot of Poe, Finn, and Rey, carrying her staff rather than her lightsaber, as they race down a corridor. We also get to see Ridley filming one of the most memorable moments of the teaser trailer as she runs through the Jordanian desert.

The video comes to an end with Carrie Fisher saying why Star Wars has endured for generations – “It’s about family and that’s what’s so powerful about it. They’re sharing something that moved them” – and Mark Hamill, speaking ahead of the first trilogy’s finale, reminding us to enjoy this and savor “every moment because you know it is the last.”

Since Mark spoke those words we’ve had two trilogies, spin off movies, The Mandalorian has opened up a whole new realm of storytelling possibilities, and we know that Star Wars will be back on the big screen in December 2022 for the start of something new. But as that iconic John Williams music plays, we know this is an ending. Whether you started with the sequels or prequels, or if you’ve been on this journey since opening day in 1977, this is the end of the Skywalkers’ story. I can’t wait to see how it turns out.