If you’re sensing a great disturbance through the Force, that’s because billions of voices suddenly cried out in glee, then devolved into sobs of joy. J.J. Abrams and Co. kicked off Star Wars Celebration Live with a new teaser trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I’ll stop talking. Watch it 2, 3, or 12 times, and then join me below for the Shakedown.
Teaser Trailer: Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Official #2
Keep going….
Just a little more…
[The Shakedown]
(0:25) The ruined husk of a Star Destroyer half buried in Jakku’s sand dunes gave me chills. CHILLS!
(0:38) Who dug Vader’s half-melted helmet out of the ashes at Endor? I can’t imagine Luke or Leia would care to keep that around as a memento. I wonder if the grave robber met any Ewok resistance?
(0:47) Luke’s robot hand seems to have lost all of the synthskin. I guess he really has been in exile for years.
(0:53) Was that Leia receiving Anakin’s old lightsaber?
(1:06) How rad was it to see a squadron of X-wings zooming across the screen?
(1:10) CHARACTERS!
(1:15-1:19) EPIC BATTLES! The updated designs of the spacecraft look great!
(1:11) We finally get to see more of Kylo Ren other than his hooded back and cruciform lightsaber. His helmet looks like it was inspired by Bioware‘s Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Sith concept art. Makes me wonder if his lightsaber and gear are old Sith Empire relics. The flickering unstable nature of the blade makes me think it’s a really old version of the lightsaber technology, or something he just cobbled together.
(1:12) Speaking of the Empire, that brief flash of a new Imperial sigil looked downright mean! All those stormtroopers tell us that the Empire is on the rise again!
(1:20) What’s up with the chromium stormtrooper channeling that Boba Fett swagger? Maybe it’s the cape.
(1:22) MOAR CHARACTERS! It looks like Rey and Finn are definitely on the same side of the fight. Either Finn is an agent under cover or he’s a defector looking to join our heroes. Can’t wait to get their story.
(1:25) THE FALCON!
(1:34) Silver Fox Han Solo! Seems that they’ve been separated from their beloved YT-1300 light freighter for a while.
There are so many questions raised by the trailer! Why is Luke in exile? How or why the heck did Han ever let the Falcon out of his sight? The Empire seems as strong as it ever was. Maybe the war didn’t end after Episode VI after all. Where did someone find Anakin’s old lightsaber? Kylo Ren: Ancient Sith master come back from the dead, or just someone who’s really into evil vintage fashion accessorizing?
What are your thoughts of the new Episode VII trailer?
Star Wars: Episode VII starring John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Max von Sydow, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker, and Warwick Davis, is slated to hit theaters December 18, 2015.
