In one year the brand new Star Wars movie will finally be here, and the fandom has exploded. The trailer has been fantastic and a resident Star Wars fan is here to guide you through it.
Eerily it begins with the words “there has been an awakening”. Soon we are set before a scene of desert and a Storm Trooper jumps up out of breath.
The title of the newest installment is called Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The theme of awakening will play a key role in the trailer, but let’s wait until the end to discuss that. The desert will be familiar to fans of Star Wars, as Tatooine is an important location to the Skywalker clan as Anikin/Darth Vader and Luke were raised there. Since both the original and prequel trilogy feature this location, it would be a good homage to George Lucas.
The Storm Trooper featured is the second biggest debate coming out of the release of the trailer. This is because he is Black *GASP*. Before you light your torches and pull out your pitchforks in a crusade against racism on the interweb, let’s talk about it. Yes, there probably is a fraction of people who are racist and a good part of people being trolls because they like acting that way. However, fans do have a bit of a reason to say “wait a minute”, and here is why. The prequels gave the audience the origin of the Storm Troopers and besides, when the Troopers are just bodies in suits they are clones of one specific person: Jango Fett (father of Boba Fett). Fans of Star Wars will argue that all Storm Troopers should look the same.
Why would he not look like Jango? First, they were used as pawns by the Sith to win and control the Galactic Empire. After Luke killed the Sith Lord and Darth Vader died, it would only make sense to get rid of the loyal troops of the old regime. But, even before the Sith lost power, Star Wars lore says that more clones were made from different “templates” meaning Jango Fett was no longer the only “father” to the imperial Storm Troopers even by the time Luke, Hans, and Leia were attempting to lead an overthrow of the Empire. Plus, by this point conscription had begun to replace lost soldiers to the rebellion. So, the chances that a Storm Trooper, fifty years after the fall of the Galactic Empire, could be Black is very likely. Secondly, it isn’t the first time someone dressed up like a Storm Trooper, just saying (Episode 1 of the original trilogy, Luke and Han each dressed up as one).
The next thirty seconds are very cinematic, ending with a new kind of lightsaber.
The lightsaber has been very polarizing for fans. Half are excited and flipping out, while the other half are calling it stupid and flipping out. Rather than the sleek Samurai sword that fans are used to, this lightsaber is closer to a European Medieval sword. While not present in the films, Crossguard lightsabers do exist in the Star Wars Universe.
People tend to forget that the world of Star Wars exists in video games, books, comic books, television shows and the movies. J.J. Abrams has a lot of source material for the brand new trilogy. In the comic books, a Crossguard lightsaber was used by a human Jedi. Since the title of the movie is The Force Awakens, and we see a mysterious humanoid figure walking and they unveil the new lightsaber, it could be Roblio Darte who was held in secret by the Dark Side and reawakened to become the new Sith Lord. I,however, have not read the comic and am unfamiliar with most of the outside movie world, but nothing is impossible.
Most of the debate is over the actual mechanics of the lightsaber. Is the Crossguard necessary? The extra “blades” could yield a risk to the user, as the chances of cutting themselves could be high but they are fairly small making the chances a lot smaller. However, the new design could help protect the hands of the wielder, something a few characters probably needed a while ago, am I right Anakin? Still, the films never show the blades of the lightsabers “sliding”, rather bouncing or freezing against each other, rendering the Crossguard basically useless. We will just have to see how the duals are actually choreographed.
The trailer ends with seeing the Millennium Falcon in flight.
Seeing as the original characters play a “pivotal role” in the new trilogy, it would be weird to see Han Solo without the Millennium Falcon.
What’s Missing From the Trailer:
Basically the entire cast. Briefly we can see the cast members Daisey Ridley and John Boyega. The voice over is Andy Serkis (Gollum in Lord of the Rings), although I thought it was Benedict Cumberbatch and I was excited. We do not see any of our original heroes Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford or Carrie Fisher. Adam Driver, who is rumored to be the new villain, was not shown, but we could have only seen him from the back as he may have been holding the new lightsaber.
Other key missing cast members are: Gwendoline Christie (Brianne of Tarth in Game of Thrones), Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave) and Oscar Isaac (Inside Lewin Davis).
The trailer only contains 40 seconds of actual film footage; this is essentially a teaser to help sedate a ravenous fandom. As more of the movie is compiled, we could see a new trailer with more hints at the plot within a few months. For fans this is now simply a game of wait and see, until then, May the Force be with you!
Picture Credits
Cover Picture, 1, 2