A second trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been released. And man, does it ever get us in the feels.
The new two-minute promo for the seventh episode in the Star Wars saga (released December 18th) was released at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim and fulfils every original trilogy fanboy’s wet dream by giving a first glimpse at some of the classic characters decades after their last appearance with a pay-off that literally brings us all the way home.
The nostalgia is flowing through us from the get go as Trailer #2 starts with a slow pan to reveal a fallen Imperial Star Destroyer impaled into sand dunes. Let’s not forget that this massive juggernaut was one of the very first things we saw in a Star Wars movie and this makes the scene here most symbolic as we prepare to embark on a brand new adventure which will focus on new characters and story.
“The Force is strong in my family. My Father has it. I have it. My sister has it. You have that power too” he says, over a montage of new footage of things we know so well – The broken helmet of Darth Vader, Luke’s robotic hand reaching out to R2D2, and then passing his lightsaber over to someone else, presumably his child. Here’s another sequence where the old gives way to the new.
From these poignant opening scenes the trailer turns full action as the iconic John Williams theme tune gets our pulses pounding. X-Wings are seen flying into battle, a saber is swinging and new characters Finn (John Boyega) and Rey (Daisy Ridley) are running from an explosion, closely followed by the little rolling droid BB-8 from the first trailer. We also get a good first look at the masked face of the crossed saber-wielding Sith from the last clip, who we now know is called Kylo Ren and who seems to be in control of a legion of those newly packaged stormtroopers (complete with that JJ Abrams spit and polish).
More explosions, more ships and more shots of the young characters lead us to a chase through a crashed vessel between TIE Fighters and the Millennium Falcon. And then, the money shot – Han Solo and Chewbacca, reunited on the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs, as the smuggler declares – “Chewie. We’re home”.
*Cue fanboy tears*
However, we’ve got a few observations / questions left lingering after watching the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer –
Luke says his father has the Force. Not had – no past tense. Will the ghost of Anakin Skywalker make an appearance in the new trilogy, as Obi Wan did in the originals? If so we hope it’s not Hayden.
There’s a definite ‘passing of the torch/saber’ feel in this trailer, from the opening shot of the downed Star Destroyer to Luke giving away his weapon to a new generation of Jedi. We’re going to brace ourselves to the fact we might not actually see that much of the original crew in the next three episodes.
Artoo appears very sombre in his brief but dramatic appearance in the trailer, and Luke reaches out to touch his dome as if to comfort him. Notable by his absence in the clip is his counterpart C3PO. Has something happened to the golden droid? It’s worth noting that Anthony Daniels the actor who acted and voiced the character initially refused to reprise the role. Will Threepio have a shortened role in the new trilogy?
What’s the story with Finn? He seems to be playing for both teams – wearing trooper gear in some scenes while in others he’s rolling with the good guys. There’s a point in the trailer where he removes his helmet which notable has a bloody handprint on it. Has Finn done something terrible for the Empire that he’s seeking redemption for by joining up with Rey?
Finally, our wild card – and it’s a really fricking wild card: That chrome-looking trooper dude who seems like he’s someone of importance – check out way he wears his cape over one shoulder and how he carries his blaster (and be sure to look closely at that blaster). Boba Fett… is that you?
