While the world was going crazy over the teaser trailer for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, we at Skewed and Reviewed have looked on with amusement and applause for many of the reactions to the trailer as everyone seems to have their definitive take on the footage.
I remember fondly the discussions and debates over the Prequels as they were the first of the series to emerge during the era of the Internet as every shred of information, rumor, or image from the set was debated as nausea.
As someone who remembers going to the first film shortly after it premiered in 1977 and the profound impact it had on my life, to say I am thrilled over new “Star Wars” films and eagerly awaited the first look at the new films.
With that in mind, I am going to give you my take on the new trailer, and where I think things will be heading.
The desert planet may or may not be Tattoine, and regardless if it is or not, we can say it does appear to be a key locale in the new film. John Boyega is clearly in Storm trooper armor and looks agitated and afraid.
Keen listeners will note what sounds like an Imperial Probe Droid in the background which gives credence to the notion that he is on the run. Regardless of if he is a deserter, undercover, or a recently awoken Force User, he clearly is afraid and on the run.
The footage of the Storm Troopers is very interesting to me as while we have known they would be in the film for some time, it is an interesting fact that 32 odd years after the death of Vader and Palpatine, the Empire is still in place.
World War II has also been a template for the films as you could compare Palpatine to Hitler; there was a mass extermination, and a rule by terror and force not to mention a shared use of Storm Troopers.
While the Empire undoubtedly had millions of troops as well as numerous ships and bases at their disposal it does create some interesting debates. We know that nature abhors a vacuum and I have no doubt that several Moffs, Admirals, Generals, and such all fought for power in what was left of the Empire, but rather than fracture, they seem to have maintained and even thrived in the meantime.
If the galaxy was so eager to see the end of Palpatine and the return of the Republic, then how is the Empire getting the money and resources to continue to operate?
The Rebels had sympathetic sponsors from the downtrodden and oppressed sectors who bravely provided funds and resources for the resistance effort.
This worked as we were under the belief that most systems hated the Empire, wanted them gone, but were powerless to do anything about it.
The continued existence of the Empire hints that more than enough people/systems are ok with them being around.
Perhaps in an interesting role reversal, it is the Empire not the Republic who are in the minority and are striking back. I do not think we will see the Republic be the bad guys, but it does make for some interesting debate.
What is clear is that the Empire does seem to be an aggressor in the clip and have not gone away.
The Ball Droid, Daisy Ridley, and speeder on the desert planet again shows the sense of urgency/fear of the film. The droid is moving fast and seems concerned, Ridley is calm, perhaps due to Jedi training, but is moving quickly.
The X-Wing shot is very interesting to me as we have the ships flying low over the water. This is an old tactic used to evade radar. The wings are locked in attack position so it is clear that the fast-moving ships are moving to attack. I have also noted in an earlier article how the condition of the X-Wing from the first look may give a clue as to what is in store; you can see that article here.
This brings us to the dark figure in the woods. While likely a bad guy, the new saber is not so controversial to me. I understand they wanted to have a distinctive look to the weapon of the bad guy and I am ok with it as some found the ideal of Maul using a double saber odd as well.
Rumors have abounded of a character actually being one from the Prequels, classic characters in bad places in their lives, and multiple users of the Dark Side in the film.
Of course we have the classic shot of the Falcon, once again over the Desert, taking on Tie Fighters. This shows me that the Empire is in an aggressive state as they fired on a ship, one that I am willing to bet is known to most Imperials as while there were others in that class, only one moves as nimbly as Han Solo’s ship.
What I found most interesting is what the trailer did not show, the classic cast. There is not one shot of any of the classic cast, and only three characters from the new cast, four if you count the back shot of the bad guy.
Word has it that JJ Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan reworked the script to give the classic characters a larger part in order to help transition to the new characters. That being said, it is odd to me that we did not see any of them.
This is a bold move by Abrams as the Director and studio believed that the inclusion of said characters was essential to the film as their parts were included and reportedly expanded, yet they were missing. My guess is that some of the reveals will be kept away until the Star Wars Celebration in April and The D23 Expo in August as they are both ideal locales to show off new footage and images, and with those events happening 8 and 4 months prior to the release of the film, it will be interesting to see. I would also be curious if Disney is going to have a large presence in San Diego at Comic Con International in July as they have not had as large a presence at the event in recent years since their started their bi-annual D23 Expo aside from their Marvel brand. I would figure that they would be there as that has been a regular part of the series since the start.
For now, the trailer offers some interesting images that are sure to be debated until we get our next image, footage, or juicy rumor, but I think we can all agree that December 2015 cannot get here soon enough.
