A few days (and a few viewings) have passed since The Force Awakens epic trailer.
Here are my two takes.
No spoilers, but if you don’t want to read half-baked fanboy theories, leave now. Please buy something on your way out?
Take the first, I’m 100% bought in now. I was honestly afraid that JJ Abrams was going to basically make Star Wars (1977) into Star Wars (2015). A Resistance, a First Order, a Jedi, a Heroine, and a Flyboy? Thus would turn the Hollywood merry go round. Harrison Ford (Mr. “It’s all true.”) laid aside all my worries.
That quote really hammered home the 30 years later in the movie! They can’t just remake Star Wars! If they stay true to the story, it’s a whole different galaxy. How did this resonate with me, personally? Well, I was 19 in 1999. What did I really know about 1969? Diddly. And that’s just our earth. The new characters, realistically, know nothing about their galaxy thirty years ago. And Han Solo made that point. We’re getting a whole new Star Wars. There are similar themes (the real world has similar themes to 30 years ago now), but it’s going to be new. I’m excited.
Take the second (fanboy theory alert), Luke dies. He’s not going to be a new Jedi Master, he’s not going to be a Sith. He’s going to be a Force Ghost, and I think, in short (First?) order.
I very much believe this. This first clue came from Mark Hamill’s commentary on working on the new movie. He hasn’t said anything substantive about the movie itself except, “But mind you, it’s really about the new generation, it’s not about us.” You can’t take a lot away from that, unless you realize no one else in the cast has made that type of remark. That’s a remark of someone who really has passed the baton (i.e. character, dead). Now I know I’m reading into that a lot, but here are my other points.
He’s not on the poster. He’s not in the trailer. Neither of those facts is simply gorilla marketing (It’s Disney, people). Kylo Ren is going to “finish what you started.” What did Vader start that he would know about 30 years later? The Jedi purge. It’s an easy guess that the good guys are looking for Luke. You don’t think the bad guys are too? I’m fairly certain the one shot that might be Luke is in the same area that Kylo Ren and, like, every Stormtrooper available lands on at night (not fighting the Resistance). What do you think Leia’s sad about? Finally, does Finn look like he has any kind of training with that lightsaber at the end of trailer?
My theory? In short, good guys find Luke. Bad guys find Luke. Good guys get away while Luke holds off the bad guys like a champ. Until he doesn’t. Then, Force Ghost time.
I don’t like it. I used to be pretend Luke Skywalker all the time as a kid. Still, I’ll take bets that I’m right.
There you have it, my fanboy thoughts on the trailer. Mostly, I think that 19:00, 17 December 2015 can’t come soon enough!