The official trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi was released on Monday night, along with the official movie poster.
There are some beats borrowed from The Empire Strikes Back, however, it appears that they will be molded into something different.
Yes, there will a Jedi master reluctant to train the newbie with the refusal based on fear as opposed to doubt. Sleight of hand plot points round out the highly anticipated two minute and thirty-five second preview of the Rian Johnson directed film.
An ominous voiceover from Supreme Leader Snoke looms over the trailer containing space battles, Luke Skywalker looking like an old hermit, a Finn/Phasma fight, a cute squawking Porg and Rey being Force tortured.
“I’ve seen this raw strength only once before. It didn’t scare me enough then. It does now.”
Luke Skywalker was frightened when he saw Rey break the ground using The Force. The next scene shows Luke’s robotic hand breaking through a fiery rumble at what is presumed to be the moment his new Jedi Order was destroyed. That was also the turning point where Ben Solo, aka Kylo Ren, turned to evil.
Sounds like Luke saw the same power in Rey that he saw in his nephew years earlier. Who is he actually referring to? We’re assuming he means Kylo Ren but could he mean Darth Vader or maybe his electric boogaloo with Palpatine in Return of the Jedi?
Speaking of Kylo Ren, we see him kneeling down in a red room surrounded by Snoke’s crimson-clad Pretorian Guards as he grabs his lightsaber. His broken helmet that was seen in the teaser trailer is shattered by Ren in a rage augmented by his desire to purge the past…or kill it.
In a bold move, the trailer teases Kylo blowing up his mother, Princess Leia, in his sleek new tie silencer. This was surprising since the passing of Carrie Fisher still aches in the minds and hearts of Star Wars fans. The Last Jedi will be Fisher’s final appearance in her infamous role. While it would be foolish to think that Disney would give that away in the trailer, what if Leia does meet a tragic end?
The electrifying clip of Finn attacking Captain Phasma was a great way to tell audiences that Phasma will get a lot more screen time this time around. The idea of Finn using the same weapon that was used against him in The Force Awakens adds, even more intrigue to the confrontation.
Imperial Walkers are back! The gorilla styled AT-M6 (All Terrain Megacaliber Six) are seen marching on an icy planet (Crait) towards a Resistance hold out. The First Order definitely pumped these mechanized monsters full of some serious performance-enhancing drugs. From the looks of them, it should take more than a harpoon and tow-cable to take them down.
Speculation is our best source for what to expect in The Last Jedi. The trailer delivers an onslaught of exciting footage while making people question what’s real and what’s not. The biggest of those moments is the ending where Kylo Ren extended his hand to Rey.
Could this be the forging of an alliance? Is Rey going over to the dark side? Will Kylo go over to the light? Maybe it’s a simultaneous role reversal of sorts for both characters who Johnson referred to on twitter as “almost two halves of our protagonist.” I didn’t think it was possible to be any more excited for Star Wars: The Last Jedi as December 15th can’t get here soon enough!
