Star Wars

“There has been an awakening. Can you feel it?”

The teaser trailer for the latest Star Wars film, Episode VII: The Force Awakens, dropped this weekend, and I’m diving in to try to analyze every scrap of detail it provides. Boiling it down, there are about seven distinct images. Let’s take a look at them all. 

John Boyega’s stormtrooper 

Our first new character appears to be a stormtrooper, played by English actor John Boyega, who seems terrified and confused on a sandy planet, likely Tatooine. Why is he there? What is he doing? Are we going to see a sympathetic stormtrooper character made into a full-fledged person instead of a mindless, horrible-aimed drone?

The new droid 

Next we see a new droid, looking like an updated R2-D2-type that’s replaced its legs with a more maneuverable rolling ball. It’s kind of hilarious, but so is R2-D2, and it’s quite possible that this little fella will become an iconic image of the new trilogy. It’s almost certainly CGI, but somehow it seems more real than many other CGI images in recent films.  

Stormtroopers’ landing

We then see a quick glimpse of some stormtroopers in a carrier, armed and ready to land on some planet. It’s likely that this scene precedes the one with Boyega’s stormtrooper; maybe the ship crashes on Tatooine and whatever mission the troopers are on goes awry and they leave him stranded and on the run for his life.

The heroine 

A young woman rides off into the distance on a sandy planet. Casting announcements make it likely that this is Daisy Ridley, a relatively unknown actress who’s probably playing the main heroine of the film. It’s a reasonable guess that she’s the daughter of Han Solo and Princess Leia, if for no other reason than she appears to be the correct age and the two likely have at least one child.

It’s also worthwhile to point out that three faces in the trailer are of a black man, a white woman and a Latino man. Almost all the main Star Wars characters of past films were white men, so it’s refreshing to see that this film’s creators are aware of the series’ need for more diversity. 

X-Wings

The iconic X-Wing fighters have returned, flying dramatically over a lake or ocean of some kind. We see one pilot in particular (Oscar Isaac), clad in the familiar orange clothes and circular helmet of the rebel pilots. Given the stormtroopers and now the presence of the Rebel Alliance Army, the continuing battle between the Empire and the Rebels seems likely to be a major focus of the story. Announcements have confirmed the story is set about 30 years after Episode VI — which is about the same amount of time that’s actually passed between the release of Episode VI and today. 

A Sith

We see who is likely our antagonist: the silhouette of a Sith, armed with an impractical yet awesome lightsaber complete with a hilt. We can’t see the Sith’s face, but there are three potential actors who could be behind the dark cowl. First, there’s Adam Driver (Girls), who’s been announced to be playing a villainous role. Second, there’s Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), who’s confirmed to be playing a character who was originally male and might be capitalizing on her Game of Thrones’ warrior character, Brienne. Finally, there’s Max von Sydow (The Exorcist), whose old voice is likely the one speaking over the image of the Sith. He’s also old enough to have been around during the events of the Empire’s rise, making it more believable that a Sith survived the events of the previous films.

The Millennium Falcon

Finally, the Millennium Falcon, the iconic Star Wars ship more famous than the X-Wing or the TIE fighter (though both are in the trailer) shows up, pulling off a tricky maneuver against enemy fighters in the skies of a planet. The Falcon soars upward with the beloved John Williams score rising with it. Are Han and Chewbacca at the helm? What are they doing?

Most of Star Wars Episode VII is still shrouded in mystery, but the trailer and the announced cast give us a few clues to go on. Luke, Han, Leia, Chewy, R2 and C-3PO are returning, as well as a great cast that includes many more talented people. The old guard likely will likely give way to the new in what we hope is a fresh, interesting story that pays homage to the elements that made the original trilogy so great while also taking the story in new directions. The presence of a possibly sympathetic stormtrooper, new droid designs, a more representative cast and awesome ship maneuvers all give off good signs for the new film’s success.

Now, let’s go back to overanalyzing every frame of this until a longer trailer is released. Until then, may the Force be with you.