New Star Wars: The Force Awakens Trailer

[Chessrook44]

Alright, time for you people to discuss. I only just watched it, and need to get to bed, so I'll put my first impressions in the spoiler below.

Spoiler: First Impressions

Okay so.... all I really have off the top of my head is... Han, Luke, Leia, etc. are all old and decrepit, and the Empire/Rebellion war is still going strong. I'm left wondering by this point what state the two factions are in by now. Who holds Coruscant? Who is stronger? The state of the Jedi and Sith is actually less interesting to me.
Beyond that, there's little I can tell from the trailer.

 

[Spiders In The Brain]

It seems they're putting some serious meat on the bones of the Chosen One prophecy from the prequels: When Anakin/Vader died he brought balance to the Force and that meant...what?

Maybe it resulted in The Force going quiet for 30 years and now it's "Awakening" with the result that Force Sensitives are freaking out as their definition of reality is forcefully changed to accommodate their new sensitivity.

Okay, at least that explains the title.

Of course if that is the case then the presence of experienced Force wielders like Luke and the Ren-I-wanna-be-Vader-guy kinda makes me wonder how they'll explain the "awakened" people vs the "Plot necessary Protagonists/Antagonists".

 

[Something Amyss]

That sure is a trailer, alright.

...no, I'm seriously not sure how I feel about it at this point. I think the prequel trailers actually excited me more.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Looks fine.

I wish Harrison Ford wasn't in it. I know that's blasphemy to say, but that guy is a fun-vampire in every movie he's in right now. Just like Bruce Willis.

It obviously doesn't have the excitement that that first Phantom Menace trailer had, but direction wise it looks like a major step up from the Prequels. Abrams generally knows how to make a movie look solid and energetic.

Kinda bummed we didn't get a shot of fully bearded Luke, but then it's probably a good move to keep him hidden until the movie releases.

All in all, at least it's not another Marvel movie. It's strange thinking a new Star Wars can feel refreshing, but that's the movie landscape we're living in.

 

[DefunctTheory]

Personally, I liked the trailer. It felt like maybe the rebels actually lost (The Jedi and Sith seemed to have faded into legends, which implies to me that the Empire is still in charge 20+ years (I mean fully in charge, hardly challenged), and has managed to cover up or completely nullify the gains made by the rebels in the original). Their bringing in Ex-Imperial Soldiers/Pilots, which is a major plot point in the EU (Technically Han is from the original, but that only dealt with in the EU). And it just looks good.

But then I see the poster, and that instantly has me sighing sadly.

Not only does it look cluster fucked by including a bajilion characters, but Death Star Mark III? You gotta let it go, guys.

EDIT: Also, its disappointing they seem to be rehashing all the old planets. Its a big galaxy guys, he doesn't HAVE to land on Tatooine.

 

[happyninja42]

Really wish they didn't show us that the male lead is wielding a lightsaber. Every trailer up to this one had left it vague as to who would become the new jedi, and now I know. At least one of them anyway. Would've preferred to see that revealed in movie and not on a poster and in a trailer.

 

[Random Gamer]

Actually that might be *another* desert planet, not Tatooine. But they probably should've thought of something else, to avoid confusion.

Still looks good, eagerly expecting the release and hoping it doesn't suck too bad eventually

 

[Elfgore]

....wait a second. I thought the story was centered around a brother and sister... am I just missing something or is Finn(I think that's the black dude's name) her brother?

Anyway, looks CGI filled and pretty awesome. I'll be seeing it in theaters when it comes out. \

 

[Zontar]

After having a day to let it sink in, I'm still not that impressed to be frank. Call me jaded but I'm just not hyped for the movie. I'm also confused as to whether or not the prequels are still canon at this point. I mean I know everyone working on the sequel trilogy seems to be openly disregarding it, but it seems odd they'd do things like state that the Jedi are some mythical thing that may or may not be real. That works with the original trilogy if seen in a vacuum, but not with the prequels which establishes that the Jedi have been around openly and as an important role for thousands of years.

 

[Vrach]

It seems they're putting some serious meat on the bones of the Chosen One prophecy from the prequels: When Anakin/Vader died he brought balance to the Force and that meant...what?

I'm guessing there's a ton of interpretation, EU knowledge, Lucas interviews or whatever that throws what I'm about to say out the window and makes it sound silly, but am I the only one (no Critical Miss links plx) who always thought that bringing balance to the Force prophecy meant empowering the Dark Side? I mean balance (between two things) is two things being equal(ish). Light Side was all over the galaxy, whereas Dark Side was pretty much just Palpatine.

 

[DefunctTheory]

It seems they're putting some serious meat on the bones of the Chosen One prophecy from the prequels: When Anakin/Vader died he brought balance to the Force and that meant...what?

I'm guessing there's a ton of interpretation, EU knowledge, Lucas interviews or whatever that throws what I'm about to say out the window and makes it sound silly, but am I the only one (no Critical Miss links plx) who always thought that bringing balance to the Force prophecy meant empowering the Dark Side? I mean balance (between two things) is two things being equal(ish). Light Side was all over the galaxy, whereas Dark Side was pretty much just Palpatine.

My interpretation was that balance meant making force users real people, and not automatically being shoe horned into light and dark by two well entrenched factions. The Jedi of the Republic were obsessed with order before all else, their philosophy of freedom only applying to those outside the order, and even then it was highly conditional, while the Sith were obsessed completely by the self and power, with the philosophy that the only way to be free was to enslave everyone else. When Anakin cleared the field of both, he left his son to recreate the Jedi as a force for good, to be made up of people who could love whoever they wanted and do whatever they wanted. Or for his son to just say fuck it and let the pieces fall where they may, whoever was force sensitive being able to choose their life as they saw fit.

Lucas's vision was simply that Jedi=Good, Sith=Bad. The EU veered wildly between the two.

Actually that might be *another* desert planet, not Tatooine. But they probably should've thought of something else, to avoid confusion.

It could be, but considering they're rehashing the Death Star, and one of the places Han and Leia are shown in looks like it could be Yavin...

We'll see, I guess.

 

[Danbo Jambo]

When all said and done, the whole thing looks set to be a disapointment for one very simple reason - the "new generation" of heroes seem shit.

Who didn't want to be Han/Luke/Chewie/etc. growing up? They were full of character, charisma & charm. If I was feeling zen-like I'd be Luke, jock-like I'd be Han, or just wanting to rip folks arms off I'd be Chewie etc.

The new gen (exluding Kylo, I think he has looked good so far) don't seem to have half the presence or draw.

The first film may get away with the lack of quality from said heroes because of the old-school characters returning, but Christ I hope the sequals don't rely on them. There is absolutely naff all charm in the new heroes, and the sooner they bring in a few more characters the better.

 

[DefunctTheory]

When all said and done, the whole thing looks set to be a disapointment for one very simple reason - the "new generation" of heroes seem shit.

Who didn't want to be Han/Luke/Chewie/etc. growing up? They were full of character, charisma & charm. If I was feeling zen-like I'd be Luke, jock-like I'd be Han, or just wanting to rip folks arms off I'd be Chewie etc.

The new gen (exluding Kylo, I think he has looked good so far) don't seem to have half the presence or draw.

The first film may get away with the lack of quality from said heroes because of the old-school characters returning, but Christ I hope the sequals don't rely on them. There is absolutely naff all charm in the new heroes, and the sooner they bring in a few more characters the better.

To be fair, I think the old generation is the hook their dangling out for us in the trailers and demos, while the new generation while have greater presence in the movie itself,and will probably be more interesting.

I full expect this is a hand off movie.

 

[Danbo Jambo]

When all said and done, the whole thing looks set to be a disapointment for one very simple reason - the "new generation" of heroes seem shit.

Who didn't want to be Han/Luke/Chewie/etc. growing up? They were full of character, charisma & charm. If I was feeling zen-like I'd be Luke, jock-like I'd be Han, or just wanting to rip folks arms off I'd be Chewie etc.

The new gen (exluding Kylo, I think he has looked good so far) don't seem to have half the presence or draw.

The first film may get away with the lack of quality from said heroes because of the old-school characters returning, but Christ I hope the sequals don't rely on them. There is absolutely naff all charm in the new heroes, and the sooner they bring in a few more characters the better.

To be fair, I think the old generation is the hook their dangling out for us in the trailers and demos, while the new generation while have greater presence in the movie itself,and will probably be more interesting.

I full expect this is a hand off movie.

Of course, but.........I just don't like any of the new gen.

Essentially I want someone who I can identify with and relate to so I can root for that hero. Now granted, we've seen little of them so far so things may be different on the release of the film. But from what I have seen, I don't feel any "wow" or "I so want to be that character" feelings towards any of them.

And you instantly got that just by looking at the original Star Wars cast. "Star Quality" or "X Factor" as they deem it. Even right down to Chewie, the new set of characters look and give the vibe of modern-day softies, not 70's galaxy-hopping badasses or zen-masters.

I'll reserve judgement until I see the film of course, but every single snippit I've seen with the new gen in so far falls flat, and they just don't appear to have that magical "X factor".

For me it's like comparing Slash to Bucket-head, for all the technical breakdown of it, one's a super-cool mo-fo, the other inspires nothing.

 

[spacemutant IV]

I think it is a stupid mistake made by confused people to give an identity to the force, just because the movie is called 'The Force Awakens'. It's just a name, and it can without problem be interpreted less literally. Yet I see this becoming more common, people saying things like the force has slept, or the force is going to do this or that. This will not become less stupid over time.

There can be deserts on planets, without those planets being desert planets or Tatooine.

There might also be societies at the edge of the civilised galaxy where knowledge of the Jedi and the past war is not as common.

All in all, stupid speculation is, as always, stupid.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I feel like I've experienced the whole movie at this point. Between all the teasers and the trailers, all the production stills, all the press releases telling us who's who and what's what... I wish they had saved themselves a little mystery.

Oh and everybody looks so fucking weary and depressed.

 

[Danbo Jambo]

Just to add to that, it really does feel as if Luke kicking some major arse is the only thing which can save this film from it's lack of any real heroic hero.

 

[DefunctTheory]

All in all, stupid speculation is, as always, stupid.

Are you saying all speculation is stupid, or that we're all stupid and can't speculate?

 

[Spiders In The Brain]

snip

snip

Last night I had a thought about the whole "Balance to the Force" thing and the pattern of the previous 6 movies.

Spoiler: This theory may be too spoilery for some people.

Let's work through my theory for the true meaning of the Chosen One's destiny to bring "Balance" to the Force.


Theory: Maybe its about the Living Force being balanced with the Unifying Force by Anakin--not his bringing balance to the Light Side and Dark Sides--and movie VII takes place when the Force itself has spent 30 years changing and now it "Awakens" Force Sensitives everywhere.

We could be witnessing a blossoming of Force Users--Light and Dark--over the course of movie VII and 8 and 9.



Episode I: The Phantom Menace: One of the very first statements made by Qui Gon Jinn was "Be mindful of the Living Force." In the novelization his adherence to the Living Force was at odds with the Jedi's prevailing focus on the Unifying Force. This had much to do with his not being on the Jedi Council.

Qui Gon and Kenobi meet Anakin Skywalker--the product of an Immaculate Conception type birth with the highest midichlorian count ever (granted you barely ever hear about midichlorians again but that was lazy writing on Lucas' part to explain the matter).

Qui Gon is convinced the Living Force brought him to Anakin and that Anakin is the prophesized Chosen One who will bring Balance to the Force.

Qui Gon is killed and leaves a solid body behind. Kenobi takes Anakin as his apprentice.

Episode II: Attack of the Clones: While Anakin goes on a murderous rampage Yoda hears Qui Gon Jinn's voice echo in the Force.

Episode III: Return of the Sith: Anakin falls to the Dark Side. The Jedi are all but wiped out. Yoda and Kenobi take Anakin's twin offspring to hide.

Yoda tells kenobi that Qui Gon Jinn has managed to communicate from the nether world of the Force and that Yoda would teach Kenobi how to communicate with Qui Gon.

Episode IV: A New Hope: Kenobi meets Luke and is all about "You must trust your feelings." This is what Qui Gon would say but in the Novelizations of the prequels was something frowned upon by Jedi of the pre-empire era.

Vader comments to Tarkin saying that Kenobi was on the Death Star and that the Force was with him. Vader meets Kenobi and says "Your powers are weak, old man." Kenobi counters by telling Vader that Vader couldn't win: "If you strike me down I shall grow more powerful than you ever imagined."

Vader moves to cut Kenobi down but only ends up with an empty robe which he toes in confusion. THIS IS SOMETHING NEW.

Luke makes his attack on the Death Star and Kenobi contacts the tyro Force Adept easily.

Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back: Kenobi appears to Luke visibly and tells him to run off to find Yoda. Luke does and gets training before running off to save his friends.

When Luke and Yoda first meet, however, Yoda taunts Luke by assuring Luke that he will be afraid--this goes against Yoda's prior mocking of Anakin when Anakin showed up in Episode I "I sense much fear in you."

In other words Yoda no longer considers emotions to be avoided but to be confronted and come to terms with.

Kenobi appears next to Yoda as easily as he did to Luke. So Luke isn't a necessary link for Kenobi to appear.

Episode VI: Return of the Jedi: Luke watches Yoda die and disappear into the Force. Kenobi appears and they chat. After the final battle Luke sees Yoda, Kenobi, and his redeemed father Anakin.

Episode VII: The Force Awakens: In the trailers we hear Luke tell someone that "The Force runs strong in my family. My father HAS it. My sister has it. I have it. You have that power, too."

We also hear a villain talking (apparently) to Vader's melted helmet as if Vader were alive and present.

TL/DR: THEORY: For decades we've all thought that it was all about the Light and Dark sides of the Force. But what if it was about Anaking bringing balance between the Living Force and the Unifying Force?

If so then what could be happening in movie VII is that the Force--now that it's balanced--is itself literally awakening and people who are Force Sensitive but lack training are finding themselves pushed and/or drawn to those already skilled in the Force (such as Luke and Imperial Inquisitors) as a result?

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Its a big galaxy guys, he doesn't HAVE to land on Tatooine.

Not Tatooine. Jakku. That we've seen shots that look very evocative of Tatooine could evoke two schools of thought.

1. It looks JUST like Tatooine. So boring! Another desert planet!
2. Deserts tend to look similar. That we've seen a desert planet shouldn't mean we never see another desert again in a Star Wars film, especially as they tend to be cinematographers' delights. It makes sense that the film would create locations that called back to or echoed locations from the original trilogy, as the stated goal is both to usher in a new generation of Star Wars whilst anchoring it in the mythology and nostalgia of the first three films.

Really wish they didn't show us that the male lead is wielding a lightsaber. Every trailer up to this one had left it vague as to who would become the new jedi, and now I know. At least one of them anyway. Would've preferred to see that revealed in movie and not on a poster and in a trailer.

I think it's very likely you're going to get more than one Jedi. I don't think it's accidental that we don't have last names for Finn OR Rey. Nor do I think Rey's placement in that poster is accidental, or the fact she's wielding what appears to be a melee weapon.

When all said and done, the whole thing looks set to be a disapointment for one very simple reason - the "new generation" of heroes seem shit.

Who didn't want to be Han/Luke/Chewie/etc. growing up? They were full of character, charisma & charm. If I was feeling zen-like I'd be Luke, jock-like I'd be Han, or just wanting to rip folks arms off I'd be Chewie etc.

The new gen (exluding Kylo, I think he has looked good so far) don't seem to have half the presence or draw.

That's a heck of a conclusion to jump to. Oscar Issac is arguably a better actor than anyone we've had in the entire series to date, and has tremendous magnetism. Boyega has shown extremely well in his limited screen time. And Ridley is an unknown. Naturally new characters won't evoke emotion in you upon simply seeing them in stills or teaser trailers, you know absolutely nothing about them. Bit early to declare them 'shit'.

I feel like I've experienced the whole movie at this point. Between all the teasers and the trailers, all the production stills, all the press releases telling us who's who and what's what... I wish they had saved themselves a little mystery.

Surprising sentiment. The overwhelming consensus on Reddit was the three trailers gave away virtually nothing of the story.

https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/3pfpp1/star_wars_the_force_awakens_trailer_3/

Like, four comments in. Three thousand upvotes.

Do you genuinely feel like you've got the entire movie sussed out? Did you read some leaked spoilers or something?