Trailer breakdown
The second teaser for Star Wars: The Force Awakens (aka Episode VII) has just blasted into hyperspace. It doesnt tell us a great deal about the plot it is a JJ Abrams movie, after all but there are a few clues about what to expect when the movie arrives in December. Weve looked through the key moments in the trailer to try and work out whats going on. May the Force be with us
Trailer analysis by Richard Edwards.
Just deserts
Turns out that desert planet in the first trailer wasnt Tatooine at all, but new Star Wars world Jakku a graveyard for ships. We wouldnt mind betting that the fast-moving silver blob in the bottom left of the frame is Rey (Daisy Ridley) on the landspeeder (or "bumper car") we saw in the first trailer. She told the The Force Awakens panel at Star Wars Celebration that shes a self-sufficient scavenger, and it looks like shes found a pretty big haul
UPDATE! The battle of Jakku
The Star Wars Battlefront announcement at Celebration has revealed more about the new planet of Jakku. It was the site of the Battle of Jakku, a "pivotal moment" when the New Republic went up against Imperial holdouts on the Outer Rim planet in the aftermath of the Battle of Endor at the end of Return Of The Jedi. Apparently players of the game will see first hand the events that led to the battle-scarred landscape of the planet. We're just speculating here but who knows, we may even get to see the skirmish that downed the X-Wing and Star Destroyer we see in the previous frame.
This also suggests that, in the new post-Return Of The Jedi chronology, the Rebel Alliance will become the New Republic as it did in the old Expanded Universe and that, as before, Imperial outposts will remain throughout the galaxy...
Keeping it in the family
"The Force is strong in my family, says Luke Skywalker in a recycled line from Return Of The Jedi. My father has it he continues, as his dad Darth Vaders charred helmet is revealed.
Is the voiceover the original recording from Jedi or has Mark Hamill returned redone his lines? Turns out it's both: "Last week I went into Bad Robot and recorded the voiceover I did in the teaser," he said at Star Wars Celebration. "Its pulled dialogue fromJedi, but I re-recorded it, and I asked [JJ] Which did you use, because I couldnt really tell. And he said, Oh, I used both, we used the original track and then we used what you recorded last week as reverb. Theres a slight delay, so the delay is the new lines I recorded." So there you go.
Unashamed speculation: Does the Anakin Force ghost we saw at the end of Jedi still come and visit his boy? Could Hayden Christensen make an unlikely return to the franchise? Could Vader return by some other means?
Give him a hand
R2-D2 makes an appearance, and we think that might be Luke tapping him on the head. He did lose his right hand in The Empire Strikes Back, has shown himself to have a penchant for hoods, and his voiceover says I have it around about now. Question is, what happened to the skin on his hand? These days he cant even be bothered to wear a glove. Has he fallen on hard times?
Fit for a princess?
The lightsaber finder is handing it to someone we think is Princess Leia that would certainly fit with Luke saying my sister has it in his narration. Were wondering, though, who hes referring to when he says, You have that power too.* Presumably said he/she is Luke or Leias kid.
*This is a crafty re-edit of Lukes lines in Jedi You have that power too originally came before The Force runs strong in my family, and referred to Leia.
X Factor
X-Wings. In formation. Over water. Looks cool.
These are the new generation T-70 X-Wing craft, and they belong to Resistance (not Rebel Alliance) forces. Now we know that the Rebel Alliance becomes the New Republic, however, we're wondering when and how the New Republic evolves into the Resistance
Way to Poe
Oscar Isaacs Poe Dameron clearly enjoys his gig as an X-Wing pilot. Isaac revealed at Star Wars Celebration that his character (the best frickin pilot in the galaxy) is sent on a mission by a princess (wonder who that could be), and that he meets John Boyegas character, Finn, along the way. The Celebration panel implied that Poe, Finn and Rey would form the central trio of the movie, this generations Han, Luke and Leia.
Some like it Hoth?
One of the most intriguing shots in the trailer. These new-look Stormtroopers work for the First Order rather than the Empire the logo on the red curtain looks like simplified riff on Imperial insignia, so presumably the First Order fill a gap left behind by the Empire.
Whos the person holding court on stage? Our bets would be on Max Von Sydows as-yet unconfirmed character. (Or maybe the Dark Side practioner played by Andy Serkis who voiced the first The Force Awakens trailer. And wheres the icy planet theyre hanging out? It couldnt be Hoth, could it?
Old friends
Chewie, were home, says Han Solo as the BFFs board the Millennium Falcon. But why is Chewie brandishing his bowcaster? Are there hostiles on board? Why is Han wearing your dad's leather jacket? And why have the duo been away from their ship? All will hopefully be revealed on 18 December 2015
After plenty of anticipation, the second trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens has blasted online. The two-minute long preview made its debut during a special panel led by director J.J. Abrams and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy at the Star Wars Celebration event currently underway in Anaheim today. Cast your eyes over the brand new trailer below:
Opening on a long, slow shot, things soon kick up a gear for its second half where a ton of brand new footage is unveiled. The spectacular scope of the action sequences is punched up, with fresh looks at franchise newbies Oscar Isaacs, John Boyega and Daisy Ridley.
And at long last, legions of loyal Force fans around the world are granted a look at some of the series' most familiar faces, finally making their return to a galaxy far, far away... Want a video of our expert analysis? It's right here:
Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens on December 18, 2015.
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