Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer and analysis

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

Star destroyed

This has to be up there with the coolest shots in the history of the Star Wars franchise. A crashed X-Wing! And a crashed Star Destroyer! Wed love to see the battle that led to this carnage.

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?

Finders keepers

Someones found a lightsaber rumour has it that a lightsaber will be the movies McGuffin and by the looks of things theyre not human. Look closely at the face and theres something rather feline about it.

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.

Way to Poe

Rey, Finn and spherical droid BB-8 do their best Usain Bolt impression. This is our first glimpse of Finn out of his Stormtrooper uniform. Everything we've seen so far suggests so far suggests he's a Stormtrooper who deserts. Also note the TIE Fighter in the top left corner of the shot.

Ren at work

Previously only viewed from the back, we now get a frontal sighting of triple-pronged lightsaber bearer Kylo Ren from the way hes waving his hand around, we think its a safe bet he feels the Force. Could it be Girls' Adam Driver behind the mask? He also works with Stormtroopers.

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?

It's a TIE

Turns out TIE fighters come in a new black livery with snazzy white wings these days. They still make the same noise.

TIE fighting

It looks to us like this TIE Fighter is firing on the Stormtroopers in the hangar very odd. Is it a lone spacecraft gone rogue? (Maybe it's Finn in the process of deserting?) Or are there now factions among the old Imperial ranks?

Stormtrooping

John Boyega confirmed at Star Wars Celebration that yes, Finn really is a Stormtrooper, and not just a guy in disguise.

We brake for nobody

And thats what Star Destroyers look like when theyre in space. (Note the Imperial Shuttle-type craft in the foreground.)

Shiny

If Daft Punk did Stormtroopers, theyd look like this person. We wonder if it's Gwendoline Christie under the helmet after Game Of Thrones she has plenty of experience of looking cool in armour.

Ball or nothing

Yep, BB-8 is still cute and Star Wars Celebration showed the impressive live-action prop in action. It looks to us like hes lurking on the Millennium Falcon.

Rey of light

Its Daisy Ridleys Rey

The Finn man

and she seems to be giving Finn a helping hand. From his reaction, it looks like this could be an early encounter between the pair.

Awesome!

The Millennium Falcon flying into a wrecked Star Destroyer pursued by a TIE Fighter? Do trailers get any better than this?

Pilot episode

Just as Stormtroopers have had an upgrade, so have TIE Fighter pilots.

Tight fit

The Millennium Falcon has previous experience of flying through tight spaces inside Imperial spacecraft.

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