'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Teaser: 6 New Revelations
In the end, Solo was a no-show.
Fans got their first look at Star Wars: The Force Awakens today, in the form of an 88-second teaser trailer that was released in theaters and online. And while the franchise’s trio of returning heroes — Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia — were nowhere to be found, fans finally got an idea of what director J.J. Abrams has been up to the last few years. And there was at least one big-name appearance, when the beloved Millennium Falcon swooped through the sky right before the teaser’s conclusion. Here are a few other big revelations — not to mention a possible Easter Egg or two:
1) There’s a new baddie in the galaxy.
The teaser opens with a deeply intoned voiceover: “There’s been an awakening. Have you felt it? The dark side … and the light.” We never find out the identity of our presumably villainous narrator, but we do see a hooded figure storming through a snowy forest, carrying a blazing red, crossguard-style lightsaber. Could this be our new villain? And if so, who’s playing him or her? Either way, it’s becoming clear that a lot of crazy Sith is gonna go down in The Force Awakens.
2) The Millennium Falcon has had an upgrade.
Not to get too fannish here, but: Hooooo boy! If watching the Falcon’s blue-thruster bolt from the screen as John Williams’ Star Wars theme played didn’t give you goosebumps, you’re either still overstuffed from yesterday’s Thanksgiving feast, or you’re a soulless nerf-herder. But eagle-eyed fans no doubt noted that the fastest ship in the galaxy has had some work done, most notably a rectangle-shaped radar dish, preumably to repair the one that was lost in the Death Star battle in Return of the Jedi.
3) It’s stressful being a Stormtrooper.
The teaser’s most dramatic reveal was that of Attack the Block star John Boyega popping up on-screen as a helmet-free Stormtrooper, looking sweaty and strained (it doesn’t help that he’s likely on the sun-drenched planet of Tatooine). But listen carefully, and you’ll hear some robotic chatter in the background; we’re no C-3PO, but it sounds to us like the language used by the Imperial Probe Droids in The Empire Strikes Back.
Speaking of Stormtroopers: There are a lot of them! At one point, a mini-army is lined up on a ship, looking as though they’re about to do an airborne raid. And it’s the classic (though slightly modified) ‘trooper design, too — looks like those boxier models from the prequels have been sent to the Hoth system for dry-cleaning.
4) Oscar Isaac has gone Rogue.
Well, technically, we don’t know what his pilot handle will be — but we do get a glimpse of the Inside Llewyn Davis star flying one of the spiffy-looking X-Wings, a trio of which are seen blasting across the sky, their S-foils locked in attack position, as they were in the first raid on the Death Star:
No word on what new planet they’re flying over, but we know it’s definitely not Alderaan.
5) This is not the droid we were looking for.
Admittedly, we were a bit bummed not to get a look at old pals C-3PO and R2-D2 in this new teaser. But we did get a shot of this new model, which looks like a cross between WALL-E and a soccer ball.
6) Ridley’s got a sweet ride.
In addition to Boyega and Isaac, we also get our first glimpse of newcomer Daisy Ridley, who’s seen atop a vehicle that echoes the speeder bikes used in the Endor forest chase.When you also factor in Ridley’s weather-protective garb, it’s hard not to be reminded of a young Leia — perhaps Ridley’s playing the Force-ified offspring of Han and Leia? We’ll find out when The Force Awakens next December.
