5 Highlights From the New 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Trailer
It’s here! After months — wait, make that years — of speculation, the first full trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens finally arrived Monday night. Here are some of our favorite moments from the new footage, which didn’t at all get us a bit misty-eyed, we promise!
Related: Watch the New ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Trailer!
1. Han and Leia, solo no more!
Though we don’t get a new glimpse of Luke Skywalker in the trailer, we do see some of our old Star Wars pals, including a first glimpse of Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher). She’s seen sharing a mournful-looking hug with Han Solo (Harrison Ford), though it’s not clear why they’re upset (maybe they just learned that the space-slug they visited during their Empire heyday has finally died of indigestion?). We also watch as Han, Chewbacca, and newcomer Finn (John Boyega) — all of whom are clearly in trouble — look off to the distance, stunned, after being captured. Could someone be coming to their rescue in, say, the Millennium Falcon?
We can only guess! But speaking of the Falcon…
2. Ship happens — in a big way!
Nothing gives Star Wars fans chills faster than seeing the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy in action — and the trailer gives us some roaring new footage to obsess over. The coolest of these glimpses is the Falcon’s leap into hyperspace, proving that the old ship still has some moves left in it, decades after they finally got that cranky hyperdrive fixed. The Falcon was just first among some serious hardware in the new spot, which also shows footage of an epic dogfight, and a shot of a mysterious, damaged TIE fighter falling through the sky:
Watch the full trailer for ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’:
3. Rey is the movie’s true force
When desert-scavenging loner Rey (Daisy Ridley) tells Han that “there were stories about what happened,” it’s a startling revelation that, in this future universe, memories of the Force and the Jedi have been all but forgotten. (It’s a theme that takes on even more power considering Luke is still very much MIA.) The trailer underlines what’s been hinted at before: that at least part of The Force Awakens will be about Rey’s discovery of her place in the Force. “It’s calling to you,” says a female voiceover (Leia?) at the end. “Just let it in.” Whatever happens, the trailer clues us in that Rey is battle and blaster ready.
4. Poe is full of woe
Until now, all we really knew about Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) is that he was a darn fine X-wing pilot who gets recruited by Princess Leia for a big mission. But in the new trailer, we find out that at one point he’s apparently captured by Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and tortured. Is Ren grilling him for information? Or is he trying to turn him to the Dark Side? Either way, it looks like Poe’s having about as much fun as Han did back on Bespin.
5. BB-8 flies!
Ball droid? More like brawl droid! Until now, the newest Star Wars droid hasn’t done much more than roll along excitedly and look bashful on the Falcon. But the new trailer shows him riding on an X-wing and staring down a legion of TIE fighters. What if this adorably chirpy robot is a serious ship-slayer? We’ll find out when The Force Awakens Dec. 18.
Watch our breakdown of the trailer:
