Star Wars Episode VII News: Week 37

The World Reacts

     Last Friday, the world witnessed for the first time, a glimpse of The Force Awakens, and went wild. The new trailer went on to top the most popular trailer beforehand, Avengers: Age Of Ultron, in terms of views in the first week. The Force Awakens trailer currently has around 42,189,995 views and counting. It has also divided many, partly due to it's vagueness (it is a teaser trailer, after all; The Force Awakens doesn't come out for over a year.), and partially due to other factors that will be explained shortly. Without further ado, an analysis of the Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens trailer.

     It begins with a shot of sand dunes on a desert planet, which is Tatooine, because what other desert planet could it be? Then creepy Andy Serkis says, "There has been an awakening. Have you felt it?" Then a black Stormtrooper (John Boyega) pops up in a jumpscare, looks around a bit, and turns around, out toward the desert. A probe droid is heard in the background. Most likely he is being tracked for defecting, since it is an Imperial probe droid. The next shot is of a tiny droid that looks like a soccer ball grew a head is rolling around. Following this are two shots of a new and improved brand of Stormtroopers, about to invade some place, possibly Tatooine. Cut to Daisy Ridley on a land speeder of some kind. She goes off in some kind of a hurry. Oscar Isaac debuts, in an X-Wing, skimming along the water. And finally, a cloaked figure stumbling through the wintry woods, and Andy Serkis narrates, "The dark side... and the light." The figure activates his red lightsaber, and two little hilts of red light come out of the sides. Cut to black for a few seconds, and with full John Williams fanfare, on bursts the Millennium Falcon, flying upside down in the desert, and taking on two TIE fighters, before STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS comes onto the screen. That's it. Eight shots, eighty-eight seconds long--but it was enough. Onto the reactions.

     The first thing that people complained about was the black Stormtrooper. Some were prequel purists, who insisted that all Stormtroopers were clones of Jango Fett, who was white. However, in Star Wars, Luke is disappointed that he can't go to The Academy, meaning the Imperial Academy, where young men train for the military, for positions such as officers, gunners, or Stormtroopers. The clone thing was just added on after Lucas ran out of ideas. Those group of people actually had a reason to be confused; but some people were just plain racist. And to those people, John Boyega himself responded to them on Instagram:

     "To whom it may concern:

      Get used to it. :)"

     

     Well said.

     The second thing people found odd was the new Stormtrooper design. It looks sleeker and easier to see out of. But why are there still Stormtroopers? Wasn't the Empire defeated after Return of the Jedi? Apparently not. I hope they can actually aim this trilogy.

     One of the biggest problems many had with the trailer was the sheer impracticality of the new lightsaber. The two hilts could easily sever the hand off of the user, and a well aimed blow from another lightsaber could cut through the cross guard, severing another hand. However, Stephen Colbert expertly countered by saying the two little blades are directly attached to the large blade, eliminating the possibility of another lightsaber cutting through. The design is a little weird, but it could be completely awesome.

     All in all, the trailer excited many fans, gave valuable insight into the film, and will probably be the only trailer of The Force Awakens for six months, until it is released with Avengers 2 in May.

     Until then...

     Watch it again.