The new Star Wars trailer is out *giddy child noise*. Now let’s dig in with some analysis!
Disclaimer, I am not a Star Wars expert; however, I do know a decent amount about the universe, so I thought I’d provide some analysis on what we’re seeing in this amazing teaser trailer.
1. John Boyega is a stormtrooper?
From one of the opening shots in the trailer, we see cast member John Boyega gasping for breath on a barren desert. In the background you can see what looks to be smudges on the otherwise immaculate desert plane, and I’m guessing that those are either plants (unlikely) or bits and pieces from a wrecked TIE starfighter, possibly Boyega’s own considering he looks like he just emerged from a crash.
2. Millennium Falcon
The radar dish on Han’s favorite ship is square, not round. Why? Because Lando got a scratch on Han’s baby in Episode VI, duh. The more interesting thing I gathered from this shot was that the Falcon seems to be engaging some fighters at close range incredibly close to the surface of this desert planet. Is it Tatooine? God I hope so, because that’d be cool.
3. Rebel…. Scum?
Not too much here, but I’m left wondering if this is still an active rebellion, or if a new Republic has been formed? After all, we don’t know what is canon anymore since the scrapping of the Expanded Universe a while ago. Only time will tell!
4. A young Sith, or the new Dark Lord?
From this shot, not much can be gathered except for the fact that this saber looks incredible. I’m either guessing that this is a strict crossguard lightsaber, or that the “hilt” is meant to be an exhaust of sorts. Considering that there aren’t many Jedi or Sith left in the universe (to our knowledge. Again, the EU was scrapped for this movie), the art of crafting a lightsaber might not be common knowledge, so this Sith could have crafted it imperfectly. I am also assuming he is a Sith based on the red lightsaber and the traditional looking Sith robes. Either way how cool does that saber look?
5. Stormtroopers look cool
What else is new? These new helmet designs look amazing. I read that these designs were revealed a while ago, but I’ve been trying to avoid learning too much about the movie before it comes out (so much for that idea), so these are brand new to me. I can’t say enough about how great these look in action in the trailer.
6. S-Foils folded out
This is my second favorite shot in the trailer, and one of the most telling. We can see that these iconic fighters have the S-foils folded out, indicating a high-stress situation otherwise known as “attack position”. As the X-wings skim just above the water of this unknown planet, we know they’re in attack formation, but what about those stripes on the side of the fighter? I can’t say for sure, but I’d bet that indicates which squad they’re in. Blue stripes = Blue squadron, standing by.
7. Soccer droids confirmed
So much is happening! This droid is rolling along expediently whilst mounted onto what appears to be a soccer ball, so soccer confirmed in Episode VII (really trying for that international market, eh J.J.?). Also in the background we can see what appear to be podracer engines, so this might be a junkyard or something. I can only hope it doesn’t mean that the terrible announcer from the podracing scene in Episode I makes a return, because I hated that guy.
And there you have it. I’m no Star Wars expert, but I got all giddy when I saw this trailer, and I hope you enjoyed my analysis. Stay tuned to 8cn for more news on Star Wars: Episode VII!
Credit for some of the screen captures goes to reddit users Altoidsjedi and Mobiuszeroone. The ones not taken by them were taken by me.
