The anticipation levels for Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens – the seventh Star Wars live-action movie overall and the first to take place after the events of Episode VI – Return of the Jedi – are impressive, most impressive, right now, as evidenced by the film’s record-breaking advanced ticket sales alone. The fires of fan excitement were further stoked by the unveiling of the third U.S. theatrical trailer for the upcoming space adventure – which The Force Awakens co-screenwriter and director J.J. Abrams has confirmed is also the movie’s final U.S. trailer.
Of course, Abrams didn’t say anything about international trailers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens – and thus, Disney/Lucasfilm have released a brand new global theatrical preview for the film, featuring a good chunk of shiny footage that was not included in any of the previously-released trailers. Give it a watch, above.
Structurally, the Force Awakens international trailer is similar to the final U.S. trailer, though the overall focus is somewhat different. Here are some of the more intriguing points that this new preview raises:
- The question surrounding Jakku scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley) and her parentage is explicitly raised here, as excepts from a conversation between Rey and someone else (BB-8, by the look of it) have been spliced together to make it sound as though the character is saying “I know all about waiting… for my family.” Is Rey, in fact, related to some of the original Star Wars movie trilogy characters after all, as many have speculated?
- Speaking of mysterious parentage – we know Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) belongs to a group known as the Knights of Ren – who model themselves after the Sith – and that, in turn, “Ren” isn’t his real last name. Question is, when Kylo (while addressing the burnt remains of Darth Vader’s mask) says “I will fulfill our destiny. I will finish what you started,” is that because he worships the Sith… or could there be a literal familial relationship between Kylo and the late Anakin Skywalker?
- Ex-First Order stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega) is another new character in Star Wars: The Force Awakens whose parentage remains a mystery. In fact, the name he gives Rey in the trailer, “Finn”, might not even be his real name, but a nickname that is derived from his stormtrooper calling signal (according to the rumor mill).
- Still no sign of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) – though Abrams says there’s a good reason we’ve yet to see the Jedi Master – but it’s once again great to see Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), and Leia Organa/Skywalker (Carrie Fisher) back fighting for freedom in a galaxy far, far away.
On that note, check out the new international poster for Star Wars: The Force Awakens:
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NEXT: Star Wars: The Force Awakens Character Posters
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens hits theaters on December 18th, 2015, followed by Rogue One: A Star Wars Story on December 16th, 2016, Star Wars: Episode VIII on May 26th, 2017, and the Han Solo Star Wars Anthology film on May 25th, 2018. Star Wars: Episode IX is expected to reach theaters in 2019, followed by the third Star Wars Anthology film in 2020.
