TRAILER REVIEW: STAR WARS THE LAST JEDI

Finally, after what feels like decades of waiting, it is finally here...

After the epicness of The Force Awakens, and then the Episode 4 prequel Rogue One, who knew that it was possible to get even more excited about Star Wars?

Following on from Episode 7, The Last Jedi promises more adventure, more action, and could possibly (just like The Empire Strikes Back) be overshadowed by the dark side of the force - hence the red typeface perhaps?

There were so many unanswered questions left after the last film: Who are Rey's parents? Who is Snoke? Has Luke already turned to the dark side? Will Finn survive? What is Snoke planning next? Will Kylo Ren eventually turn to the light, and be reunited with his mother? Will Leia be reunited with Luke?

Who knows? But the teaser trailer does offer enough sneak peeks to let the entire Star Wars fandom start speculating and anticipating the movie's plot. Besides, we've all watched it a million times now, right?

WARNING: TEASER TRAILER SPOILERS AHEAD

(Plus some spoilers from the other films...)

Slowly fading from a black starlit sky to something which resembles a smooth, rocky surface, the score mysteriously builds until a hand is suddenly thrust onto the screen. Once again we are introduced to Rey, gasping in shock. Already we know she is on the island where we last left the young scavenger and Luke Skywalker, standing with her arm outstretched, lightsaber in hand.

"Breathe"

Mark Hamill's narration guides the audience through this trailer, somehow haunting and yet masterly, both sombre and reflective. The force and Rey's theme mix gorgeously in the first few minutes, foreshadowing her Jedi training to come. Going back to the title: The Last Jedi - this would at first give the impression of a singular Jedi, but what if  the word Jedi was actually plural? The fact that Luke is potentially training Rey would give significant weight to this theory, and the first three words: 'Breathe. Just breathe' suggests that Luke is indeed guiding and instructing Rey in the ways of the Force.

"Just breathe. Reach out"

As the music again builds, we see Rey standing on a precipice overlooking a vast stormy sea, and then a glorious slow motion shot of what is presumably Rey's powers being tested.

"What do you see?"

Rey answers: 'Light'. And what does one think of when thinking of light in Star Wars? The light side of the Force, hope, the rebellion, and of course Princess, or more recently General, Leia: the embodiment of hope and all that is good in the Star Wars universe.

Here fans are treated to a single shot of the back of their favourite space Princess overlooking a console and a holographic map on what looks like a spaceship. But is this the same map as the one that led to Luke or is there something more out there in this plot to discover? Luke went in search of the last Jedi temple, right? But who's to say he actually found it?

Whilst there is some speculation that this figure above is not General Leia, if you take a look at some of the behind the scenes photographs, it most probably is.  Also (Easter Egg!) if you listen super closely, you can hear her whispering: 'Help me Obi-Wan'

"Darkness"

And here lies a desolate image of the crushed remains of Kylo Ren's mask, his menacing theme seeping into the score. We last left the Knight of Ren on Starkiller base having been defeated in a battle with Rey, and after attempting, and failing, to seduce her to the darkside, the shattered shards of his mask could mean several things. His demise - which isn't likely considering he is seen later on in the trailer - or that he has broken free of his restraints (his family, particularly Han Solo) and now no longer has any need for a mask to hide behind.

A mother representing the light; her son representing the dark. Again, if you listen very closely, you can hear Obi-wan's voice echoing another sound bite from Episode 4: A New Hope: "Seduced by the dark side of the Force"

"A balance"

Now this is where it gets really interesting. A line of books sit quietly arranged under a seemingly significant beam of sunlight, and then a gloved hand tentatively touches a worn illustration of the symbol of the Jedi Order. Are these the books Luke had been using in his previous trainings, or are there more secrets to unlock between these faded pages? 'A balance' could refer to the balance between the light and the dark, between the Jedi and the Sith. The Star Wars geeks out there will know who keeps the balance between the two, but we'll touch more on this later.


This time it is Yoda's voice faintly whispering: 'it surrounds us... and binds us', referring to the Force in Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back. The similarities between the two episodes would appear to be growing. Rey learning with her mentor Luke, who has hidden himself away from the world after witnessing the brutal fall of Ben Solo to the dark side and the consequent massacre of his Jedi in training, and Luke with his mentor Yoda, an experienced Jedi Master who lived in seclusion on the swamp planet Dagobah.

And so as the musical score crescendos into the dramatically epic Star Wars theme tune that we all love so dearly, the audience is presented with a feast for the eyes: strange ships discharging red mist as they hurtle across an icy surface towards AT-AT's (bearing similar resemblance to the battle on Hoth?), and then we are finally given a glimpse of Finn - though he may be asleep in some sort of life support container.

Poe and BB-8 run frantically down a corridor and shield themselves as his X-wing fighter is blown up as well as the surrounding hangar - which looks like it could be on a ship rather than a base? Is this part of the retaliation against the Resistance from the First Order? It'll be interesting to see how Poe's character develops in Episode 8 considering he was initially meant to be killed off in the crash on Jakku. Looks like there's no defeating the best pilot in the Resistance.


The Millennium Falcon swoops effortlessly through the sky mid-battle (flown by who we wonder?) and Kylo Ren sports an Anakin Skywalker-style scar over his right eye courtesy of Rey's lightsaber. Like grandfather, like grandson.

And then this shocking reveal of what looks like a temple burning in the distance as a hooded figure falls to their knees next to an R2 unit. Remember that shot from The Force Awakens trailer? Where a robotic hand reaches out to R2D2 as if both seeking and giving comfort? Well, these two shots look rather similar don't you think?

Is this, fans wonder, Luke Skywalker and R2D2? Unless the parallels between The Empire Strikes Back and The Last Jedi run deeper than we think and, like Luke, Rey also loses her hand. Too far-fetched? Probably.

But taking a look back at The Force Awakens trailer 2, the overvoice is almost certainly that of Luke Skywalker as he says: "The Force is strong in my family. My father had it. I have it. My sister has it. You have that power, too."

So, could this be part of the infamous events that took place prior to Luke going into hiding? Is this his temple, the place he was training the next generation of Jedi, burning to the ground after Kylo Ren's betrayal that Rey saw in her vision? Or is this a scene waiting to take its future course?


But just wait a minute.

Is that Captain Phasma? Does that mean she wasn't put in the trash compactor like Finn and Han threatened to do on Starkiller base? And if she was, how in the galaxy far, far away did she escape? Because unless she happened to have two droids on hand to hack into the main computer, we know from Episode 4 that this is no easy feat.

"I know only one truth. It's time for the Jedi to end"

Wait. WHAT???

This has got to be the most shocking and unexpected moment in the entire trailer. What exactly does Luke mean? Is he bringing the whole existence of the Jedi into question? Or that the Jedi should end it, end the War, diminish the battle between the light and the dark? As he stands somewhat forlornly at the entrance to a dimly lit cave, it would seem Luke Skywalker has a much darker, sombre role to play in this movie. Considering he witnessed the massacre of his Jedi-in-Training at the hands of his nephew, and travelled to a distant, isolated island in some hidden part of the galaxy it's not too much of a surprise he'd consider this. Though it may be a little extreme.

Now, going back to the idea of 'balance'...

The term: 'Gray Jedi' has cropped up a few times in the latest theories. Gray Jedi is a name given to a force-user who can harness both the light and dark sides of the Force, without surrendering or being corrupted by the dark side. We know that without the Jedi there can be no balance in the force - as mentioned by Lor San Tekka in The Force Awakens. The question remains is: is there going to be a Gray Jedi in this story, or more than one?

Theory 1) It could be Luke.

Remember how Yoda and Obi-wan warned young Skywalker before he went to Cloud City to save Han and Leia from the hands of Darth Vadar in The Empire Strikes Back? They said he would be tempted by the dark side, that: 'If you end your training now, if you choose the quick and easy path, you will become an agent of evil'

Obviously Luke didn't become evil. Right? After facing Darth Vadar (his father) at Cloud City maybe he was tempted to give into his hatred but managed to resist it, and therefore became a Gray Jedi?

But was Luke only meant to defeat Vader and the Emperor or was he meant to bring balance to the galaxy, to the Force? Was he meant to become a Gray Jedi and is this the bigger picture Luke mentions in the trailer?


Theory 2) It's Rey.


Initially we all assumed that the 'last hope' would, and still could be Leia, but with Rey now in the picture could she be the new hope? Looking at the poster for The Last Jedi, Rey's importance in the Star Wars universe appears more significant than ever. She has no parents or siblings (that we know of) to live up to, only the guidance of the beloved original trio and the friendships of some great new characters. With the rise and continued growing power of the First Order, Rey's role in helping save the galaxy, and perhaps the whole existence of the Jedi, should soon come to fruition.

The Last Jedi poster presents the Star Wars fandom with many questions. Rey's lightsaber looks rather coincidentally like the Jedi Order symbol, fading from light blue to red, moving from the light side to the dark side of the Force as it divides the faces of Luke Skywalker and Kylo Ren. Is this colour change a representation of Rey's journey to or fight against the darkness? Is she the divide between the light and the darkness? Or between the Jedi and the Sith? OR... is Rey the one to bring balance and reconciliation between the two?

Theory 3) Could Kylo Ren be a Gray Jedi?

It may not seem likely that this emotionally-charged dark side force-user could potentially be a Gray Jedi. We already know that Snoke took on Ben Solo as a sort of apprentice, having manipulated and seduced him over to the dark side under the nose of his Jedi uncle. Ren thought that killing his father (Han Solo) would rid him of the torment of being torn between the light and the darkness. And yet despite everything, after all he has done he still feels the pull to the light - and Leia believes there's still good in him, just like Luke believed there was still good in Vader.

Theory 4) It's all of them. Because why not?

"First comes the day

Then comes the night.

After the darkness

Shines through the light.

The difference, they say,

Is only made right

By the resolving of gray

Through refined Jedi sight."

- Journal of the Whills

Looks like we'll just have to wait for the film, or more trailers to find out.
Watch the teaser trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB4I68XVPzQ

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