Disney and LucasFilm are taking strides to ensure Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the talk of the town – and they’re certainly succeeding. In the wake of last night’s full-length trailer, the Internet has been pouring over each and every frame of the nostalgic sizzle reel in the search of new clues, Easter Eggs and any sign of Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker.
But there’s one detail that has largely been skimmed over since the clip touched down during ESPN’s Monday Night Football, and that’s who is narrating the second half of said trailer.
After following Daisy Ridley’s Rey and her scavenger hunt aboard the decimated Star Destroyer, Disney’s latest and likely final snippet for The Force Awakens bows out with a sombre voiceover: “The Force, it’s calling out to you – just let it in.” Prior to Disney Insider’s report, many had assumed that the narration was actually coming from Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia, though it’s now confirmed to be Lupita Nyong’o’s CG character, Maz Kanata.
A former pirate by trade, Maz Kanata experienced the Battle of Endor more than thirty years ago, and is no stranger to the world of smugglers and far-flung travellers. The real question, though, is who Nyong’o’s alien is speaking to. Common logic would dictate that it is John Boyega’s Stormtropper-turned-Jedi Finn, but it’s been speculated that the character is actually directing her rousing speech to Rey, which raises more questions than it answers. Could Ridley’s character have Jedi blood, for instance? There has to be a reason her surname has been kept off the books, after all.
Either way, after appearing on the official one-sheet for the sci-fi sequel, it’s clear that Maz Kanata has a integral role to play in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Could it be that the former space pirate is a spiritual being in the vein of Yoda? All will be revealed on December 18.
