From the off-set, the inspired second trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awaken made it crystal clear that J.J. Abrams’ upcoming sequel would take place years after the events of Return of the Jedi. Heck, even the haunting opening shot included a downed Star Destroyer, crashed on Rey’s arid home planet of Jakku, hinting that the legacy of the old trilogy will underpin Abrams’ rebooted universe as opposed to influencing it directly.
As a matter of fact, it now appears that the totalitarian Empire will be referred to as the New Order, while the Rebel Alliance has been rebranded as simply The Resistance. To reflect this change, each faction has witnessed their respective logos be tweaked, too, with the most prominent being the New Order’s blood-red banner glimpsed from yesterday’s trailer. It’s a neat, wholly welcome change, and one that marks a new era for the Star Wars franchise as a whole.
In case you somehow slept in on the reveal of The Force Awaken‘s second teaser, the clip offered up much more footage from the sci-fi sequel, including our first look at Han and Chewie as they step onto the Millennium Falcon for the first time. Additionally, the clip unveiled a series of new adversaries for our heroes – John Boyega’s Finn, Daisy Ridley’s Rey and Oscar Isaac’s Poe – including the mysterious Sith Lord Kylo Ren and an army of Stormtroopers hellbent on taking down the Falcon once and for all.
Again, this is merely a teaser, and we’ll likely learn much more about The Force Awakens – not to mention who Luke is referring to in the voiceover – over the coming months.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens lands on December 18. For more on yesterday’s excellent teaser, check our our own detailed breakdown.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, opens in theaters December 18, 2015. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan & Abrams, and features a cast including actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie, Crystal Clarke, Pip Andersen, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow. They will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker. The film is being produced by Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk, and John Williams returns as the composer. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is Episode VII in the Star Wars Saga.
