Star Wars: The Force Awakens Trailer Breakdown And Analysis

This past Monday, Disney, Lucasfilm and director J.J. Abrams unleashed what's being called the final trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and damn near broke the internet in the process. Fans were left so excited by what they saw that the surge in pre-sales for IMAX screenings shattered records, and caused several sites to crash. The trailer was jam packed with stunning visuals, featured an updated score by the master John Williams and allowed us to hear some of the new characters speak for the very first time. The content has been analyzed and theorized upon endlessly since the release, with just as many questions raised about the players we didn't see (looking at you Mr. Skywalker) as the ones we did - not that they escaped the scrutiny! So, with that in mind, we've gathered together screen-caps of some of the most intriguing, speculated upon, and just plain awesome shots from the trailer here for you to take a look at, and to share our own theories on what's going on. Beware of possible spoilers ahead.... Rey Is No-One At least, not yet. The first character we see as the music kicks in is Rey (Daisy Ridley), who is masked-up for her scavenging expedition in what is assumed to be the downed Star destroyer glimpsed in the first trailer. Lupita Nyong'o's space-pirate Maz Kanata (who provides the narration) asks "who are you," to which a disillusioned Rey replies, "no-one." It appears Rey is being set up to get the most obvious "hero" arc. Just like Luke Skywalker - who she may or may not be related to - in the original movie, she seems to long to leave Jakku and reach the potential she doesn't even seem to realize she has. Don't worry kid, something tells me that's a safe bet. Finn The Stormtrooper And yes, it seems he really is a Stormtrooper and wasn't just disguising himself as one to escape. Finn (John Boyega) says he was "raised to do one thing," but now has "nothing to fight for." It's quite possible Finn (who is keeping his last name a secret for some reason) was recruited by the First Order at a very young age, or perhaps even born straight into their ranks - but what could make him switch loyalties and join the Resistance? We see his helmet splattered with blood right before his Fighter is shot down over Jakku, so maybe he did, or was asked to do something his conscience couldn't live with? Remember that Poe Dameron (Oscar Issac) was a First Order prisoner at some point; is it possible they crossed paths? Kylo's Mission We'll get to that later - Poe is busy being force-tortured by Kylo Ren for now. We hear Adam Driver speak as the mysterious villain, as he promises to finish what Darth Vader started. At least, that's what the trailer wants us to believe! It's just as possible Ren will be conversing with a living superior in the actual movie - Andy Serkis' Supreme Leader Snoke, for example - and not a burnt-up helmet. But if this Dark Side fanboy really is on a mission to complete his idol's work, we can only assume he means to wipe out all remaining Jedi. After all, Vader himself didn't have any other grand plan in the original trilogy and was basically just a power-mad Emperor's henchman. "It's True. All Of It" As the Millennium Falcon evades some Tie-Fighters and the score swells, we hear Rey ask about some of the old legends of the Jedi and the Force, which Harrison Ford's aging scoundrel, Han Solo, confirms are true. This is a far cry from the young smuggler we first met in A New Hope, who viewed the "hokey religion" built around the Force as "a lot of simple tricks and nonsense." Obviously his adventures with Luke helped sway his opinion, but did something more close to home ultimately make him a true believer? It's been rumored that Kylo Ren is actually Han and Leia's son, and that could make a lot of sense - after all, witnessing your child fully embrace the Dark Side of the Force is going to leave a lasting impression. The Knights Of Ren The next big reveal appears to be the Knights Of Ren. Director J.J. Abrams recently stated in an interview that Ren is just the title Kylo adopted when he joined this mysterious faction, who may all be just as powerful as their leader. They certainly share the same fashion sense, and have no qualms about mass murder as evidenced by the stacks of bodies surrounding them in this shot. Who or what is Ren? Do all of these guys share Kylo's obsession with Vader? We're going to have to wait and see of course, but there's a very good chance Rey, Finn, and the rest of our heroes are going to have more than one Dark Side Force-wielder to deal with in the movie. Poe Greets Finn Following some lovely aerial dogfight shots, we come to a moment that's had fans hiking up the speculation dials to 11. On first glance it just looks like your average bro-down moment before two friends head into battle... but are these guys friends? The look Finn gives Dameron when he passes him may suggest there's something else going on here. As I mentioned earlier, we know Poe Dameron will be Kylo Ren's prisoner at some point in the movie, just as we know Fin started out as one of the villain's soldiers. Poe wouldn't know Finn without his Stormtrooper helmet, but what if Finn is only too aware of who the X-Wing pilot is and is in some way responsible for his capture? Big-time speculation, but food for thought. Yavin 4? Where is this? Well, a lot of theories point to it being an old Rebel outpost, possibly even their original base on the remote jungle planet of Yavin 4. It certainly resembles that location, and it would make sense for the story to take our heroes back to the place where the plan to destroy the first Death Star was forged. Wherever it turns out to be, it's rumored to be the place we'll first encounter Maz Kanata: the CGI alien voiced by Lupita Nyong'o. There's also the possibility this is where Leia is based, or perhaps even both of them. Eagle-eyed fans also spotted a Mandalorian flag among the many others on the battlements. Probably just a little easter egg and not anything Boba Fett-related, but hey, you never know. Okay, Who's Dead? That right there is a very upset Rey, who appears to be weeping over... someone. This shot has had fans trying to figure out which character must have bitten the bullet, and the prevailing theory seems to be Chewbacca because of that glimpse of what appears to be his bandoleer. Of course, there also looks to be a brown jacket there which means it could be Han, or Finn, or Poe... or anyone really. There's no indication that they're dead and not just injured, either. But, hard as it is to consider, the only main character rumored to be killed off in this movie is Han Solo - so if that is someone lying dead in this shot, the safest bet is that it's him. Sniff. A Lover's Embrace If Han does join the big Kessel Run in the sky, expect Leia to shed a lot more tears than she's doing here. Carrie Fisher's princess (now a Queen, apparently) has largely been absent from all promotion thus far, and aside from a behind-the-scenes snap some time ago, this marks our first live-action glimpse of the returning character. It's not known if Han and Leia have remained together in the 30 years since Return of The Jedi or if they've been estranged, but she's clearly very emotional in this shot. Happy tears at seeing her old flame again, or is she upset because he has to leave her go save the galaxy one last time? The Dark Side, And The Light Finally we have the shot that's excited fans the most, and confirmed that Finn was indeed lighting up that saber to take on Kylo Ren in the brief teaser from a few months back. So is Finn a Jedi? My guess is, no - that'll be Rey. Finn may be skilled in melee combat and simply fancied his chances - remember you don't have to be a Jedi to wield a lightsaber as evidenced by Han Solo's Taun-Taun belly slice in The Empire Strikes Back - but he definitely looks like he's in way over his head here. There's always the possibilty Finn is also force-sensitive, but my money's on Rey emerging as the new all-powerful Jedi, and successor to (her father?) Luke Skywalker.