Let's talk about those Porgs.
It's finally time to return to a galaxy far, far away with the latest Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer. The new footage dropped on the evening of Oct. 9, during halftime in Monday Night Football.
From director Rian Johnson (Brick, Looper), Star Wars: The Last Jedi picks up directly after the events of J.J. Abram’s The Force Awakens, with Rey (Daisy Ridley) having found Luke (Mark Hamill) living on a far off deserted planet.
This trailer gives us a lot of new footage to dissect and debate about — and actually gives us a few plot details, unlike The Force Awakens marketing campaign. Rey seems to have become one with the force, having become so powerful that Luke Skywalker himself (yes, we actually hear him speak this time) begins to fear her. He’s seen what happens with this much raw power before, having trained and watch Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) join the dark side, and he doesn’t want to see it again.
But with the First Order becoming stronger and stronger, Luke may not have any choice in the matter. The trailer gives us our first real look at Supreme Leader Snoke — the one who’s responsible for Ren’s transformation. We still don’t know who or what he is, but at least we get a look at him in non-hologram form — and he seems like a force to be reckoned with.
We also see Kylo Ren in a couple of key pivotal scenes. After recovering from the damage he received in The Force Awakens (and seemingly having broken his helmet out of anger), he’s coming back at the Resistance with everything he’s got.
We see Ren fly a ship (seeing how he’s a descendant of Han Solo and Anakin Skywalker, it makes sense that he’d be a great pilot) into the heart of the Resistance. He's then given an opportunity to fire upon his own mother — Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher). Whether he actually fires or whether this is Johnson trying to misdirect the audience is up for debate, but it’s a great moment.
Let’s not forget Finn (John Boyega) in all of this either. While Finn's role in The Force Awakens mostly existed to mislead the audience into thinking he was going to be the next Jedi, only for Abrams to pull a rope-a-dope and reveal Rey to be the one with the force, he’s back and seems to have a role more suited to his character. We get a good glimpse of him battling Captain Phasma, his former master, in one incredible looking sequence and we can't wait to see what else he's going to be doing.
We’d be regretful if we didn’t at least mention the Porgs somewhere as well. One of the cute little creatures is seen giving off an adorable little cackle while sitting next to Chewbacca. And there’s also a look at some new creatures too — as we’re introduced to something that resembles an arctic looking dire-wolf.
Then there’s the scene at the end — the one that everyone is talking about. “I need someone,” says Rey “to show me my place in all of this.” Cut to Kylo Ren extending his hands, and we cut to the Star Wars logo. What does it mean? Is Rey turning to the dark side? Are she and Kylo going to turn up to destroy the universe? Or is it simply another red-herring?
We’re likely not getting any further answers until Dec. 15, when the movie is finally released. But the goods news is that tickets are now on sale nationwide for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, so you can buy them now to make sure you get good seats opening night.
Watch the trailer below here, and then tell us: What do you think of the trailer? Is Rey turning to the dark side? Are the Porgs going to take over the universe? Is Rian Johnson about to bring us one of the best Star Wars films to date? Let us know in the comments below.