A few hours ago, Disney released the first trailer for the final installment of the Star Wars saga that I grew up loving. Although I have been eagerly awaiting this moment for quite a while, the fact that Episode VIII The Last Jedi was so utterly horrendous has caused me to temper my excitement. I absolutely loved The Force Awakens. I felt it built the perfect bridge between a brand new Star Wars fan like my daughter and us over the hill fanboys who saw Star Wars: A New Hope in the theater back in the 1970s (my son had been raised on Star Wars since birth so no bridge was required).
Although I was chomping at the bit to watch it all day long, I waited until my son got home from school so we could see it for the first time together.
All of the excitement I had the first time I saw The Force Awakens trailer came racing back. My son and I watched it three times. Each time we watched it, he and I generated new reasons to be excited and many new questions.
Before I describe some of those, you better watch it for yourself.
Oh my god! Rey has become a complete badass!
That was Lando with Chewie!
The title includes the name "Skywalker". Does that mean that Rey is indeed a Skywalker (perhaps on her mother's side)?
Luke's voice is there. Is he coming back? Was he really dead?
What desert planet are they on? Are there twin suns behind those clouds? Is it Tatooine?
Whose medal was that? Is it the one Chewbacca should have received for his role in destroying the Death Star?
Who is flying that ship?
Is that Leia not weirdly flying through space?
Why does that sound like Emperor Palpatine laughing?
Although I have none of the answers, I am now once again excited to find out. In case you did not know, J.J. Abrams has returned to try and undo the damage done by Rian Johnson who managed to make a complete mess of The Last Jedi. Although Abrams has always seemed to have a tough time creating the proper ending to any of his projects, I at least have faith that he will do a better job than Johnson would have.
Actual footage of every Star Wars fan demanding the firing of Rian Johnson
Star War: The Rise of Skywalker is set to be released in 251 days (not that I'm counting). I better login to Fandango now.