Star Wars Episode VII "The Force Awakens"

[Maveritchell]

I really like that they kept a lot of the same styles of shots in it. I got a lot of nostalgia from just that first far away Tatooine shot.

It's worth mentioning that it's not "Tatooine." It's Jakku.

[GAB]

I really like that they kept a lot of the same styles of shots in it. I got a lot of nostalgia from just that first far away Tatooine shot.

It's worth mentioning that it's not "Tatooine." It's Jakku.

What?! It is not tatooine? Oh well...

[JimmyAngler]

Anyone else love the opening shot? I mean, that was just perfect for opening a scene like that. Now all we have to do is hope the new BF wont disappoint. Really liking how it's looking with Disney.

[Kingpin]

#IBelieveInJJ

[Noobasaurus]

I really like that they kept a lot of the same styles of shots in it. I got a lot of nostalgia from just that first far away Tatooine shot.

It's worth mentioning that it's not "Tatooine." It's Jakku.

They're all the same to me. Desert = Tatooine

There were a few more crashed spaceships than I remember, though. Looks like after all these years gravity has caught up with those space-dwellers.

[Maveritchell]

So tinfoil hat here - they've shown several crashed ships on the desert planet, including a crashed SSD (the one the Falcon flies through). They've also shown Vader's helmet being found(?). I'm not liking the dots my head is connecting vis a vis the "Endor Holocaust."

[willinator]

"Endor Holocaust."

Wicket noooooooooooo!!!

[TWINKEYRUNAWAY]

So tinfoil hat here - they've shown several crashed ships on the desert planet, including a crashed SSD (the one the Falcon flies through). They've also shown Vader's helmet being found(?). I'm not liking the dots my head is connecting vis a vis the "Endor Holocaust."

Personally that's not such a bad thing in my eyes....lol. Seriously though, that trailer is awesome. Just like how the star wars episode 1 trailer blew people's minds in 1999, this trailer has done the same for 2015.

[THEWULFMAN]

The possibility of Endor being ravaged by the Death Star II's debris has been a matter of debate for 30 years.

Jakku's ship graveyard might be from any battle the Alliance fought against the Empire, in the 30 years between ROTJ and TFA.

It's so hard for me to not say "this is how it happened in the books" on a constant basis.

In the old lore, the hypermatter core of the Death Star creates a small temporary black hole that sucks up a lot of the debris after the initial explosion. *shrugs*

[Maveritchell]

It's so hard for me to not say "this is how it happened in the books" on a constant basis.

No kidding. I'd love for the guys in charge to have built subtly outward from the preexisting canon, leaving enough gaps for the earlier stuff to have happened as it has for the past 30 years of world-building.

We know that's not really the case (c.f. no New Republic), but I'd still like the option of pretending. That's why I'm concerned about JJ pulling a John Harrison to be clever and calling this Jakku. (Although the leaks from the EA Battlefront press junket suggest that Jakku may simply be what it's stated to be - a bog-standard desert planet - and I'm happy for that to be the case.)

[jedimoose32]

It's so hard for me to not say "this is how it happened in the books" on a constant basis.

Yeah, for some stuff (which is awesome) but we now know that the "Empire" is now called The First Order, and the "Rebellion" is now called "The Resistance". Which implies a much different version of events than that which was told by the old canon. To be honest, I was really hoping that the Empire would be something more akin to the Imperial Remnant, pushed to the brink of extinction but still dangerous. *shrugs*

Dat flame trooper tho...

Hidden/Spoiler:

[EraOfDesann]

The first teaser didn't excite me as much as I'd hoped, but this was absolutely phenomenal.

-Loved Luke's dialogue from 'Jedi being played over those beautiful shots (the cinematography looks fantastic).
-The swelling John Williams score was euphoric.
-Unfortunately the shot of Han and Chewie was all over the net before I saw the trailer, so that was spoiled, but it's still great to see them.
-The First Order looks pretty cool. That shot of the troopers in front of the flag was eerily Nazi-esque. I wonder who the black-robed figures are in the background? I've read some speculation that this version of the Empire might be more extremist than the original, and that they're Dark Side-devout. Interesting idea, if true.
-Kind of a weird choice that the movie features a desert planet that looks exactly like Tatooine but... isn't. I like the name "Jakku," though.
-Rey looks like a quintessential Star Wars girl. I love it.
-Kylo Ren seems pretty scary, though I think his costume is rather generic. Part of me would've loved to see them adapt the Sith Stalker armor to the movies.
-Phasma, the chrome trooper, has grown on me. Looks like a rebel nightmare.
-Digging the new Imperial fleet. The Star Destroyers and shuttles look great, and I kind of like how the TIE fighters match the stormtroopers now.

This feels like a true return to the original Star Wars universe, even more so than the prequels. December can't come soon enough.

[JimmyAngler]

Kind of a weird choice that the movie features a desert planet that looks exactly like Tatooine but... isn't. I like the name "Jakku," though.

Probs because they filmed it at the same place before it was buried by the sandstorm.

[THEWULFMAN]

Turns out BB-8 is a real prop, not CGI.




There's no way Disney will let this marketing opportunity go by. Not a bad thing, just a statement.

[willinator]

Turns out BB-8 is a real prop, not CGI.

As an electrical engineering major, the amount of work JJ had the prop team put into making BB-8 functional is impressive. For those curious, it involves having a weighted base inside the sphere with omnidirectional wheels, with an articulated arm and magnet attracting the external head, with all of the servos and actuators calibrated for smooth movement, as well as leaning the head forward in motion instead of the natural tendency of backwards.

tl:dr, BB-8 took a lot more work than other small props of his size.

[Darth_Squoobus]

By the looks of it nothing has changed in the thirty years since the battle of Endor except the Rebels renamed themselves the Resistance and the Empire renamed themselves the First Order. There's no indication Luke has attempted to rebuild the Jedi Order or that a New Republic has been founded. Yeah, I've heard that it's no "realistic" or "believable" for something as big as the Empire to just disappear, but is it really that believable for the Rebel Alliance to have accomplished absolutely nothing in thirty years after killing the Emperor and cutting the head off the snake?

[THEWULFMAN]

There's no indication Luke has attempted to rebuild the Jedi Order

There's also no indication he didn't. Absence of evidence isn't evidence of absence.

We still don't even have a plot trailer yet. We also haven't seen Luke or Leia's faces.

that a New Republic has been founded.

Admittedly, this has me worried as well. I've voiced my concerns before, about the renaming of the Alliance to the Resistance. It implies one of two possible scenarios, neither of which I like. Either the Alliance did form a New Republic and they lost, going back to a Resistance style of fighting, or they never created a new government at all and they're still fighting the Empire as a "rebellion."

[Darth_Squoobus]

Admittedly, this has me worried as well. I've voiced my concerns before, about the renaming of the Alliance to the Resistance. It implies one of two possible scenarios, neither of which I like. Either the Alliance did form a New Republic and they lost, going back to a Resistance style of fighting, or they never created a new government at all and they're still fighting the Empire as a "rebellion."

See, that reminds me of something else. Allegedly, the reason there's no new Jedi Order present is because Luke did establish one, only for them to get Order 66'd... AGAIN.

[thelegend]

Turns out BB-8 is a real prop, not CGI.

Hidden/Spoiler:

There's no way Disney will let this marketing opportunity go by. Not a bad thing, just a statement.

I want this little dude rolling through my house. But then a blue or red one.

[jedimoose32]

Anybody else see yesterday's awesome Force Awakens cast photos, courtesy of Vanity Fair ( )? They're actually pretty awesome.

Captain Phasma (Chrome Trooper):

Hidden/Spoiler:

Kylo Ren:

Hidden/Spoiler:

Poe Dameron:

Hidden/Spoiler:

There are some others over at http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/201 ... s-photos#5.

I, for one, am very excited about what I'm seeing!