Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer review

Illustration by: Will Madison

If you love Star Wars as much as I do, then you’re incredibly pumped up after watching the latest trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi which aired Monday night during halftime of the Minnesota Vikings game.

If the trailer says anything to us it's that this movie is going to be a lot darker than the movies past. Star Wars viewers got a brief taste of this with last years stand-alone film, Rogue One.

With Monday night’s trailer reveal, we see Rey receiving training from Jedi Grandmaster Luke Skywalker, who we learned from Episode VII, has been hiding in exile for quite sometime. The trailer also features Rey training in lightsaber combat with Luke’s first lightsaber (the one that she brings him at the end of the last movie) whose original user was Anakin Skywalker.

Rey’s meditation forces the earth to literally crack underneath her and we see Luke’s incredibly concerned expression. Now the interesting part about this is what Luke Skywalker says next: “I’ve seen this raw strength only once before. It didn’t scare me enough then. It does now.” Speculation upon hearing this is that he is talking about his father, Darth Vader (Anakin Skywalker). My prediction is that he is talking about his father.

Kylo Ren is covering up his facial scar he received from Rey in Episode VII with some sort of galactic zipper looking thing?? Something you would only see in a galaxy far far away.. but the quintessential bad guy facial scar absolutely gives the commander of the First Order double the bad guy points.

The trailer gives us a first look at Kylo Ren’s awesome looking TIE Silencer, entering a ship that looks to be that of Princess Leia’s. Like Episode VII, Ren seems to struggle with his emotions when deciding if he should murder one of his parents. My prediction for this is that with Ren’s hesitation, someone else pulls the trigger instead.

With the tragic passing of Carrie Fisher last December, it only makes sense that Princess Leia does not make it to end credits this episode.

I feel it is necessary to talk about the cute furry hamster looking thing also known as a Porg in the Star Wars universe. Lets just dial it back with the Jar Jar Binks comparisons, people. I think the producers at Star Wars are smart enough to not make the same mistake twice.

All in all, this trailer has me even more excited than before for the upcoming film that premieres December 15. After the conclusion of the Vikings Monday night football victory, I opened up my phone to a text message  from my old man that simply said “movie tickets purchased.”  As always, may the force be with you.