And it looks good!
After all, like Joseph Campbell and George Lucas suggested, Star Wars is kind of an American mythology, with universal themes including the tensions between family members, particularly, but perhaps not exclusively, fathers and sons, with belief in oneself and one's sense of purpose, a mystical old religion that empowers the individual while simultaneously emphasizing a connectedness and necessary balance with life and energy all around us, and both the benefits and potential pitfalls of the rise of technology and how this could potentially consume us.
There were a lot of strange and unexpected things, which I am sure was done intentionally.
First, the things we expected. Much like each episode has parallels with the movies that came before. Episode 1 in the second trilogy, or the prequels, had similarities to the first movie of the first trilogy, and the first installation of this most recent trilogy. And so it is fitting that this second movie of this new trilogy seems to have similarities to the second movies of the other two trilogies, as well.
Specifically, Rey is receiving the training at a very remote place, much like Luke Skywalker receives during The Empire Strikes Back (ESB), which remains the favorite movie for seemingly most fans of the franchise. Only this time, Luke is the one doing the training, as more or less a mixture of the wizard-like role of Obi Wan Kenobi and Yoda. Rey is clearly growing stronger, more capable, and more experienced with the force. But will she be ready for the test, and in what way will that test come, anyway?
However, we also see her being apparently grabbed and held by the mysterious Snoke, who resembles the old Emperor Palpatine in so many ways. Many fans are hoping to have his backstory further explained in this new movie coming up. However, he seems to be trying to entice Rey to the dark side, also much like Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker was trying to entice his son, Luke, in ESB.
On the flip side, we seem to see the conflict of the new Darth Vader-like character of Kylo Ren. He killed his father (talk about Greco-Roman mythological themes!) in the last movie, and this new trailer at least implies that he is struggling with the possibility of killing his mother, General Leia. Yet, we see him smashing his helmet in frustration at some point, and seeming to abandon his helmet altogether for the rest of the trailer. Even more interesting, however, was a scene where Rey appears to be asking for help, and Kylo seems to be holding his hand out to her to provide that kind of help. Was this her coming close to taking the bait towards the dark side? Was this her appealing to Kylo to not give in to her hate, much like Luke (and later, Padme) kept sensing that there was still good in Darth Vader?
Some really interesting stuff here!
The movie is now only two or so months away, and I am very much looking forward to it, both as a fan, as well as the father of a fan. I grew up with Star Wars when I was a child, and now, it is one of the things that my son and I share a great interest in. Plus, again, I truly believe that Star Wars is, on many levels, American mythology, and find it incredible appealing as such! Really looking forward to this new movie, and the new trailer (which you can view above) truly whets the appetite!
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