10 Questions Raised by the New Star Wars Trailer

November 28, 2014, 10:17 AM · The teaser trailer for Star Wars, Episode 7 - The Force Awakens is online now.

My favorite shot?

Star Wars 7 trailer

While the teaser trailer doesn't answer any questions about the newest chapter of the Star Wars saga, it does raise a whole bunch of questions:

Lightsaber from the Star Wars 7 trailer
What the...?

Why is there a black stormtrooper? I mean, all the stormtroopers were clones of Jango Fett, right? For that matter, why are there still any stormtroopers? If there are still stormtroopers, is there still an Empire? There are rebels in X-wings. Is the rebellion still ongoing?

What is the functional purpose of a lightsaber hilt? Wouldn't that just increase the risk of slicing off your own hand?

Can J.J. Abrams make a teaser trailer without a lens flare? (Okay, we got the answer to that one: No.)

Has anyone built a new spaceship since Return of the Jedi? And finally, will we see any of this stuff in Star Wars Land?

Lens flare from the Star Wars 7 trailer
Lens flare? Check.

And here's one more question for you: What did you think?

Replies (19)

November 28, 2014 at 10:24 AM · 1. He’s either a recruit (see below) or in disguise.
2. Initially they were. Eventually the empire started using cheaper recruits and under trained clones. That’s why the Clone troopers were so much more effective than Stormtroopers.
5. They could be New Republic, not rebels.
6. Same purpose as a regular sword hilt.
November 28, 2014 at 10:28 AM · I don't think he is a stormtrooper. I think he is wearing it like Luke did when he first saved Leia.
November 28, 2014 at 10:46 AM · This lightsaber was freakish, it's more a flamethrower than a lightsaber. The hilt is useless and ridiculous, i would call it a finger cutter.
November 28, 2014 at 11:09 AM · OK, so it looks as though we have a third-gen clone/stormtrooper. So the question becomes: Can these guys actually hit anything?
November 28, 2014 at 11:39 AM · @Robert, remember in Episode IV while examining the Sandcrawler wreckage, Obi-Wan states "Only Imperial Stormtroopers are so precise." Obviously, the highly skilled troopers are held in reserve for important things like tracking droids and slaughtering Jawas.
November 28, 2014 at 11:41 AM · If they were trained by their elders then no one will need to worry about being shot by these Storm Troopers ;) My question is, why didn't J.J. give us the gift of seeing Luke, Leia, and Han?
As for the lightsaber, I guess they were hoping for the gasping we all did when Darth Maul opened his lightsaber. Sadly, I think it was more of an "huh?" reaction.
November 28, 2014 at 12:02 PM · There is one thing that is bothering me, the dude with the silly light sword is in a forest with snow. I'm guessing Elsa will be there and use her powers against the silly sword guy and then starts balking "Let it go!"
November 28, 2014 at 12:50 PM · The first thing everyone seems to be missing here is that this is a "Teaser Trailer." It's designed to get everyone talking about the film, which it has successfully done, and done without using shots of Luke, Leia, Han, or Chewy. We'll get those as the film gets closer to its release date, next December.

That being said, many people do not seem to have looked at many actual swords from days long past. Many swords have had hilts in the past (The part sticking out perpendicular to the blade near the hand) and some swords even had blades there. People did not cut their fingers off with these swords. Anyone familiar with wielding a sword would see that this is not an issue.

As for the black Stormtrooper, I'd say Brian Bauer's explanation is a sound one, as is his reasoning with the 'rebel' pilot. Everyone also needs to remember, this story takes place decades after "Episode VI". Many things can happen in that span of time, such as Stormtroopers may not be entirely clones, etc.

November 28, 2014 at 1:13 PM · My point is... that for a teaser trailer, it did a good job of getting me to ask questions! I really want to know who that "stormtrooper" is now. And the lady on the speeder bike.

Though, for the X-wing pilot, if he's not Luke, I just assume he's gonna die, so...whatever. ;^)

November 28, 2014 at 2:23 PM · 1/2. It takes a village to raise a defeated Empire. My assumption though, is it's a disguise as stated by Brian. Also, not all troopers were clones. Eventually the Empire did allow for open enlistment. By the time of the first Star Wars movie, "A New Hope", it's estimated that roughly a third of the whole army are clones. Also, the emperor did create clone soldiers from other master templates, such as Jango was initially, so theoretically there could exist another highly skilled bounty hunter or soldier on the level of Jango or rated even higher, that the Empire would want to capitalize on and create clones from.

3/4. Pockets of loyal soldiers forced into hiding after the fall of the Galactic Empire most likely set up shop in the outer rim planets. There would still be Empire successor states such as the Imperial Remnant that would employ Stormtrooper soldiers with an agenda to restore the Galactic Empire to it's former glory.

5. Most likely the rebellion is no longer as the Empire doesn't need to be overthrown any more. Eventually the "New Republic" would rise and restore a fair and balanced approach to governing the known galaxy as was the case in the "Old Republic" era, before it's demise as seen in the prequel trilogy. The rebellions mark would be left on the New Republic as they would have been instrumental in reclaiming and restructuring, and establishing a new infrastructure in policy as well as whatever military forces would be put into place. As a result you would see certain proven vehicles and imagery retained from the rebellion cause, find its way into the new establishment, such as X-Wing Fighters and the Rebellion Insignia.

6/7. The functional purpose of a lightsaber hilt is to house the energy source of of the saber as well as providing an ignition switch to activate the saber and in some cases a practical way to affix the weapon to ones body yet still allow for easy access when not in use. I'm assuming you're actually referring to the cross-guard beams emitting at right angles from the central energy beam? As would be the case on any traditional hilt, added protection for the wielders hand and body is the function it serves. For a regular, non force sensitive wielder it could prove to be very dangerous, but for a highly skilled Jedi or Sith it would add to functionality and protection and possibly could be used in close combat situations as well, igniting only the short beams and using in a hammer/double end axe striking manner. Other than that, I think they were just going for something cool looking to add to the mythos ;o)

8. Impossible...but it's a small price to pay for finally getting a sequel to Return of the Jedi!!! :o)

9. I'm sure they have, and we'll see them, and they will have a far more classic feel to them than they did in the prequels. JJ seems to really get the design aesthetic of the Original Trilogy and what the fans would like to see on screen as he's a huge fan himself, first and foremost. That being said, who would ever turn down a good old fashioned dog fight between the Falcon and a few TIE Fighters.

10. Hopefully only the cool stuff....here's hoping it's all cool and we're left with the dilemma of having too much to choose from haha

November 28, 2014 at 4:15 PM · I wanted to see Harrison Ford. Watching him play Han Solo again after all these years is going to be a treat.
November 28, 2014 at 7:35 PM · It could be Lando's son or grandson "pretending" to be a Stormtrooper in a stolen suit... The Sith have MULTITUDES of lightsaber variants at their disposal including "plasma swords" and "flash daggers"...if the old lightsabers couldn't penetrate another lightsaber then the "hilts" would protect the hands.. .. Who knows what survived the end of the "Old" Empire.. J.J. Is known to throw "red herrings" into his trailers...not everything shown will be in the final movie!! He's "crafty" that way!
November 28, 2014 at 8:13 PM · Ever since the original Episode three (now Episode 6), I learned to not care. The magic is lost forever.

BTW, just wait for the movie, your questions will be answered so quickly you'll wonder why you agonized over them. There is a total lack of suspense.

November 28, 2014 at 9:34 PM · http://techcrunch.com/2014/11/28/here-star-wars-i-fixed-your-force-awakens-lightsaber-crossguard-for-you/
November 29, 2014 at 7:21 AM · Im sure ill watch the movie in the cinema and im also sure ill enjoy it more than the average film i watch, but im definitly no fan of the J.J. Abrams touch. But then, from a business pov thats quite alright. People like me will watch anyway, no need to make efforts for them. Maybe Abrams style does appeal more to a less afine younger audience.
November 29, 2014 at 11:36 AM · Star Trek 3...
November 29, 2014 at 1:57 PM · I loved it for what it was, which was just a teaser trailer. As for the Stormtrooper question, (I'm gonna show my geek side) the clones age much faster than a normal human, so they die much faster too. The cloning facilities were destroyed after the Clone Wars, so they weren't cranking out anymore clones by the time Episode 4, 5 and 6 was set. They were using soldiers as Stormtroopers by then. So, clones aren't around anymore by the time of the new movie setting. The lightsaber with the hilt just looks cool, I can't imagine any practicality.
December 1, 2014 at 1:56 AM · Forget about the stormtrooper and the lightsaber. I want to know why the top of the X-wing pilot's helmet looks like a TIE fighter helmet. Also, do the visual cues mean something? For example, the droid is going to the left on the screen. Daisy Ridley's character is also going left. The Falcon is going left. Note that the TIE fighters are going right and the X-wings are also going right? Is this a clue??? Also, I wouldn't be surprised if we find out three months later that the trailer contains a code that unlocks a web site.
December 2, 2014 at 1:29 PM · The black stormtrooper clearly just finished combing the desert, that is why he is out of breath. And he is a little mad that he hasn't found anything yet.

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