For those of you that don’t know, Robbie and I are currently in Chicago for Star Wars Celebration making some fun content for you guys. I’m about 2 hours removed from seeing the trailer debuted “live” (they wouldn’t give us both panel tickets so I watched a live stream in the building next door), and I want to give some thoughts on it. I could include thoughts on the pannell that went on before the trailer, but I don’t think anyone wants to read 10,000 words about why I think Steve Colbert is the best host in the business and John Boyega might be the most charismatic man alive.

Anyway, you start out on a desert planet as seen here:

A lot of people think this is Tatooine, and considering the title of the movie along with the Skywalkers ties to the planet, that would make sense. However, I think this is Jakku, Rey’s homeworld. The battle of Jakku (about 1 year after the battle of Endor in ‘Return of the Jedi’) was the site of the last major battle between the Galactic Empire and the New Republic. Some quick backstory on that battle: The original plan for the Empire’s leader, Gallius Rax, to blow up the planet and end both the Republic AND the Empire with him sweeping in to establish a new world order with him in charge. This was all according to Emperor Palpatine’s contingency plan that he laid out in the case of his death. Rax ended up getting killed before he could go through with the plan, and the Republic won the battle (and the war) with the remnants of the Empire fleeing to the outer rim. One of those remnants was Rax’s protege, Brendol Hux. Brendol eventually became one of the leaders/generals of the First Order, and also had a son, Armitage Hux.

To sum that up: there is a ton of history to this planet that make it a great spot for the final chapter of the trilogy. It’s not just where the movie starts, but where both Rey and the First Order were born as well as where the Galactic Empire ended. It was also the last stage of the Emperor’s plan, and we now know will play a part in this movie. The one edge I’ll give to Tatooine is that the end of the trailer features a chase scene through what looks to be a Moisture farm

Next, they show a rocky, storm ridden world.

My gut tells me that this is Eadu, pictured here in ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’.

Eadu was an Imperial Research facility tasked with studying Kyber crystals, and were responsible for creating the Death Star’s planet-ending superlasers. The topography looks similar to both that planet and Vandor, where the heist in ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ takes place. Neither planets were very populated (Eadu is supposed to be around 2.5 million) so the sight of a city may rule this out. But the significance of Kyber Crystals to both superlasers and lightsabers makes me think it may be important. Next, they show Kylo Ren fucking some losers up in a red forrest.

This is maybe the most out there guess, but it would be sick as hell if this was Dathomir, pictured here from the Clone Wars animated series.

Dathomir is the home to the Nightsisters, including Count Dooku’s one time apprentice Asajj Ventress. It’s also the homeworld of Darth Maul who, in his last film appearance, (Solo: A Star Wars Story) summons Qi’ra to the planet to discuss the plans for his crime syndicate, Crimson Dawn. I have no idea why Kylo Ren would be on this planet, but the planet is noted to have an incredibly strong connection to the dark side of the force. In the Clone Wars animated series, the Nightsisters were able to channel the dark side of the force to increase Savage Opress strength, power, and connection to the force. Is Kylo seeking that out to give himself an edge over Rey? I highly doubt it, but that would be rad. The next big scene is Poe, Finn and C-3PO getting chased on a skiff by some jetpack troopers.

Like I mentioned before, the moisture collectors seem sort of unique to Tatooine, and the Skiff the fellas are on looks sort of like one from Jabba’s fleet.

HOWEVER, Max Kellerman, the very next scene is a flashback-looking one in which a Rebel A-Wing is crashing while flying through a pitched battle alongside an Imperial Star Destroyer:

What battle might that be? My guess is the aforementioned Battle of Jakku. Going right from that war sequence into Leia holding a war medal (the same worn by the heroes at the end of A New Hope) solidifies my theory in my humble, stupid opinion.

We then go to Leia embracing Rey on a forrest planet, and then to them looking at the wreckage of a Death Star. This makes me belive that the location is Yavin 4.

Yavin 4 is the location of the Rebel base in ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’. From their hideout in the ancient temple there, Luke and co. are dispatched to destroy the first Death Star and succeed in doing so. The only other option for the location to be is Endor, but there is no existing Rebel base there from what we know of. This, in addition to the fact that Leia presents the Medal they show prior in the trailer to the guys at the grand temple on Yavin 4 has me pretty convinced. They also showed a promotional still at celebration showing Rose talking with Rey at what looks to be one of the battle maps from the Yavin base.

Lastly, that goddamn Emperor laugh.

For those of you who played the recent (canon) Star Wars Battlefront II campaign, you know that the Emperor lived on past his death via his Sentinels. They helped facilitate his contingency plan, including the one that lead to the battle of Jakku. I don’t know if this will end up having any relation, but the Emperor is going to have a part to play and I am very ready for it.

Reaction: I teared up at the Leia/Rey Embrace, when Rey Kobe Bryant jumped the TIE Interceptor, and when I saw Billy Dee Williams in the cockpit of the Falcon. This franchise means a lot to people for a lot of different reasons. For me, it’s the nostalgia of watching the movies with my family. The nostalgia of my mom taking me out of Middle School early to go watch ‘Revenge of the Sith’. The nostalgia of playing endless hours of the video games with my friends, buying the ridiculous toys from the Phantom Menace, of me and my brothers having lightsaber stick fights in the backyard etc etc etc. So for any “nerd” haters or whatever, shut the fuck up. This franchise is a cultural staple worthy of all the fanboying it gets and more. Anyway, I thought ‘The Force Awakens’ original trailer was maybe one of the best I’ve ever seen in my life, but this one might have been even better. I’m not sure if Abrams maintains direct control of the editing process, but he knows how to make the soundtrack compliment the scenes like nobody else in the business. With the GOAT composer John Williams retiring with this movie, there couldn’t be a better send off in my opinion.

Prediction: What I took away from the last two films is that the theme is balance. I think there will be no more Jedi, no more Sith, but something in between. A grey area that doesn’t have enforcers on either side. I’m not sure how Rey and Kylo Ren will fit into this equation, but I think the relation of bloodline to force sensitivity is going to be explored and somewhat rejected (smell ya later, midichlorians).

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