By W.T. Bane
D23 was this last weekend and Disney dropped lots of Star Wars news, and as required by nerd law, we must review, debate, inundate and dissect every bit of information provided; because, if we study each trailer and set pic long enough, we will understand the secrets of the universe unfolding in front of us.
Not really. We’re just overly excited for a new Star Wars movie. As we should be. Right Kyle?
This weekend Disney released the newest poster for Star Wars: the Force Awakens and boy does it call back to the originals. In the continuing tradition of appreciation of the past films, the artists who rendered the posters of the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy was hired to give us our first expansive still shot look at the new film. So what’s the big deal? Why are people going on about a poster?
FINN IS WEILDING A LIGHTSABER!
Not just any lightsaber. That is the very lightsaber used by Anakin in Episode III and passed to Luke in IV. It is the same lightsaber that is lost in Bespin when Luke loses his hand in a the battle with his father Lord Vader ( spoilers from 1980!). All rumors currently point at this lightsaber being the lead macguffin in the new film that brings the characters together. A photo circulating during Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim showed Finn’s costume with the lightsaber attached to his left jacket.
As the title suggest, we are expecting an awakening in The Force and the arrival of new Jedi and possibly new Sith. Rumors were Rey would be taking over as the new lead Jedi as the first main female lead character Jedi, but Finn is brandishing the weapon in the poster. What does this mean? Here are a few thoughts/theories.
1) Finn is the new Jedi! Not Rey!
This one is pretty self explanatory. Finn could be given the greatest character arc in the new film as he goes from Stormtrooper, to man on the run, to full fledged Jedi hero. It seems likely at least that he will be a force sensitive and a potential Jedi over the new trilogy.
So we could have been misled that Rey is no Jedi, or force sensitive herself and she will instead fill into the void of the new Han Solo of the new trilogy. I really don’t expect Harrison Ford to keep making these films. Maybe Rey’s destiny is different than what we thought. Or…
2) They both become Jedi’s. But…
I think this is more likely. With the idea of an “awakening”, it would lead credence to there being more than one new Jedi in the trilogy. So why is Finn holding the lightsaber and Rey isn’t? Because perhaps they only have the one. If their story is to mirror Luke’s, which seems likely, and they are being called by The Force to fulfill their destinies, they won’t have lightsabers already. So, perhaps second hand Luke’s is the only lightsaber they have and they split time using it in battle.
3) It’s a giant red herring.
It means nothing! J.J. Abrams is notorious for keeping everything a secret as well as he can. So why would he leak any information? Because he only wants you to get the wrong information. This isn’t even the official poster for the film* . It was spread at D23 for pure fan speculation to keep us biting at every tidbit while we wait for the final meal. It’s a tease, a sample, only meant to throw us off. Maybe Finn cuts his own head off halfway through the film because he didn’t know any better. Hell, first thing Luke did was point the shiny end right at his big dome, saga almost over right there. So maybe, just maybe, Finn means nothing and he is only holding the lightsaber to throw us all off because Han Solo is the great mystical Jedi Warrior and he starts wielding double blades.
Or he’s a Jedi, and so is Rey. Or Rey isn’t.
Who knows at this point? That’s the fun we are in in our previewing speculation addiction. Everything could mean something or it could mean nothing. All we can do is wait till Star Wars the Force Awakens comes out and Han starts chopping Stormtroopers heads off with double lightsabers, or he doesn’t. Till December, your guess is as good as mine.
If you want another’s perspective on the new Star Wars, click here.
*editor’s note: this was presented as the official poster. It is the author’s intent to show that this could just be a tease and replaced with the “true” official poster at the last minute.
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