Mysteries And Questions The New Star Wars Teasers Raise
Star Wars fans are well known for being able to extract minutiae from milliseconds of film. Give them a split-second of an alien in a desert cantina and they'll build a 300-page backstory for the unsuspecting weirdo, his family, and his entire alien race. So, as the new Force Awakens teasers and trailers emerge, second by second, what questions are Star Wars fans asking? Here are a few mysteries that we can't wait to see solved.
What's Finn Doing With The Rebels?
We've seen the mysterious Finn in previous trailers, though he's mostly been armored in Stormtrooper gear, and on a desert planet—which is apparently not the familiar Tatooine, but Jakku. Now, we see Finn dressed out of his armor as Rebel fighters swarm around him, alienated and confused. Has he left the Stormtrooper life far enough behind to join the Rebels, or was he just caught in some kind of Rebel Pilot winter migration?
How Does Finn Know Poe Dameron?
The Wookieepedia, the Internet's most respectable fan-made compendium of Star Wars knowledge, reveals that the handsome pilot emerging from the dark X-Wing Fighter is Poe Dameron, who served as Black Leader in a number of awesome space battles we haven't seen yet. As he and Finn pass one another, Poe seems to recognize Finn, while Finn seems haunted by the encounter. Is this a gesture of camaraderie among fellow fighters preparing for battle, or does Poe really know Finn from somewhere else?
What's Rey Working On?
When we see the young female lead, Rey, she's building something in some kind of desert workshop. Director J. J. Abrams has stated that her last name has intentionally been left out of all promotional literature, but there's something very Episode I about a tattered kid working on robot stuff in a desert, and also something very Episode IV about a kid zipping around in a landspeeder. Is Rey carrying on the Skywalker legacy, or is that all a red herring?
Where Does Rey Go?
We know that Rey is a bit of a scavenging womp rat, so when we see her in a forest, looking up at an armada of incoming TIE fighters, where is she, and how did she get there? Could we be returning to Endor, 30 years later? Maybe we're looking at Chewbacca's home planet of Kashyyyk, since we already know that Chewy will be appearing in Force Awakens. That poor Wookiee probably went home to his terrible Life Day family after Return of the Jedi and can't wait for a chance to shoot stuff in space again. Lumpy can stay home.
Why Does Rey Have BB-8?
The little ball droid in the trailers that everyone fell in love with is an astromech droid, just like R2-D2, which means that he's designed to work on starships. That means that Leia totally broke the warranty by using poor R2 as her personal carrier pigeon. Pilot Poe Dameron seems to be the real owner of this droid, so how does it end up on a forest planet with Rey? If the original trilogy is any indication, we know that droids tend to be exactly where they're needed, whether they know it or not... so what's with BB-8's distant star travels? Or could it be that there's a planet in Star Wars that actually has more than one kind of biome?
What Are Those Cool New Ships?
Nerds rejoice every time a new alien pops up in Star Wars, but that joy is probably doubled whenever a new, cool ship appears. As TIE fighters stream over Rey's confused and terrified head, a few new blocky ships can be seen in silhouette. They're not as stealthy as the usual TIE fighters , and we can't even tell how big they really are...but it seems like they're coming in for a landing. Fans are already hoping for some new vehicles to shove a bunch of First Order Stormtrooper action figures into. So, what will these evil clunkers look like up close?
And That Awesome New Alien?
As all of the red-suited Rebels run past Finn, we see a single hunchbacked alien run towards the camera. The original Star Wars trilogy included a ton of aliens who fought on the side of the Rebels (as well as a bunch of villainous spies for the Empire), but all of Force Awakens' revealed characters so far have been distinctly humanoid. While the humble alien dude charges towards almost certain death and probably will never be seen again, he'll almost definitely get a name and a backstory, eventually. So... what's up with that guy?
Is BB-8 On The Millennium Falcon?
As the little BB-8 droid peeks his little robo-head out from a corner, all eyes are on the adorable little machine...but is he on the Millennium Falcon? The ship's details look suspiciously like Han Solo's Corellian freighter, with weird cushions strapped everywhere. Leaked set photos seem to confirm that the droid is indeed on the ship...so Rey must be there also. Or maybe Poe Dameron? It's pretty doubtful that this is just another BB-8 droid, so are we seeing these universes collide in this one shot?