The Timelines Missing From The Force Awakens
A lot of time has passed in a galaxy far, far away—about 30 years, to be precise. And in that time a lot can happen. And we're not really sure that The Force Awakens will be able to cover all of it. So what we've done is compile a list of all the things we hope the new trilogy addresses in the coming years, or at best reveals in the very first movie...
The Jedi Being A Myth
Even though they're almost wiped out by Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader during the Clone Wars, every character in the Star Wars Universe knows that the Jedi existed. And by the end of Return of the Jedi, it sure seems like the Jedi could be on their way to coming back, with Luke being the one who resurrects them. So what happened? The Force Awakens preview seems to indicate that the Jedi are still a myth. Meanwhile, it's been 30 years since the events in Return of the Jedi. That seems like enough time to find at least one other Force-sensitive person. Luke needs to quit loafing around and get on with it. And another thing: why does no one believe the Jedi ever existed? Knights in shining armor and samurai haven't existed for quite some time in our world, yet no one thinks of them as myths. The characters in the Star Wars sure are fickle.
Does Leia Become A Jedi?
One of the big moments from the original trilogy is when Yoda mentions to Obi-Wan that Luke is not the Jedi Order's only hope, because there is "another," meaning Leia. Knowing this, we all thought that meant Leia would become a Jedi at some point after Episode VI, but from what we saw of her in the teasers trailers so far, she doesn't appear to be all decked out in Jedi robes. So what happened? Does she not think that the lifestyle of a Jedi is for her? Is she too busy to be a Jedi? Or did she attempt to become one, under her brother's tutelage, and quit because Luke is a lousy teacher?
What Happened To Lando?
Lando Calrissian is one of the big heroes in Return of the Jedi. He leads the rebels against the second Death Star, and is the one who destroys it. We thought he'd at least get a mention during one of the teaser trailers, but there's no mention of him—so far at least. After the war, did he return to Bespin, where he's now living out his retirement? Or did Han do something to him? Lando did promise that he'd return the Millennium Falcon without a scratch, but while flying around inside the Death Star, the radar dish gets knocked off. That seems like a bit more than a scratch, if you ask us. If we were Han, we'd be a little miffed too. Those things don't come cheap.
Where Did Luke Get The New Hand? And Why?
From what we've seen in the original trilogy, Luke's prosthetic hand worked perfectly well. It had no issues whatsoever. But there's one shot in the new trailer that many suspect to be Luke, sporting a new mechanical-looking hand. Why the upgrade? Sure, his original prosthetic gets damaged in his fight with Darth Vader, but he could've just gotten it fixed to look like a normal hand again. Maybe Luke thought an artificial hand that looked like a real hand was too flashy and wanted to go with something a little more austere.
Where Exactly Is Luke?
In all the teaser commercials that we've seen, Han, Leia, Chewie, and the Droids all seem to have stayed together as the de facto family they become during the original trilogy. However, Luke is noticeably absent from all of these group shots. Does this mean that he's gone off to live like a hermit, a la Obi-Wan and Yoda? Has he fallen to the Dark Side and gone off to become a Sith Lord? Or did he get way too into talking about the Force and talk about it way too much, (like that friend of yours who takes one yoga class and then talks about yoga all the time like he's the one who invented yoga) and everyone else got sick of him and told him to go live on, like, Dagobah or something?
Was Jar Jar Binks Hunted And Killed?
We all know that Jar Jar is to blame for Senator Palpatine becoming the Emperor, and by extension every horrible thing that followed. We can understand how a moment like that can be forgotten in all the commotion of fighting the Empire. But now that the Empire has fallen, has anyone ever wondered just how Palpatine came to power? It wasn't done in secret. It happened during a senatorial hearing, which means it was a public event and there have to be written records of how each and every delegate voted, and who made the nomination to begin with. By now, someone must have looked back at those records by the time of The Force Awakens and realized that Jar Jar is to blame. And knowing this, that someone must have done something about it. We hope that something was painful.
When Did The Empire Have Its Estate Sale?
J.J. Abrams has said in interviews that the First Order, the baddies for the newest trilogy, rises up out of the ashes of the Empire, basically picking up where the Empire left off. So it makes sense that the gear the First Order uses bears strong resemblances to the gear used by the Empire. But the First Order has a lot of it, probably all of it that was left over after the original trilogy. So where did they get all of it? And what's more, it looks all shiny and new, especially Captain Phasma's sleek chrome armor. We'd expected there to be some dings and scratches in the First Order's gear, but there aren't any. What's up with that?
What Happened To The Ewoks?
As annoying and illiterate as they were, the Ewoks help take down the Empire. Okay, maybe it's more accurate to say they're present when the Empire falls, but still, that doesn't stop Han, Leia, Luke, and everyone else from including the Ewoks in the victory celebration. Yet, these little furballs who are so much a part of the victory are nowhere to be seen in the preview trailers for The Force Awakens. Did Chewie eat them? Did they become rabid and have to be put down? Did they all run off a cliff like lemmings?