The Last Jedi was a no-show at
Comic-Con, as Disney gave first dibs on everyone’s favourite galaxy far, far away to its own D23 event a week earlier. And as with The Force Awakens two years ago, Lucasfilm decided that July was too early for a full trailer, so instead rolled out another behind-thescenes video for fans to dissect. Genuine clues about what Episode VII is about are disappointingly thin on the ground. There’s plenty of memorable visuals: Chewbacca getting his hair done, that flying red dust from the first trailer, A-wings, X-wings, lightsabers, a spaceship hangar blowing up, a hint of Kylo Ren’s new look (and facial scar), the Millennium Falcon next to a campfire, Admiral Ackbar saying, “It’s a wrap!”… There’s a sighting of what we suspect is casino location Canto Bight, and a good look at the porgs, the cute critters set to be on every kid’s Christmas lists this year. (pablo Hidalgo of the Lucasfilm story Group has since revealed that they’re friendly cliff-dwelling residents of Luke’s adopted home, Ahch-To.) But what have we actually learned?
SFX’s main takeaway is that there are a hell of a lot of ways of saying that writer/director Rian Johnson has taken the story in bold new directions.
“Rian has written a story that’s unexpected but right,” says Daisy Ridley (Rey).
“even though I think I know it all, they throw things at me story wise that I could never have imagined,” adds Mark Hamill (Luke).
“everything is being shifted in the opposite way to what the audience expected after [Episode] VII,” is John Boyega’s take on it. “Rian’s made Star
Wars fresh and new.” And as for Johnson himself? “I’m hoping it will be a little shocking, but I’m hoping it will feel real and honest.”
It’s left to the late Carrie Fisher to leave the most lasting impression: “It’s about family, and that’s what’s so powerful about it.”