Star Wars has been around since before I was born. I remember from a very young age my Dad sitting me down to watch the movies with me. We started with A New Hope and then worked our way through Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. We would set up his figurines that he kept in the safe(yes, they were that important) and we would go on an adventure together. He knew every word and I would watch the movie and him fascinated.
Then would come the preteen years and The Phantom Menace would hit theaters May 19th, 1999. We were all drawn in by Queen Amidala and young Anakin. Not knowing then just how evil he would go to become the notorious Darth Vader. We followed those next couple movies with awe and while we all bagged on Jar Jar Binks it was mostly all in good fun. For many of us Star Wars represents our whole lives. We still have the movie poster for Episode 1 that my Grandfather got for my little brother, framed.
Seeing this trailer brings back all the feels. I know that is kind of an overused term but I really can’t explain it any other way. Starting off with footage from the beginning and moving into the current story you can see that it’s all starting to make sense. There is going to be an end to this and I’m not sure if I am personally ready for it to end. I don’t know if anyone is ready for this to end.
Watching Carrie Fischer on the big screen again, knowing what has happened in the other movies, and realizing how momentous in history this franchise has been are all factors in why we are so attached to these films. George Lucas really made something that would influence generations of people. For my family it’s already in the third generation as my kid really loves the Jedi. For many other families it’s the same story. And people will go on to show their kids what amazing films have come from this.
Whether or not the spin off movies that are being written do well doesn’t matter. It’s all lead up to THIS moment. In the video Rey holds a red lightsaber and we are unsure if that means something about her heritage or if she turns to the darkside. We see her battle it out with Kylo Ren and wonder if they will switch sides. If this is a battle of good vs. evil we may never see the end of it. And maybe that’s the point. To go back and rewatch these films over and over until our brain hurts. To discover things we hadn’t noticed before even after the millionth time watching it. These are all the things that draw us to Star Wars. And while we know that the universe isn’t ending with this film it is the end of an era. I don’t think there will be a dry eye in the theater watching the last scrolling text fade on the screen.
Check out the new trailer for Rise of the Skywalker here.
Star Wars: Rise of the Skywalker comes out December 20th
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