This week, Lucasfilm Ltd. released their first official teaser trailer for the eighth installment in the long-running Star Wars film franchise. “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” will premiere worldwide in December 2017. The film is a direct sequel to last year’s records-smashing “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and will again star Daisy Ridley, Mark Hamill, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and Adam Driver.
The film was written and directed by Rian Johnson, with music by legendary composer John Williams and cinematography by Steve Yedlin. “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” literally picks up where it left off, with Rey (Ridley) seemingly learning to master her Force-sensitivity under the tutelage of the grizzled Jedi Master Luke Skywalker (Hamill).
The teaser doesn’t show much of Finn (Boyega), the Stormtrooper turned-Resistance fighter, but he does appear briefly in some type of deep, cryogenic slumber of some kind (very Han Solo-like). The same can be said for Poe Dameron (Isaac), the crafty Resistance fighter pilot.
Hauntingly, yet awesomely as well, Luke’s voice airs in and out of the backdrop of the teaser. Though he doesn’t appear physically, his presence was felt with just his voice alone—which I, for one, believe is vital, given the death of Harrison Ford’s iconic character (by Ford’s request) and the tragic loss of Carrie Fisher last February. Hamill now is essentially the only one left of the Star Wars trinity, and this must be made evident brand, film, and franchise-wise moving forward until the conclusion of the character’s story.
We get a semi-decent glimpse at Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, and it seems his connection to the dark side of the Force has grown more powerful. In this teaser, he looks less Judd Nelson in “The Breakfast Club” and more Sylvester Stallone in “Rambo II.”
Obviously, General Leia Organa (Fisher) doesn’t appear in this teaser, and she probably won’t until the second-to-last or final trailer.  What is most interesting  to note is that J.J. Abrams is not directing or producing Episode VIII, despite his massive involvement with Episode VII. One can only wonder what happened in the executive room between Abrams and the bigwigs at Disney.
In any case, the film title and teaser of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” feels like it’s going to be a darker film, with much higher stakes than the last. What is more, it seems like Episode VIII will be the spiritual successor to Episode II, “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.” It just has that daunting, dark, and gritty feeling. The protagonist has to learn whatever it is she has to learn in order to become stronger and, ultimately, take out the antagonist through a series of trials and tribulations. To me, this is the premise of Episode VIII, but I’m sure it’s a lot more complicated than that—hardcore Star Wars fans will assure me of that fact, I’m sure.
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” hits theaters worldwide this Christmas on December 15, 2017.