With those words, we got our first look at The Last Jedi, still eight months down the long road, but for most of us, a truly exhilarating and provocative glimpse at the latest chapter in the Star Wars saga. With the very first shot, director Rian Johnson seems to be telling us that appearances can be deceiving and that things can change mightily depending on your perspective, as what appears to be a pock-marked planetoid seen from space is in reality a cliff face on Ach-To, Luke Skywalker's planet of exile.
We hear Luke's words, revealing things to Rey, asking what she sees, what she perceives, until at last he promises, "It's so much bigger."
I love that this trailer just gives us a tantalizing glimpse, and doesn't reveal too much. We know Rey is somehow training with Luke, and it looks like the Resistance is dealing with Kylo Ren and his First Order cronies hungry for payback. Both Kylo and Finn seem to be carrying scars from their last encounter, and there's a sense that opposing forces are about to clash mightily.
For me, the biggest impression was that of a changed, somehow damaged Luke Skywalker. That may be a thematic undercurrent, of wounded heroes, altered by their experiences, trying to make sense of what's coming and how to face it. Luke says, "It's time for the Jedi to end," which sounds ominous, and we might think that's said out of guilt or regret - that he's thinking too much sorrow comes from trying to make new Jedi. But if as he says earlier, "It's so much bigger," might he be meaning that it's time for the Jedi to evolve to something even grander and more powerful than what we've known of so far? Could it be that the Jedi need to close one door, in order to open a new one? To become something else entirely?
Me, I'm thrilled! Let the theorizing and debates begin! Let's watch that a few more times, shall we?
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