REPORT
along. Such a development would indeed paint The
Force Awakens in shades of deeper gray than A New
Hope ever did with its Nazi/Allied Forces metaphors.
The Starkiller Base name is interesting in that it is an
ode to the original name for Luke Skywalker (used on a
later character from Star Wars video games). The base
itself (depending on the functionality and details) is possibly an additional head nod to the novels of the Star
Wars Expanded Universe, in which a new super weapon
call “Sun Crusher” could cause stars to go super nova,
thereby wiping out entire star systems. If Starkiller Base
is anything like that, it will be yet another interesting way
that J.J. Abrams has possibly filtered big EU storylines
into this film.
THERE’S A NEW DARKSIDE GANG
Fans of the Star Wars movie saga by now know ‘the
rule of two’ when it comes to the Sith Lords of the darkside: There are only two Sith Lords at a time, a master
and an apprentice. As the mythology of The Sith has
grown in the time since the Original Trilogy, so have the
convoluted rules about who wields the darkside of the
force, and how. The Clone Wars and Rebels animated
series have explored other users of the darkside (witches, Inquisitors), and Star Wars: The Force Awakens will
add a new faction to the darkside: The Knights of Ren,
who seem to be Sith Lord sycophants obsessed with
finishing the work of the Sith. The bad guy featured in
trailers (all black, Vader-style mask, red lightsaber with
the crossguard handles) is “Kylo Ren,” and he seems
poised to be the spiritual successor to Darth Vader, in
this new story.Why It’s Interesting: Kylo Ren’s crossguard lightsaber has gotten plenty of press and inquiry –
but ironically we know very little about the villain himself,
or his faction, The Knights of Ren. It’ll be interesting to
see how J.J. Abrams and his Star Wars universe braintrust fit these new darkside wielders into the mythology –
namely what their powers and goals are – and how The
Knights of Ren compare to Vader and the other forces
of the darkside we’ve met in the saga. Finally, if certain
rumors prove true about his parentage, then Kylo Ren
(and actor Adam Driver) could have quite the epic arc in
this new trilogy.
THE JEDI ARE A MYTH
One might expect that after the events of a film titled
Return of the Jedi, the galaxy far, far, away would by
now be repopulated with those lightsaber-swinging Zen
knights in robes we all know and love. However, when
The Force Awakens begins, the Jedi have NOT in fact
returned; as seen in the latest trailer, new characters like
Finn and Rey actually have to get confirmation about the
Jedi’s existence from an actual hero of the war against
the Empire: Han Solo. Why It’s Interesting: One of the
most interesting questions in regards to how the filmmakers are approaching Episode VII is: What’s happened to the Jedi in the last 30 years? From the film’s
title, to the story angle (discovery of a lightsaber causing a galactic quest/chase), it’s clear that the role of The
Jedi is going to be as pivotal and important as ever in
The Force Awakens (hence the title). It’s even crazier
that Luke Skywalker’s (Mark Hamill) return hasn’t even
been revealed in any trailers or posters to date; what
has Luke been doing for 30 years? Where are the Jedi?
And what role will the Jedi of the past play in shaping the
Jedi of the future? These are all questions we are really
interested in seeing answered.
THERE’S A NEW OFFICIAL STORY CANON
When Disney purchased LucasFilm and put producer
Kathleen Kennedy in charge, there was a clear plan to
streamline all of the Star Wars properties into one shared
universe, a la Marvel Studios. That goal was easier said
than done, as for decades now, George Lucas has allowed the Star Wars mythology to be expanded by fans,
aspiring writers and third party media entities (like comic
book and video game publishers) – resulting in a dense,
convoluted, and sometimes contradictory mythos. But
that’s no longer an issue: As of Fall 2014, the Star Wars
story canon was rebooted and streamlined, in order to
be built up into one consistent shared universe. Why It’s
Interesting: Officially, the Star Wars saga now includes
the six (about to be seven) movie “episodes”; two tie-in
animated series (Clone Wars & Rebels); with official tiein novels (A New Dawn) and comic books (Darth Maul)
starting from 2014 onward. Any other Star Wars spinoff
project is no longer considered canon, but can still be
freely enjoyed by fans under the unofficial Star Wars
“Legends” banner.
AN ENTIRE STAR WARS UNIVERSE IS ALREADY IN PRODUCTION
Up until now, Star Wars has been the epitome of “event
entertainment.” With three years between each movie
episode’s release