The trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi is out. The hype, speculation, ticket sales, merch shopping, theorizing and on-air promotion is only going to get more intense from here until the December 15 release date.

I’m sure PorchDrinking will be bringing you plenty of The Last Jedi content – already I’ve got half a dozen ideas for things to write about – but for now, let’s dig into this trailer. If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably watched the trailer 10 or 20 times, looking for new bits of information about what will happen in Episode VIII.

So here are some of the questions we still have about Episode VIII after watching this trailer.

What has Luke been up to?

We seem to be getting a lot more of Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi – at least he’s talking! But something’s off about him. He seems genuinely freaked out by Rey’s powers.

What rubble is Luke crawling out of?

Is that the Jedi temple? Did Ben Solo just finish effing things up? If so, does that mean we get a flashback? Has there ever been a flashback in Star Wars history? [Answer: probably Rey’s vision in The Force Awakens, right?]

How much time passes over the course of The Last Jedi?

We see the moment right after The Force Awakens – Luke grabs the lightsaber, finally – but there’s hints that we’ll jump forward a lot. Luke and Rey change their looks on Ahch-To… Finn is all healed up… Kylo Ren’s face seems to heal… Force Awakens seemed to all be over a couple of days, so it’s interesting that we may get months here.

Who is Snoke talking to?

Snoke talks about recognizing power and something special when he first met Kylo. Or is that Kylo he’s talking to? Later in the trailer we see what looks like Rey and Snoke in the same frame. So they presumably meet. Maaaaaybe Snoke recognizes Rey’s talent?

Is Rey training on her own, or does Luke come around to showing her?

Poor Rey is out on the cliffs of Ahch-To swinging around a lightsaber by herself. The only times we see her with Luke are when she’s doing Force-y things like levitating rocks and cracking the ground.
It’s like Luke is avoiding her. C’mon, man, she spent most of the first movie trying to figure out where you were!

Who is Rey asking for guidance at the end of the trailer?

Rey wants to know her place in the galaxy. The very next shot is of Kylo Ren (and then Kylo reaching out his hand). It would SEEM that these are from the same scene. Notice the yellow light on the right side of Rey’s face – it’d make sense that Kylo’s face would have a yellow light on the left side if they were facing each other. BUT it could all be a red herring – maybe Rey is asking Luke for help elsewhere in the film. Because oh man, if Rey and Kylo are teaming up, that’s at least three more questions right there:

1) Is Rey turning to the dark side?

2) Is Kylo Ren turning to the light side?

3) Are they both going to embrace some sort of “third way” where there’s a balance between the two? That sure would mean Luke was the last Jedi…

Are these crystal dog things available for adoption at my local shelter?

My dog would love a brother or sister. And maybe I’m biased because I love dogs, but I think the crystal dog is a way cooler Star Wars creature than a Porg. Speaking of which…

Are Porgs the new BB-8, the new Ewoks or the new Jar Jar Binks?

BB-8 is a funny, expressive non-human who I instantly wanted in merchandise form. Ewoks were cuddly merchandise-bait who didn’t really have personalities of their own. Jar Jar Binks was the worst thing in the entire Star Wars universe. I’m hoping Porgs are at least at Ewok level.

Where are Rose and Holdo?

Kelly Marie Tran and Laura Dern (respectively) are two of the bigger additions to the cast for The Last Jedi, and yet they’re nowhere in the trailer. Maybe their characters are mostly in the 3rd act, and hence any shots of them would be spoilers? Or maybe they’re just so friggin’ good that they’re saving Rose and Holdo as pleasant surprises.

Is red Rian Johnson’s favorite color?

Lottttts of red in this movie. The room where Kylo Ren picks up his lightsaber is red. New characters in the background of that shot are red. The dust on the planet where the First Order/Resistance ships battle is red. Kylo Ren leads a group of Stormtroopers across rocky terrain with red accents. His TIE fighter has a red cockpit.

Why is Finn wearing a First-Order-ish uniform in such close proximity to all those Stormtroopers?

This is giving me serious Jyn Erso/Cassian Andor vibes. You all saw Rogue One, right? Finn marching into wherever-he-is wearing that gray uniform, Stormtroopers in tow, is a very retro Star Wars shot. Not only Rogue One, but A New Hope.

The freaky red room has to be Snoke’s HQ, right?

I mean, there are the Praetorian Guards in the background (the one thing from The Last Jedi that I think looks legit stupid). We see Snoke there later. This is his throne room, right? Gotta be. Cool seeing him in color in the flesh, and after these Harvey Weinstein allegations I think it’s very on-message to have the bad guy be wearing a robe.

When Luke says “This is not going to go the way you think,” who is he talking to and what is he talking about?

Luke is wearing that black cloak in a couple shots of the trailer, including once when Rey is around. But dang, he seems angry at whoever he’s talking to when he says, “This is not going to go the way you think.” Part of me thinks MAYBE Kylo Ren is about to assassinate Luke Skywalker – HEARTBREAKING, I KNOW – and this is Luke’s “I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine” moment.

Will there be any lightsaber battles?

No glimpses of duels, other than Finn vs. Phasma with… I dunno… electronic spear thingies? Not super jazzed about that, except about the prospect of seeing Phasma do some combat. This could be the first Star Wars saga move (I’m not counting Rogue One here) to not have lightsaber-on-lightsaber action.

Does Walgreens sell Kylo’s cyber-bandage? If not, can they get on that?

I might honestly need one of these in my life. I get boo-boos every now and again, and I want to look like one of the Knights of Ren.

Is Poe becoming more of a leader in the Resistance – and if so, does that set up the events of Episode IX?

I’m a big Oscar Isaac fan. I like Poe Dameron. And his speech about being the spark to inspire the Resistance is a good bit of trailer fodder. But practically speaking, might writers want to use Poe Dameron as the new de facto leader of the Resistance if Leia isn’t around?

Is Kylo attacking Leia’s ship? If so, will he be able to kill her?

Just like the Snoke dialogue or the Kylo Ren hand-reach, I’m not convinced that this isn’t a red herring. But also, damn I don’t want this to be the moment Kylo Ren kills Leia Organa. Because…

Isn’t Carrie Fisher just the best?

It’s going to be emotional for a lot of people to see the final cinematic performance of Carrie Fisher. When I was five years old and saw Star Wars for the first time, it was my first time seeing a strong female hero who didn’t take shit from the men around her. Throughout every appearance on screen, Carrie FIsher made Leia the kind of person anyone should aspire to be – empathetic to her people’s pain… bold in the face of terror… confident in her own abilities… decisive in leadership… and strong as hell. I’m going to miss seeing her play Leia, and I’m going to miss the miracle of a person that was Carrie Fisher. She’s just the best, isn’t she?

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