“WHEN I FOUND you,” growls an ominous narrator at the opening of the new trailer for The Last Jedi, “I saw raw, untamed power.” That’s the voice of Snoke, the little-seen baddie from 2015’s smash Star Wars sequel The Force Awakens, and while he’s likely talking about his dark-helmeted protege Kylo Ren, he may as well be describing this trailer itself, which is full of ominous, brutal imagery: There are lumbering, AT-AT-like assault transports—which are rumored to be dubbed Heavy Assault Walkers—stomping across a plain; the flaming ruins of Luke Skywalker’s decimated Jedi school; and, most terrifying, the sight of Ren (Adam Driver) aiming his custom-TIE fighter at a ship carrying his mother, General Leia (played by the late Carrie Fisher). We always knew writer-director Rian Johnson’s entry in the Star Wars saga was going to be a trip to the dark side, but this trailer is near-empirical proof that Last Jedi is going to turn the Star Wars universe upside down.
Only a heartless cad like Salacious B. Crumb—rest in power, lil’ B!—would find much to chuckle about here. Still, there are plenty of thrilling mini-moments to found, including scenes of Rey (Daisy Ridley) developing her lightsaber skills under the cautious eye of Luke Skywalker (played by Mark Hamill, whose grizzled, island-loner seems a smidge familiar. We also get to see Finn (John Boyega) take on super-‘trooper Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christine). Finally, there’s a closer look at Snoke himself, who’s spotted using his own powers on Rey—the young warrior who, by the trailer’s end, appears to be turning to advice from none other than Kylo himself. Will she stick with Luke, or kick-start an evil new Ren-aissance? We’ll find out when Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens December 15.
