Not too long ago on October 9th, the “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” trailer was released to the public. Fans were ecstatic about the idea of second film in the trilogy, and nearly everyone has been non-stop talking about it. The trailer shows Rey Jedi training with Luke Skywalker and Poe working with the Resistance alongside General Leia Organa. With Kylo Ren plotting against them, and Finn and Captain Phasma battling in debris, it seems to be an interesting film already for sure.
The current Star Wars movies are the third installments since the franchise’s start in 1977. The original trilogies spanned from 1977 to 1983, starring Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford. The series explored a war-torn galaxy including everything from rebels and spaceships to Jedis and Lightsabers. The first reboot with Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, and Ewan McGregor started in 1999 and ended in 2005. These were the prequels to the originals and gave background pertaining to Luke and Leia’s parents and the Jedi Order itself. The current ones, which came out in 2015, star Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac. Years after the original ones took place, the galaxy is at war and people are fighting for their freedom against a tyrannical empire once again.
The Walt Disney World Company purchased the rights for the franchise and have not disappointed fans with this decision, as they are constantly putting out new material. With the reboots, fans are excited to see more into the universe originally created by George Lucas years ago. The expansion to the new Star Wars stories, the first one being Rogue One in 2016, allows for the company to expand the universe by looking at different aspects throughout the Star Wars timeline. Rogue One, starring Diego Luna and Felicity Jones, takes place in between Episode III, Revenge of the Sith, and Episode IV, A New Hope.
Fans of the franchise are eager for more and the company is ready to supply. Along with the mainstream movies there are also novelizations, television series, and comic books that go into more depth about the Star Wars world. With a Han Solo movie in production, the last movie in the main storyline still to come, Star Wars themed lands being built in the Walt Disney Theme Parks, and other projects in the works, this seems to be only the tip of the iceberg for what the franchise has in store.
I remember when Star Wars: The Force Awakens was first announced in 2014 and I was skeptical about it; I honestly thought that it would be some rip-off and was not going to be entertaining. However. at the end of the trailer when Han Solo and Chewbacca were “home,” I could immediately tell that the company wanted to expand on the series and universe and was working on doing that in a way that would make all fans happy. I, for one, am excited for The Last Jedi and for what else the franchise has in store. The movie premieres in theaters December 15th.