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ExploreFirst we had movie trailers. Then movie teasers (or two). Then trailer teasers (remember the tiny Ant-Man one?). And now… with Star Wars Episode VIII, we have production teasers. Yup, a little viral clip to show the movie has begun production.
You’ve seen it, right? Just in case, I’m going to share it after this paragraph, but first, if you haven’t seen The Force Awaken yet (how could you not!?!?), be warned that this article contains spoilers.
Here’s the production teaser:
Not much, huh? But still enough to get me excited. It looks like things are going to pick up exactly where we left off. But we’re going to have to wait almost two years to learn what fate is in store for both the First Order and our Resistance friends. So why not make some speculations in the meantime.
And remember what I said about those spoilers.
1. How will the galaxy far, far away reorganize?
As we were watched events unfold from the POVs of the characters in The Force Awakens, some big things happened to that galaxy. The New Republic was pretty much wiped out. Leaving the Resistance without any support. But there were casualties on both sides. It’s not clear how large the First Order was, but they took a major hit with the destruction of Starkiller Base. How many of them survived? My guess is the next movie will be a tug-o-war between the Resistance and the First Order to gain control of the galaxy.
2. Are R2-D2 and Chewbacca just going to hang out while Rey trains?
And how on earth would they communicate? At the end of The Force Awakens, we see the Millennium Falcon in the background as Rey climbs that never-ending staircase. Are they expecting to take Luke back with them? Will he go? Or will they opt to go to yet another secret location to train Rey?
3. What will be more important, the training of Kylo Ren or the hunt for Luke Skywalker?
By now General Snokes knows that the Resistance has found Luke Skywalker. For sure he wants to eliminate him. But I suspect he may not be strong enough. Upon one of my many viewings of The Force Awakens, I noticed that the opening scrawl says the First Order did not rise until after Luke went missing. Hmmm…. So while the cat’s away, Snokes opted to play. If he were smart, he’d work on training Kylo Ren, strengthening the First Order and getting those Knights of Ren in order. But…
4. Will history repeat itself?
The biggest issue fans had with The Force Awakens was the plot was too much like A New Hope. J.J. Abrams assured us in interviews that we had to go backwards to move forward. But I suspect Snokes will do anything to interrupt Rey’s training. And Darth Vader wannabe, Kylo Ren, would take a page out of his grandpa’s book and make Rey’s friends suffer. Especially Fin.
5. Will Kylo Ren become a Sith?
Neither he nor Snokes has the Sith title. What would it take for either one of them to become one? And if there is always two are there any out there we don’t know about?
6. What role did Luke play in Rey’s “awakening?”
Some fans felt there were a few too many convenient things in The Force Awakens. Like the Millennium Falcon ending up on Jakku and R2-D2 just suddenly turning back on. I suspect that much of what we saw was part of an elaborate plan to keep Rey safe until she was old enough or ready to find Luke and learn the ways of The Force. And what if it’s even darker than that, what if people did know about Rey, but Luke used the Force to cloud their (and her) memories. Maybe a stretch, but it could be part of the things the drove him into exile.
Though I can’t wait to see Episode VIII, it’s fun to have this time to speculate on what’s coming next. Because right now, nobody’s wrong. So, what do you think will happen in Episode VIII?
