Star Wars: The Last Jedi – 39 Details, Guesses, And Theories About That New Trailer

During Monday Night Football, the final trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi came out and with it, a whole bunch of details on the upcoming film! We went through the trailer shot-by-shot to give you a better glimpse of it. Obvious warning: SPOILERS AHEAD!

Kylo Looking On

The trailer opens with the silhouette of Kylo Ren in uniform. He looks out at what appears to be some military vehicles. But where is he? My bet is he’s on board his master’s flagship, a Mega-class Star Destroyer. From the looks of things, even this flagship keeps up with the Imperial-look that the New Order likes. No surprise there!

Massive Attack

The New Order is launching a huge attack here! Each of those funny-looking walkers up above is an AT-M6, a heavier assault walker than the AT-ATs we are familiar with from The Empire Strikes Back. Also, note Kylo Ren’s huge transport flying up above. In addition, look at the scenery. This is the same planet with the red-spewing racing vehicles we saw in an earlier trailer. We get to see a lot more of this planet in the trailer, so keep reading!

Leading The Assault

Just like his grandpa, Kylo leads a number of troops in an attack. We can tell from the red streaks on the ground that this is Crait, the mineral planet the walkers are marching on in the previous shot. Exciting for us is that these soldiers look like Snowtroopers. Crait doesn’t look particularly cold (Kylo Ren doesn’t seem to have anything on to keep him warm), so they might just be some sort of New Order assault troopers. We’re also geeking out about the flashlights on their rifles – a utilitarian item that doesn’t often show up in Star Wars movies.

The Red Room

We’re not sure if Snoke is a big fan of Fifty Shades, but he definitely seems to have a big red room, or at least we speculate this is a room in Snoke’s lair. Alternately, it could be Kylo Ren’s room, a place with a color dedicated to rage. Since Darth Vader’s palace is on the same place as his infamous defeat at the hands of Obi-Wan, it would seem that disciples of the dark side prefer to hang out in places that remind them to stay mad.

New & Improved

In the time between Episodes VII and VIII, Kylo Ren seems to have rebuilt, or improved, his lightsaber. The original had a silver body and this one is black. If we had to put our money on things, we’d bet that the difference between sabers will be minimal and that it is more of an attempt to show Kylo Ren’s maturation in the ways of the Force.

Begin the Training

Rey begins her training on Ahch-To. We know she’s used the lightsaber before, but here seems to be really focused. Has she learned something that makes her reflect on the Jedi weapon differently?

Cool Hand Luke

Luke has a robot hand! We knew that of course, but his hand is in much worse shape than in the original trilogy — although we know it’s actually the same one because it’s still damaged from being shot in Return of the Jedi! This also brings to mind the robot hand that his father, Anakin Skywalker, had at the end of Episode II. Lastly, robot hands are cool.

Into the Mists

Given Rey’s attire, it’s hard to be sure that she’s still on Ahch-To in this shot. But the whole thing has a very “Cave of Dagobah” vibe to it and if it is, then … well, more on that in a moment.

The Cave

Okay, so we’ll double down on the “Cave of Dagobah” thing now since it appears that Rey is actually in a cave. The next shot (not pictured here) is of Rey in the same cloak seen in the previous shot, so we know they connect. Whatever is in this cave (perhaps the book seen in a previous trailer?), this scene promises to tell us more about what makes Ahch-To special (unless this isn’t actually on that planet). After all, Luke probably chose a life of hermitude on this planet for an important reason.

Lightsaber Training

No remote, no problem? Rey trains with her lightsaber, but since there is only one of them on Ahch-To — and no one to spar with — we wonder how effective this’ll be. Are we going to be treated to a cliché training sequence? Time will tell!

The Look On Luke’s Face

The early part of Episode VIII seems to be dedicated to Rey’s training. The look on Luke’s face here is priceless as he comes to realize that his student is already far more powerful than he was at this stage in her training.

“I’ve Seen This Raw Strength Only Once Before …”

Luke’s talking about Kylo Ren — or at least that’s what the trailer is trying to make us believe, and it fits too, since Episode VII built us up to a Rey vs. Kylo showdown. This duality between the two will probably set the tone of this trilogy all the way through the end of IX. Perhaps Luke is starting to realize why Yoda was so hesitant to train him? (Also, can we say how cool Luke’s voice sounds? It’s like he’s swallowing gravel with every word!)

Reborn From Fire

Like the phoenix, Luke is reborn out of fire. We know this is Luke thanks to the earlier sighting of his cyborg paw. Our money is on this being a flashback to Kylo Ren’s betrayal. On the other hand, in the flashback to Kylo Ren in episode VII, there was a lot of rain, and there’s no rain here. So maybe this is after another attack toward the beginning of VIII? However …

Watch It Burn

This seemingly takes place right after the preceding shot. Our looks at Ahch-To thus far haven’t shown anything like the structures seen burning in this image. That leads credence to the idea that this is a flashback from Kylo’s betrayal, and thus syncing it up with Luke’s narration.

Let the Past Die

It’s time for another Kylo temper tantrum! Something is up with our favorite Sith wanna-be. Angry about something, Kylo puts his helmet through the wall. Is he regretting some life decisions here? Realizing that, as a millennial, his job opportunities are highly limited? Or, in our opinion, he’s angry at a failure. In our eyes, he seems angrier than he does remorseful here, so this temper tantrum is just one more step along the road to being just the kind of dark sider that granddad was.

Intercept This!

Geez, get an original idea someday, Kylo! Just like Vader, Kylo leads a couple of TIEs into battle, except he gets the more badass looking ship. Kylo Ren’s looks like a cross between Vader’s TIE Advancedx1 and a TIE Interceptor (the pointy TIEs seen all over Return of the Jedi). The cockpit is much wider than we’re used to seeing in a TIE. Perhaps it fits more people or Kylo just likes to ride with his seat really low. The ship does look pretty awesome and has a sleek profile.

Leia’s Fate

We admit to a morbid curiosity about the fate of Carrie Fisher’s Leia. We know she’s not returning, so does Kylo do the dirty deed while she’s on the ship he’s attacking. She certainly seems worried and in the follow-up shot, Kylo looks very uncertain about his actions as he prepares to fire. Hinting at this epic moment in the trailer may help fans cope with the scene when they see it in real life. Certainly there will be a lot of Carrie Fisher fans hurting when her end eventually does come in the film.

No Bacta?

From the earlier trailer, we saw that our favorite former trooper, Finn, is not in a bacta tank — that glowing, wondrous vat of healing fluid Luke heads to in Empire Strikes Back. Here, Kylo has some sort of black mesh on his face that is perhaps stitching his wound up. It’s convenient for dark siders that there is such an obviously awesome and wicked-looking space Band-Aid for just such an injury as his, but where are the bacta tanks?

Flight of the Navigator

In the tradition of all great Star Wars films, the Millennium Falcon flies through a very dangerous environment. This time, it’s a cavern full of crystals. Vegas puts the odds on those crystals being the famed Kyber crystals, the gems at the core of lightsabers, the Death Star, and Starkiller base. Given these crystals’ destructive power, the New Order would be keen to get their hands on another planet full of them. We last heard about these crystals in Rogue One, but now we may get to hear a lot more about them. One thing bugging us, though, is their red color. To many people, that explains the hue of a red lightsaber, but recent additions to the Star Wars canon indicate that red lightsabers come from corrupted Kyber crystals, which typically give off a green or blue hue (and, yes, sometimes purple). If that’s the case, what are these huge red crystals??

They Are Coming

Chewbacca, who we can only assume is the owner of the Millennium Falcon now, brings a loveable Porg with him. The rodent-penguinoid creature adorably mimics his roar. Love ’em or hate ’em, Porgs are coming this holiday season and will probably be as ubiquitous as BB-8.

Poe

This is our first shot of Poe Dameron in this trailer. He’s watching the New Order attack outside his window and we’re sure he’s feeling a bit helpless not being in the cockpit himself. We’re betting this is the same attack sequence from a few shots ago and we’re also betting Poe isn’t going to just sit their and let the New Order attack Alliance ships with impunity.

Star Destroyer Run

… and there goes Poe now! We at first thought this was the same battle we’d already seen, but we’re now sure this is Snoke’s command ship under attack. That is unless Snoke is using his command ship to raid the New Order — and that seems a bit below him.

Bring Down The New Order

Poe is giving a pep talk here and he looks pretty bad. Bets are that Leia has just died and he is vowing his revenge here.

Finn vs.- Phasma

Phasma has a cool staff thingy, Finn has the electro-weapon thingy and IT IS ON. Finn, a former stormtrooper himself, is perfectly pitted against super stormtrooper Captain Phasma. It’s great that we finally get to see Phasma in an epic battle. She was quite underused in the last movie (as befits awesomely-attired Star Wars villains) and we look forward to seeing her challenge Finn. Also note that right before this shot, Finn was dressed in an officer’s uniform. We can’t tell Alliance officers from New Order officers, but the difference will be important, as a certain rumor indicates that Finn may be going undercover in this movie. This shot would seem to confirm that rumor, because tucked back in the background are a number of TIE Fighters and walkers in what looks like a docking bay on Snoke’s flagship. This battle may be happening toward the end, with Snoke’s Star Destroyer taking significant damage from an Alliance attack.

Star Destroyer Revealed

Snoke’s flagship is revealed here in the midst of an awesome space battle. Again, we can’t confirm that the earlier space battle where Kylo Ren ruthlessly targets Alliance ships isn’t the same one as this battle, but in the earlier battle sequence, the Alliance ships seemed to be flying away from New Order fighters, whereas here they are flying toward them. Snoke’s Star Destroyer, by the way, is … odd looking.

The Return of BB-8

At last we get to see the true hero of Episode VII, BB-8! Not much to see here other than the little guy recovering from some sort of ion or electrical attack. That’s Snoke’s ship in the background.

Luke’s All Wet

The important thing here is Luke looks the same age as in the other shots we got of him. This is significant because the rain ties this shot to the flashback from Episode VII. If Luke was younger here, that’d be indicative of this being a flashback as well, but since he’s older, it looks like he’s warning either Rey or perhaps Kylo, who rumors say shows up to Ahch-To early in the film.

Ice Fox

We’re betting this isn’t ice, but a white mineral, but either way, for all the Porg haters out there, you’ve got these incredible-looking creatures. The internet are calling them ice foxes and here they are running into the mountain base on Crait. If we saw some huge AT-M6s, we’d run for cover too!

Close the Doors

For at least the second time in her life, Leia orders huge base doors to be closed in the face of an enemy walker assault. We’re really digging the high-neck cloak she’s wearing here but wondering if — yet again — a friend of hers is somewhere out there. In the ensuing shot of the trailer, she certainly has a distressed look on her face. Maybe she’s just sad about all of her bases being invaded?

Rey’s Swim

The end of the trailer brings us back around to the beginning. We’re back in that cave environment and Rey is diving into a pool. Is she retrieving something? The cavern showed earlier was incredibly immense and deep. Perhaps this is merely the best escape route: a dive off the ledge into the water below, which certainly would make for a crowd-pleasing means of exit. (Bonus: just as this shot plays out, there’s some sort of alligator-like skull in the bottom right. Rewatch the trailer and see if you catch it!)

Faceoff

Rey rises as Luke watches. Not sure at all what’s going on here, but there’s something eerily reminiscent here of the dream-like quality of the Dagobah cave scene from Empire Strikes Back.

Finn In Charge

Remember earlier when we said we didn’t know if that was an Alliance or New Order officer uniform on Finn? Well, now we’re sure it’s for the New Order! Finn is going to go undercover in The Last Jedi and he certainly looks badass doing it. We’re betting he’s leading a group of troopers to their death, knowing the Alliance is about to attack. Finn, a former trooper himself, likely has to steel himself for the action.

Troops, Pilots and Walkers, Oh My!

This is … a lot of New Order infantry. There are flame troopers, the new snowtrooper-looking guys, stormtroopers, sandtroopers, officers, and pilots. In the background, there are some huge walkers and TIEs. This shot is either right before the attack on Crait or right before the Alliance strikes back at Snoke’s forces. Either way, we’re going to be treated to some good ship-based docking bay action for the second Star Wars episodic film in a row! Docking bay fun of course continues the tradition of similar action in A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, which all had scenes in such a locale.

Assault On Crait

Nothing big here, just a great shot of the attack on the Crait base commencing. Love those red plumes rising up from the ground! They are the reason we don’t think this planet is a cold snow planet like Hoth.

Speeders

Empire had its snowspeeders. The battle on Crait will have its … other speeders. We don’t know what they’re called yet (we’re sure a million product tie ins will soon tell us!) but they’re coming out here to defend the base. We also don’t see any X-Wings in the air, so perhaps they are even capable of taking out a TIE or two from the ground?

Snoke Revealed

At last we get a look at Snoke! We have to admit at least a little disappointment that Snoke is just an old guy. We were hoping for more of a serpentine alien, but this is the villain that we have and let the speculation begin! (Our hot take: Snoke is a Jedi who survived Order 66 and turned to the Dark Side in order to survive and prosper.) Important to note in the above picture is that Snoke doesn’t have the evil red-and-yellow Sith eyes, so don’t expect anyone to call him “Darth” anytime.

The Way of Pain

Pretty sure that’s Snoke back there in the yellow robe. Plus, we’re in his already-infamous red room with his red-garbed guardians standing back there, so everything connects this shot to Snoke. Like the Emperor before him, Snoke seeks to train Rey and he is using pain to do so. Odds are that the red room is on Snoke’s flagship which means the battle aboard it, shown heavily in this trailer, may be the ultimate showdown at the end of The Last Jedi. Will things end badly for our heroes, as they did in Empire Strikes Back?

“I Need Someone To Show Me My Place In All This”

The internet and Lucasfilm want you to think Rey’s talking to Kylo Ren in this shot, but the murky grey in the back tells us that we are on Ahch-To and we’re betting this shot is from the very beginning of the film. Still, Rey’s search for meaning to her life — the focus of the film — may lead her to make some very poor choices …

A Helping Hand

… And that’s why we can’t totally rule out that she is the one to whom Kylo is offering his hand. Two things of note here: Kylo’s face is healed up, so this scene takes place later in the film. Also, there are drops of flame around him, which tells us that some chaos and destruction are afoot. If we had to guess (and we don’t, but we want to), this scene happens at the end of the film, after the attack on Snoke’s flagship, and Kylo Ren is reaching out to Rey.

So that’s all of our crazy guesses and theories! What did you think of the trailer and what are your crazy thoughts? Hit us up in the comments below!

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