That's right... The new teaser for Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released! In the first 24 hours alone, the teaser had 30 million views! Take that, 50 Shades of Grey!
Millions have already watched the teaser, but I was among the first to actually see it. In person.
This blog post will not only be my analysis to the trailer, but a recollection of the experience.
It was Wedsnday night, April 15th, at the Aneheim Convention Center. I had brought a sleeping bag, a reclining chair, a Yoda backpack, a black buttoned shirt, and a green Lightsaber, all part of my Luke Skywalker Cosplay.
My Dad and I arrived at the convention at around 11:00 PM. There had already been about a few hundred attendees waiting in line for the event. This panel was announced a few weeks prior. All we knew that it had something to do with JJ Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy, and something to do with that art house film, The Force Awakens. And as everyone knows about JJ Abrams, the man loves to keep things to his chest. Not just big twist reveals. He HATES giving plot summaries, period. And since we're talking about Stars Wars Episode VII, the most anticipated film of the year... decade... century... Millenium... OF ALL TIME... You just know millions of fans around the world have been gasping for details as much as an imperial officer gasps for air when being choked by Darth Vader!
So hearing that JJ Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy MIGHT reveal some nuggets on the next chapter in the Star Wars saga caused some fans, including me, to choose spending the night in a cold, bright waiting room, as opposed to our nice warm beds in the dark.
But the wait wasn't so bad. As always happens at conventions, especially Star Wars Celebration, I made a new friend. Lisa.
No. Not that Lisa.
That is Lisa. A fellow Star Wars fan from out of town. And one of the nicest people I met! She was very talkative, and even offered to take my sleeping bag and reclining chair to her hotel room, without ever once thinking of anything in return. Now that is the Jedi Spirit!
So we sat in line for a few house. And we could not step out of line for too long, or we would move to the back of the line, and probably not make it to the panel. They told us at the beginning we might not make it in the panel at all. As Han Solo would say, "Never tell me the odds!"
As we waited in line, we were delivered delicious, hand made, and FREE, pizza! Sponsored by none other than JJ Abrams himself! It was beyond generous of JJ to think about the fans in line, and their stomachs. Surprisingly though, it didn't come with any lens flare!
After a slice of pizza, I drifted to a brief sleep for two hours. Then my friend, Lisa, woke me up to alert me that James Arnold Taylor, the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Johnny Test, Fred Flintstone, and countless other cartoon characters you've probably heard him as, had walked in to greet the fans. Having someone save my spot, I walked over to James, told him I loved his take on Obi-Wan, and took a selfie. He was totally awesome! The Force is strong with him!
Once we went back in line, a couple was sweet enough to hand me their copy of the Star Wars: Kanan The Last Padawan comic. It was great reading. Poor Kanan. I also finished reading Carrie Fisher's brilliant, shocking, tragic, and hilarious biography, Wishful Drinking. It's amazing that a talented woman like her could take all her pain and hardships, and make them funny and entertaining.
I fell back to sleep. Full of anxiety about what this panel could possibly be about, and wondering if the agonizing wait would be worth it.
After ten hours, it was finally time to walk in. The line traveled inside the convention center in single file.. To hide our numbers! (Badum, tss!)
While I was in line, Scott Mantz (Access Hollywood, Profiles), Kristian Harloff (Schmoes Know, AMC Movie Talk, Far Far Away Podcast), and Tiffany Smith (Schmoes Know, Fandango, DC ALL ACCESS, Far Far Away Podcast) walked by and gave me a high five. It's a small Galaxy after all! (If you are getting sick of these Star Wars puns, then I apologize.)
We finally made it into the Arena. We found decent seats in the back row on the first floor. It was a near perfect view of the stage. In the audience, I saw Dave Filoni (creator of Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and Star Wars: Rebels),
With less than half an hour for the show to start, the crowd passed the time by rapping along to Star Wars rap, and singing along to Weird Al Yankovic's The Saga Begins (parody of Don McLeanms American Pie). And yes, I know all the words to that song! (The former)
The show finally starts as Anthony Breznican, editor at Entertainment Weekly, walks on stage. He shared a brief story of seeing The Empire Strikes Back in theaters when he was 3 years old. He said it felt like looking at a window into another world. Could not have put it better myself.
Shortly after, we see Kathleen Kennedy, the President of Lucasfilm, and JJ Abrams, the director of The Force Awakens, walk on stage. The crowd cheers.
JJ Abrams begins telling the crowd stories of how Star Wars inspired him as a kid to become a filmmaker. And he described the brilliance of George Lucas' vision and why his saga means so much to us.
Kathleen Kennedy talked about how she had lunch with George in New York City in 2012. He told her he was retiring, and she asked him "Who will run the company?" And he said "I was thinking about you..." Talk about pressure!
JJ Abrams then talked about picking the new actors for the film by setting auditions on the Internet.
I myself made an audition tape, hoping to be cast in the film. We all know how that turned out...
Anyways, JJ Abrams introduced the new cast, John Boyega (Finn), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), and Daisy Riddley (Rey). The actors talked about their lifelong love of Star Wars, and their experiences being cast.
Daisy Riddley said she felt so excited that Star Wars will have more female characters for little girls to relate to. I mean, we have to have more than just Princess Leia and Padme Amidala, right? When asked what character would she be in Star Wars, Kathleen Kennedy said "I used to never have an answer for that question. That's about to change."
John Boyega confessed he didn't tell his parents at all, and that they only found out with the trailer. That cast photo reveal last year? "That's for 24!" John Boyega claimed to his parents.
Boyega also mentioned that he brought a Stormtrooper action figure for Harrison Ford to sign. As Harrison signed it, he gave a confused look and muttered "This is weird." Classic Harrison Ford!
Speaking of Harrison Ford, the veteran actor's near fatal plane crash from March was also brought up. Kathleen Kennedy said that Ford is in the hospital recovering, and that he really wished he could be here. She also said "Harrison Ford is the only man who can make an emergency landing in a golf course with two doctors standing by." JJ Abrams said "The fact that Harrison Ford landed a plane in a golf course instead of houses makes him even more heroic in real life than any of his films."
JJ Abrams, Kathleen Kennedy, and the cast also gave some details about the filming process and the summaries of the characters. For example, that desert planet we saw in the teaser in November? It's actually Jakku! And you thought it was Tatooine!
JJ Abrams also mentioned using more practical effects and locations as opposed to the CGI in the prequels. The crowd errupted in applause.
JJ Abrams said one of the things he loved about the Original Trilogy was how used up it felt. How the technology felt dated, and the worlds felt lived in. It felt real. Well said JJ. Well said.
That cute ball droid in the teaser? B-88? That's a real robot! No, not a prop. A REAL ROBOT! And it came on stage! Along with a familiar droid, R2-D2! The two droids engaged in a staring contest. I think Artoo won.
Then, a group of stormtroopers marched on stage. Not the classic ones we all know. The newly designed ones from the movie! And they didn't come on worth the sinister Imperial March theme. They came on with the triumphant Throne Room theme. Could this mean they are on the good guys' side? Who knows.
And as if the panel couldn't get any more amazing, we saw what could easily be compared to if the Beatles had a reunion.
Anthony Daniels (C-3PO, Human Cyborgs Relations) walked on, followed by Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia, my fantasy woman), Peter Mayheww (the mighty Chewbacca), and of course, Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight)!
What we witnessed was more than a Star Wars reunion. It was Star Wars Royalty.
"Even when he's sitting down he's taller than me!" Said Mark Hamill about Peter Mayheww. "I'm standing up, and I'm shorter than all of you!" Said Carrie Fisher.
"You were there at the beginning. You are still here. And you always will be." Said Anthony Daniels to the fans.
"You're more than fans, you're family." Said Mark Hamill.
So touching.
So it seemed like the panel was over. We heard details about the filming process, and the characters. Saw B-88, R2-D2, new Stormtroopers, the old AND new cast, all assembled together on stage for the first time! With John Williams' Across The Stars playing.
The panel was already glorious. But then they do a mic drop...
We saw the second teaser for Star Wars: The Force Awakens!!!
Where do I start? We see the iconic Lucasfilm logo.
Then a speeder bike, and an Imperial Star Destroyer crashed on the desert planet Jakku, not Tatooine.
Then we hear Luke Skywalker's voice...
The Force is strong in my family...
My Father has it...
I have it...
My Sister has it...
You have that power too...
That is a monologue from Return of the Jedi. Luke was talking to his sister, Leia, in that scene. But that last sentence was not in the scene. So who is Luke talking to? Is it his son? Daughter? A new Padawan? And when that little girl handed that Lightsaber to that woman, was it Leia herself? Some of those thoughts were racing through my mind that minute..
What followed was nonstop action! With Yoda and the Force theme by John Williams playing.
And then we see Han Solo and Chewbacca...
Chewie... We're home!
AAAAAARRRRRGGGHHH!!!
I've never been to a Hall H panel at Comic-Con before. But I doubt they were anything like this panel. The type of reaction in the Arena after that trailer was something I had never seen before. The anticipation, the excitement, the emotions, the tears... It was history.
Star Wars is back! In fact, it's as if it never really left.
Watching that teaser not only got me more hyped for the film, it made me feel like a kid again. It was as if I was 10 years old again. Kevin Smith was right!
In closing, that panel was an experience I will tell my children and my grandchildren about. I can watch that teaser any time I want on YouTube. But I will never experience anything like that audience reaction again.
In the words of Darth Vader, It was a day long remembered...
This is going to be the best Christmas ever! Or best Life Day ever...
May the Force be with you...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ngElkyQ6Rhs
