Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer makes its long-awaited debut

The first 'Last Jedi' teaser takes us back to the 'Star Wars' galaxy as Rey joins forces (literally) with Luke Skywalker.

By

Anthony Breznican

Published on April 14, 2017 11:57AM EDT

Film-The Last Jedi — Credit: ILM/Lucasfilm via AP

“It’s time for the Jedi to end.”

The trailer for The Last Jedi just dropped at Star Wars Celebration, sending chills across the fandom and providing our first glimpse into the galaxy after civil war was reignited in The Force Awakens.

Han Solo is gone. Luke Skywalker has been found. And although General Leia Organa’s Resistance has knocked back the First Order, those Imperial wannabes remain a volatile threat under the command of General Hux, and the enigmatic Supreme Leader Snoke.

The movie is not out until Dec. 15, so there’s still a lot to learn about the story. But this is the tease fans have been waiting for ever since full-scale production began more than a year ago.

Daisy Ridley’s desert scavenger Rey has found her idol — and her purpose. After returning Luke’s father’s lightsaber to him, decades after Darth Vader sent it (and his son’s hand) tumbling into a Cloud City exhaust chamber, she is about to receive a gift in turn: guidance from the only remaining member of the Jedi order.

Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren, the son of Han and Leia, who was corrupted by the shadowy Knights of Ren after training with Luke, is still seeking his own hero, striving to connect with the spirit of his grandfather Darth Vader. His defeat at the hands of a nobody, a girl, in the finale of The Force Awakens hasn’t humbled him. It has enraged him.

The escaped Stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega) is recovering from near-fatal wounds and now proudly serving the Resistance, while hotshot X-wing pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) is still flying fearlessly into the unfriendly skies — and spaces beyond.

This first teaser of the film from writer-director Rian Johnson (best known for Brick, Looper, and some of the most memorable episodes of Breaking Bad) doesn’t give away everything: We don’t score a glimpse of new characters played by Laura Dern and Kelly Marie Tran, nor of new galactic heavy played by Benicio del Toro. But no return to this universe would be complete without taking a roll with BB-8.