Have you seen the new trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi?  (If you’re on your desktop rather than your phone or tablet, please pause the radio stream using the handy control above before you play the trailer so you can hear it properly.)

It’s only a month and a half until Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits theaters, and by the look of the new trailer, “Awake,” it’s going to be an exciting movie.


Mark Hamill has a larger role in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" than he did in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

{image via Lucasfilm}

This is not going to go the way you think.”  Luke Skywalker

Luke Skywalker sums up the movie pretty well in this line.  Questions will be answered, but they may not be the answers we expect, and they will certainly lead to more questions.  Is the last Jedi of the title singular, referring to him, or plural, referring to him and his new student Rey?


"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" was Carrie Fisher's final role.

Director Rian Johnson and actress Carrie Fisher, on the set of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”

Darkness rises, and light to meet it.”  Snoke

Kylo Ren, Snoke, Captain Phasma, and General Hux are back, ready to conquer the galaxy.  General Leia Organa, Poe Dameron, Finn, Rey, Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker, and Chewbacca are also back.  Leia (Carrie Fisher in her final role) is ready to continue the fight against Evil.  Is her brother Luke ready and willing?


Daisy Ridley (Rey) and Mark Hamill (Luke) in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi"

{image via Lucasfilm}

I need someone to show me my place in all this.”  Rey

What’s happening?  Who’s who?

Well, we see Luke return to the Millennium Falcon.  We see Chewbacca flying the Falcon with a Porg passenger (or possibly co-pilot?).  Finn fights Captain Phasma.  Poe flies.  Rey learns the lightsaber.  Leia, despite her grief and suffering, shows that the plucky little princess of Star Wars: A New Hope has matured into a strong leader.

The movie, written and directed by Rian Johnson, starts “right where the last one left off.”

“The second film is where we start zooming in on the characters and getting to the heart of them, challenging them, and pushing them deeper.”

The Star Wars universe achieves a little more diversity with Vietnamese-American actress Kelly Marie Tran and Black English actor John Boyega.

Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico and John Boyega as Finn.

In addition to returning characters like Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong’o) and Lt. Connix (Billie Lourd), there will be some new faces in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.  Kelly Marie Tran and Veronica Ngo will be playing the Tico sisters.  Tran is Rose Tico, a maintenance worker, and Ngo is Paige Tico, a gunner.  Laura Dern plays Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo.  Queen Elizabeth’s grandsons, HRH Prince William and HRH Prince Harry, have a cameo as stormtroopers.  There will also be some new alien species.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran, and opens in theaters on December 15, 2017.

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Susan Macdonald

Susan Macdonald

Susan Macdonald is the author of the children’s book “R is for Renaissance Faire”, as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in “Alternative Truths”, “Swords and Sorceress ”, Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, “Cat Tails” “Under Western Stars”, and “Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid”. Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio’s web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions,  Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.