If you've been on the Internet at all in the past few days, or just generally living on this planet, you've at least heard about the new teaser trailer for Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. You may have also heard about the range of fan reactions to said trailer, including (but not limited to) extreme goosebumps and crying openly. If you're not a Star Wars fan, or if you haven't yet seen the trailer, perhaps you're thinking that this is weird. Well, as someone who got unexpectedly teary-eyed watching the teaser, I'm here to tell you that it isn't.
It's no secret that the Star Wars prequels were an utter disappointment, but until this past weekend, I don't know if we knew just how let down we had really been. When the prequels were coming to theaters, fans of the franchise were brimming with excitement, because it was the first time we were teased with the notion that Star Wars might live on in the mainstream as more than just another classic tale. Then people went to see Episode I, and saw how awful it was. After that came Episode II, which was even worse. By the time Episode III came out, people weren't even excited anymore. I personally waited until it was almost ready to leave theaters before deciding that, eh, I might as well go see it.
This was an especially difficult blow for people of my generation, because we weren't even born yet when any of the original films had their theatrical releases. We never got to experience them on the big screen, (that is, until they were re-released with all of the stupid CGI effects thrown in, but let's not talk about that). We grew up in a world where it was common knowledge that Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father, and so most of us never got to have that feeling of true incredulity at the moment of the big reveal. The prequels are the only new films that we've ever had.
Before this past weekend, we had gotten to a point where we were almost complacent in our love of Star Wars. Out of a sort of duty to the original trilogy, we would watch the prequels and the spin-off shows, but though all of these things are "officially" canon, they've never felt like Star Wars to any of us. The real Star Wars was becoming just another classic tale. It was nostalgic. Until the trailer dropped.
Having been so burned by the previous "new" Star Wars material, I think a lot of us were hesitant to get too excited for Episode VII. Even with the assurance that George Lucas wouldn't be there to screw it up, even with the news that J.J. Abrams was using practical effects again, even with the intriguing first teaser, we were, at best, cautiously optimistic. But this past weekend, we saw a trailer chock full of elements of the original trilogy, from the characters to the music to the dialogue. We saw the first thing since 1983 that actually felt like Star Wars. Suddenly, we had a reason to believe that the franchise might finally be restored to its former glory. So you see, it makes every bit of sense that we were overcome with such intense emotions, because for the first time in years, we have a New Hope.
CURRENTLY LISTENING TO: "Yoda and The Force" - John Williams (The Empire Strikes Back - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
