Star Wars Trailer

You know, that's pretty good timing for my generation. People who were young when the original Star Wars trilogy came out say they grew up with it, but think about this. I'm guessing I was around five when my family bought the VHS set of the original trilogy; I watched the prequel trilogy between the ages of eight and fourteen; and this new trilogy (what are we going to call it besides "the new trilogy?") will come out while I am in my twenties. That's growing up with Star Wars.

I like how they had the first trailer for Episode VII come out on Black Friday, when families might still be gathered together. My first declaration was that I loved all the sand. I have a fondness for Tatooine, the landscape and the colors and the double-sided sense of home. You think of Star Wars and (setting-wise) you don't just think of space, you also think of Tatooine. So to see all that sand, that was exciting for me. The Millennium Falcon at the end was also exciting, though at the same time as I was excited, I was trying to convince myself that I had no reason to be excited: additions to a series can include new things, too, not just the familiar and comforting things.

But you know what was also the best thing about this trailer, besides the sand? Its mere existence. We've been hearing about Episode VII for a while now, but it's finally becoming something tangible. It comes out one year from now, and that's a length of time I can comprehend. Seeing the first glimpse at the footage is like finally receiving acknowledgement that this movie does exist, that all the stories about its filming are true--that it is real. It is coming. The excitement is awakening.