Star Wars: The Force Awakens preview

May the force be with you this May. Fans of the multibillion dollar Star Wars franchise are pulling out their lightsabers and gearing up to revisit the galaxy from far, far away. With the plethora of trailers, press releases, and various snippets that have been released over the past month it hasn’t been difficult to get excited for the 7th installment of the Star Wars series, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Set to release on Dec. 18 of 2015, Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be the first installment of the Sequel trilogy. With a 10 year absence in the saga, it was believed that the 2005 release of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith was the official end to the insanely successful cinematic franchise. But, in 2012, Disney bought the franchise, promising to keep Star Wars mania alive for years to come.

Directed by the highly acclaimed J.J. Abrams, Episode VII will take place following the events of the 1985 release, Return of the Jedi. The story picks up about 30 years after the Battle of Endor and the destruction of the second Death Star. While much of the plot has been kept under wraps, it is known that fan favorites Luke Skywalker played by Mark Hamill, Leia played by Carrie Fisher, and Han played by Harrison Ford from George Lucas’ original trilogy will play major roles in whatever direction the new installment follows. And of course, we can’t forget the beloved Chewbacca, played by Peter Mayhew, who will also make a return to the Star Wars franchise.

However, Vanity Fair released on May 4, otherwise known as Star Wars’ day, the profiles of several new characters set to join the 7th installment and further episodes of the Sequel trilogy. The movie is reported to center around three new characters in particular: Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron. Rey, a ship-parts scavenger, will be played by Daisy Ridley. John Boyega will take on the role of Finn, a storm trooper who appears to be the major antagonist and villain of the film. Poe Dameron, an X-wing pilot,  will be portrayed by Oscar Isaac. Oscar winning actress Lupita Nyong’o will also be involved playing a strictly CGI animation pirate character named Maz Kanata.

On April 16, the franchise released the second teaser trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The 2 minute long clip offered little insight to more specific plot detail, but was truly captivating. The teaser featured the skull of Darth Vader bringing back some nostalgia for die hard fans of the series. The CGI computer animation was impeccable and once again authentically brought us into an entirely different and realistic world. Among the action in the clip were very intense scenes that focused on a variety of battles containing fire, lightsabers, and space ships that occurred between several of the newly introduced characters. The score of the clip gave it that unique flair that each installment of Star Wars has attained. John Williams, the Academy Award winning composer who scored all of the previous Star Wars films returned to continue providing the legacy with the outstanding music that fans know and love. The clip concluded with a shot of Han Solo exclaiming, “Chewy, we’re home.” This sentimental ending left me feeling extremely eager to continue the journey through the land from far, far away.

Though 7 months still remain until the 7th installment of the Star Wars saga is released and despite the fact that this is the first time an installment has not been released in May, the force is still very much in fan’s favor. With the recent trailer and press releases for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, fans have been exposed to this new force that has awakened after a long and lengthy 10 years. Episode VII will attract not only those who have grown up watching the saga but an entirely new generation of Star Wars fans.