‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Extended TV Spot: Solo Always Shoots First
Though Star Wars: The Force Awakens co-writer and director J.J. Abrams confirmed that the most recently released trailer would be the film’s last, it doesn’t mean there isn’t any new footage left to be seen. As Disney and Lucasfilm ramp up the marketing efforts with a little over a month to go until its premiere, they’ve begun to air TV ads for the holiday release.
Like every other bit of Star Wars advertising, these commercials exist mainly to tease moviegoers about the various mysteries of The Force Awakens, leaving the real juicy bits for when fans are watching the film in a theater. Thankfully, that practice continues with an extended TV spot, which aired tonight on ABC before making its way online (watch it above).
This third TV spot is essentially is modeled after the third domestic trailer, in that it sets up the movie’s three main leads: Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). It reuses some of the footage viewers have already seen, but there are a handful of new clips worth examining. Arguably the most exciting bit comes towards the end, where Finn (using Luke Skywalker’s original lightsaber) is engaged in a close quarters skirmish with a Stormtrooper wielding an electric melee weapon. Perhaps the rumors of The First Order incorporating lightsabers into their military training programs are true.There’s also a shot of Resistance (formerly the Rebel Alliance) leaders in what is presumably their base. Han Solo (Harrison Ford), General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), and protocol droid C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) are part of the group. It also appears that fan-favorite Mon Calamari Admiral Ackbar is taking part in the meeting as well, perhaps giving audiences their first official look at the character since his appearance in Return of the Jedi.