REPORT
Star Wars 7: The Most
Interesting Things to
Know
I
t’s that time again. There has been a re-awakening.
All across the world, fans of all ages are once again
Catching Star Wars mania, in anticipation of the release of Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens,
director J.J. Abrams’ continuation to George Lucas’ Star
Wars saga. Star Wars: The Force Awakens has generated a massive swell of buzz thanks to the launch of
an official poster and the recent debut of Star Wars 7
trailer #3, which gave us our best look yet at the story
details and possible implications of this latest chapter
in the Star Wars saga. But while there are millions of
hardcore Star Wars fans geeking out about every known
(or rumored) details of Episode VII, there are also just as
many fans who are only now learning about the film. For
those not yet in the know, here are The Most Interesting Things to Know About Star Wars: Episode VII – The
Force Awakens.
IT TAKES PLACE 30 YEARS AFTER RETURN
OF THE JEDI
The premise of The Force Awakens is that 30 years after
the Battle of Endor in Return of the Jedi, The Empire
didn’t just end with the death of Emperor Palpatine; on
the contrary, the war goes on. With two new factions taking up the fight (more on them later), the galaxy far, far,
away is still ripped apart by warfare, with many still living
under the threat of super weapons that could wipe out
their existence in the blink of an eye. Moreover, it seems
that even after Luke Skywalker’s defeat of the Emperor
and resurrection of the Jedi order, the ways of The Force
have somehow fallen to myth, as has the existence of its
disciples (The Jedi and Sith Lords). Why It’s Interesting:
This particular way of continuing the story not only poses interesting questions about the state of characters
we know and love from the Original Star Wars Trilogy
– it’s also an interesting parallel to real-world context. A
continuing war, the threat of sudden disastrous attack; a
faction of radical extremists (The Knights of Ren) – for
better or worse, Abrams and co-writer Lawrence Kasdan
(Empire Strikes Back) have worked in some modernminded metaphors into their fantastical sci-fi adventure.
THE FACTIONS ARE DIFFERENT; THE BATTLE IS NOT
Cleverness points for the double entendre up above;
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is truly a double case
of new factions continuing an all-too-familiar battle. In
the film’s storyline, the old warring factions of The Rebellion and The Empire are no longer what they were.
In their place we meet The First Order and The Resistance; the former seeks to complete the vision of The
Empire, under the evil leadership of Supreme Leader
Snoke (Andy Serkis)