Take a moment to breathe, as you're probably as psyched as we are that Star Wars: The Force Awakens has released it's final, fabulous trailer into our loving arms. It was all at once a brief window into the new film's plot, and a treasure trove of information for those hungry for knowledge. Most of all, it finally gave us our biggest clue into how Darth Vader will factor into the plot.
During the events of the trailer, we see Kylo Ren on the bridge of what's, presumably, Starkiller Base – if not, one of the new Star Destroyers that are currently docked there. Sure enough, we're allowed to feast our eyes once more on the melted helmet of Darth Vader, snatched from his funeral pyre. As we gaze upon this symbol, Kylo has the following dialogue:
Nothing will stand in our way. I will finish what you started.
From the sounds of it, Kylo Ren is the ultimate Darth Vader fanboy that the rumors have been painting him to be, and judging by the fact that Starkiller Base exists, we're going to assume that he's not the only one. In fact, the formation of The First Order is probably centered around Vader as a sort of deity/legendary figure to those who follow it. Keep in mind, the history of Return Of The Jedi is now 30 years past, and Han Solo spoke of the fight between the Dark Side and the Light as if Rey thought they were mere rumor. Three decades is enough for the remnants of the Galactic Empire to band together and start planning a second wave of attack against all who oppose them.
Of course, there's one thing that bugs us just a little bit about Kylo Ren, and that's the fact that we don't know who he is. We know he's not a Sith, and we know that Kylo Ren isn't even his real name. So who exactly is he? The biggest theory so far is that he's Han Solo's son, and will be responsible for killing his would-be father once and for all. Of course, considering that Luke Skywalker hasn't appeared in any trailers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens - or, at least he hasn't shown his face in any, we're wondering if the isolation after the events of the Original Trilogy have him turning to a darker fate than we would think. Either way, a misguided relation to the Skywalker family may have picked up on family traditions that should have stayed buried.
All these theories are valid until proven false, but the one thing we do know for certain is that Darth Vader's history with the Galactic Empire is coming back to haunt the galaxy. This time, it's going to take a lot more than a princess, a farm boy, and a scoundrel to save the day; and while he may have redeemed himself in his death, the followers of the First Order are hell bent on following in Vader's footsteps of conquest.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters on December 18th.
