Why The New Star Wars Trailer Is A Really Big Deal.

On October 30th, Disney bought Lucasfilm to the sweet tune of around 4 billion dollars, sending massive waves through, well, everywhere. This was huge news, and it took a while for me to wrap my head around it completely. Die hard Star Wars fans have learned to approach news about our beloved franchise with a grain of salt. Like a thrice-wronged lover, we had thick skins and practiced looks of skepticism, well honed over years of taking punch after punch from a company we once loved, but have now grown to distrust. 

                                                   "...fool us 4 or more times, shame on you."

My love of the franchise started on my 8th birthday. Held at the now defunct Rain Forest Cafe, my parents proudly presented me with a VHS collection of the original trilogy, bound in triumphant gold and silver cardboard, those three tapes became my entire identity. Star Wars became the first thing I ever truly loved. I expected nothing from it and gave it everything. Hours spent playing with action figures, writing adventures down in my journal, reading the extended universe books, walking the aisles at Toys R' Us, looking at toys I didn't have. Right now, from where I sit in my bedroom, I can see the following. 

• 1 toy X-Wing
• 1 toy Tie-Fighter (Vader's Model)
• 1 Master Replica Skywalker Lightsaber (priced around 300$)
• 2 Theatrical posters for IV and VI (V is in the living room)
• 3-5 Star Wars T-Shirts in my closet
• 3 Kinder Egg star wars collectible figures
• 2 official screenplays for A New Hope and Empire
• 1 vintage issue of Rolling Stone featuring the first cover story ever run on the movie

 You get the general idea.

                                 "Sure, you laugh now, but you've never had a van full of  cosplay Tusken

                                           Raiders hit you with Gaffi Sticks."

In a few hours, Disney will release the first trailer for Episode 7: The Force Awakens, and the world will change. Let me back that ludicrous statement up before I come off as nuts.

Disney is a no-frills company... I know that sounds silly to say that of an organization best known for slinging movies with princesses in them for nearly 7 decades, but it's true. They do NOT, do, losses. Disney has become meticulous for trimming the fat, crafting the product until they know for sure it will make them their money back. If you actually sit down and try to name cinematic flops to come from the House of Mouse, you can barely come up with 5, if that. 

                                         "Yeah, sorry about that Mickey, I... OH GOD, MY LEGS"

My point is this. Disney bought Lucasarts for 4 BILLION dollars. They wrestled one of the most beloved franchises in history away from a man who tried his hardest to torpedo the thing nearly his entire adult life. If you don't think they will put their absolute best and brightest on this, the quest to restore Star Wars to all of it's former glory (and make back those 4 B's), you'd be fooling yourself. 

So we come to today. Today is important because with the release of this first trailer, Disney is attacking the world on all fronts. 

1. They will revitalize what it probably the most lucrative media market of all time. Everyone knows that Toy Boy Lucas was a shrewd genius when it came to the marketing of his product, even going so far as to base the outcomes of his films around which toys they could sell off of them. With a whole new trilogy out there, a veritable landslide of cash will bury Disney up to their eyeballs as a whole new wave of children will come stampeding in to stores around the world, doing exactly what I did when I first wandered the hallowed halls of Toys R' Us.

With that being said...

2. Bringing new fans, and old, in to the fold. As stated above, veteran fans of the series approach developments like this with a healthy dose of skepticism, as well they should. But with this fresh approach to the franchise, THREE generations of movie goers will, cautiously peek out from behind their shields of disdain, and one by one, walk back in to the loving, welcoming arms of Star Wars.

Beyond the armies of children that will drag their parents to the theater, old fans will show up in droves, ready to be converted back. 

3. Starting one of the biggest media blitzes the world has ever seen. Today is about more than just a trailer for a movie that won't come out for more than a year. It's about building an Empire (pun super intended). Starting with this trailer, we will see the systematic rolling of the largest ball of hype ever rolled through the public's eye. Starting today we will see a slow build to provide adequate public excitement for the most ambitious multi-media project in memorable history. This is about not only episode 7, but the next two, and EVERY piece of merchandise that goes along with it. Aside from MAYBE the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars is poised to become the biggest franchise on the planet. And it all starts today, with one, 90 second trailer. 

                                                           "So get hype. Get very hype"

So drink it in, fellow fans. We should take a moment to remember that that which is most dear to us is in very capable hands. All reports and hints that we have gotten or seen so far indicate greatness. And as I was writing this, the trailer was released. It's more than I could have ever hoped for in a minute and a half. Amongst my tears of joy I found myself laughing, and cheering, a roller coaster of emotions packed into one morning, to be sure.

In case you want to watch it again, here it is. We've got a long year ahead of us, but we can manage. 

Remember to breathe.