Here are 2 seconds of new Star Wars: The Last Jedi footage, but they’re good, we promise
We have reached the point in what is now an annual Star Wars hype cycle in which microscopic marketing movements are the source of endless scrutiny—details related to packaging, poster placements, publicity itineraries, and so on are all scoured for new outfits, plot points, and lore. In the case of Rogue One, all this sleuthing led to a lingering post-mortem about just what the hell the movie was even about at various points in its development. Right now, though, for Rian Johnson’s upcoming Last Jedi, we are in a state of blissful ignorance, the film a thing of pure possibility, and its many, slightly different trailers offer, at best, a scintillating second or two of additional footage to be puzzled over and fit into our expectations of the film.
Take, for example, the new “Darkness Rises” trailer, which premiered yesterday and offers literally two additional seconds of footage. But they’re good! Space heartthrob Poe Dameron asks General Leia, “Permission to jump into an X-Wing and blow something up?” To which Leia replies, “Permission granted.” The brief moment has already sent Reddit into paroxysms of joy and deep-lore philosophizing, as was its destiny. There will, presumably, be many thousands of additional seconds in the actual film, some of which will perhaps contain Oscar Isaac and Carrie Fisher interacting in other scenes and with other emotions, but it’s hard to imagine a single clip more geared to excite Star Wars acolytes than this one. (Well, except for the one where she slaps him).
The two new seconds in question come around nine seconds in. Hit pause immediately afterward if you do not want to see the screaming Porg again.