The final trailer for Rogue One has sent chills down my spine and December 16th can't get here soon enough.

The final trailer for Rogue One recently hit the interwebs, and it gives me chills I tell ya. I think my favorite scene is this one, where Vader is totally marching (with menace) towards the dude in the white cloak. It gives me shivers, and it reminds me a lot of why Vader is so legitimately terrifying.

Still, the dialogue for this scene could very well go like this (putting on screen writer cap):

Vader: "I understand that you just had lunch...a BLT with mayo...is that correct?

Poor Bastard: "Y-Yes L-Lord V-V-ader."

Vader: "I see. Now when you picked up this BLT with mayo...did you perchance bother to check for a name, written in large black letters on the bag?"

Poor Bastard: "L-Let me explain! It was a miss.... Gah!" (Vader raises his hand and points. Poor Bastard starts choking to death).

Vader: "This is a yes or no question...."

Hmm. So many feels about this trailer. How to sum them all up.

First: it looks and feels like Star Wars and yet also looks and feels like no Star Wars that's ever been. Anyone else getting that vibe?

Second: Is it just me, or is the most beautiful looking Star Wars movie yet? Maybe I just like all the summertime jungle shots or the Star Destroyers hovering against the sky or the Death Star coming up on the horizon of a planet looking like an awfully strange moon. It just tweaks all of my science fiction coolness buttons.

Third: The rock statue that looks like a fallen jedi reminds me of the ancient rock statues we saw all over the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I remember Peter Jackson saying, "We wanted the viewer to get a sense that there was this ancient civilization by showcasing its remains." It kinda has that "feel" to it, and I likes it...a lot.

Fourth: Does the trailer seem kind of dark to you? I could feel the oppression in the movie, and it may be a divisive film to Star Wars fans. I love darkness in films, so I think I'll be in the camp of those who feel it's just right. 

Five: It's possible that this film is more about the creator/engineer of the Death Star's super laser than of the vessel itself. That being said, I hope we get to see a rear view of the Death Star. I've long suspected that there are huge engines back there allowing it to go into hyperspace.

Mon Mothma hasn't aged a day and is that a Grand Admiral uniform we're seeing? So many observations about Star Wars: Rogue One and so few answers.

The Star Wars: Rogue One trailer dropped yesterday and I had tons of observations, or questions framed as observations. Would you expect anything less? So naturally I'm going to blog about them because that's what blogs are for, right?

1) Who was Mr. Fancy Cloak? I liked that cloak and that look and immediately thought Tarkin! But then not so fast because Tarkin didn't ever strike me as someone who would wear a cloak. Then I remembered my Timothy Zahn novels and a character named "Grand Admiral Thrawn" that dressed like that, all in white. So is this a Grand Admiral? Hmm. Hey, they could have salvaged something from the old extended universe. That's a pretty huge database of some really interesting ideas.

2) Imperial Guard! Remember those guys in red that looked really cool but never did anything? They were all over Return of the Jedi's throne room sequence. Do we actually get to see them kick ass in Rogue One? I sure hope so.

3) Seeing the AT-AT's in a Pirates of the Caribbean-type setting is actually really cool. Maybe it's the director's ode to "Apocalypse Now!" New quote for the movie, "I love the smell of blasters in the morning."

4) Mon Mothma! If that's the original actress from Return of the Jedi thirty years ago, she hasn't aged a bit. Whhaatt? Seriously. She looks exactly like I remembered her looking. How is that possible?