The first ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ trailer foretells dark times for the galaxy

Disney and Lucasfilm’s Star Wars Celebration event is in full swing right now, but you don’t need to be at the Orlando convention to see one of the biggest pieces of Star Wars news to drop this year: The first trailer for Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi.

The studio has released the first look at The Last Jedi today in the form of a two-minute trailer — technically, a “teaser” — for the highly anticipated sequel to 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The new trailer certainly delivers the goods, with a montage of scenes featuring Daisy Ridley’s Rey training to become a Jedi under the tutelage of franchise veteran Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker, as well as scenes featuring many of the new trilogy’s other, fan-favorite protagonists.

Written and directed by Rian Johnson (Brick, Looper), The Last Jedi continues the beloved sci-fi saga in the aftermath of the events of The Force Awakens, which saw Rey discover her own sensitivity to The Force, former stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega) find his inner hero, and ace pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) journey from one corner of the galaxy to another in service of the greater good. The previous installment also saw the franchise lose one of its most beloved characters, and The Last Jedi will likely explore the way its cast of veterans and newcomers deal with the fallout of that loss.

There’s plenty of impressive action to be seen within the trailer’s quickly paced two minutes. The short blip sets the type of dark tone you’d expect from a middle film in a trilogy, as well as revealing an intriguing message from Luke, saying “It’s time for the Jedi to end.” Just what this means and how it will affect the rest of the canon remains to be seen, but you can bet these moments are no more than mere iceberg tips of the deeper story Lucasfilm has in store.

Along with the aforementioned cast, The Last Jedi also brings back the late Carrie Fisher in one of her final roles, as well as Adam Driver, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, and Andy Serkis. Fresh faces added to the cast in this installment include Academy Award winner Benicio Del Toro, Academy Award nominee Laura Dern, and Kelly Marie Tran.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is scheduled to hit standard and IMAX theaters December 15, 2017.