Among the many questions raised by the new teaser for Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens (for instance: who has Darth Vader's helmet? Who's the man in the mask?), one of the most intriguing surrounds the mysterious voice narrating the two-minute promo. Although it sounds like it could be Luke Skywalker narrating the Star Wars: Episode VII trailer, it's never revealed — leading myself and other fans wondering, who is narrating the trailer?
It's worth noting that similar speculation abounded after the first teaser was released, which featured a similarly mysterious narrator. "There has been an awakening... Have you felt it?" asked the unknown voice. Mysterious! In the case of the first trailer, some thought the man was cast member Max Von Sydow. Others theorized that it was Benedict Cumberbatch in a surprise role. It was finally revealed that Andy Serkis, the actor most famous for his motion capture roles in the Lord Of The Rings and Planet Of The Apes films, was the man behind the cryptic words.
The second preview, however, features a new voice — and while it may sound strangely familiar to some, you'd be forgiven if you couldn't quite place it.
The Force is strong in my family. My father has it. I have it. My sister has it. You have that power, too.
Who is saying this? And who are they talking to?
There's a reason that voice sounds familiar — turns out, it is, in fact, Luke Skywalker himself! But not the 63-year-old man that his portrayer Mark Hamill has become; this is actually an audio clip from a conversation Luke had with Leia in Return Of The Jedi back in 1983, in which he reveals their shared parentage:
(It's interesting to note that, while the editing of the dialogue makes it seem like the "you" Luke mentions is a different person entirely, in the original scene "you" and "my sister" both referred to Leia. The phrase "You have that power, too" is simply cut from an earlier moment in the scene.)
So what's the significance of these words? Why, specifically, was this 32-year-old dialogue chosen to air under this brand new footage? If some of the rampant speculation about Star Wars: Episode VII was correct, then Luke's words prove that the new adventure will be very much a family affair. When the first photo featuring the entire cast at a read-through was released in 2014, many people noticed that newcomer Daisy Ridley was sitting between Star Wars mainstays Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher. As a result, a commonly-held belief is that Ridley's prominent position was due to the fact that she was playing the daughter of Han Solo and Princess Leia.
All we know of Ridley's character at this point is that she's a scavenger named Rey. But the timing of the new teaser's narration is interesting: "The Force is strong in my family," Luke says into blackness. "My father has it," he says over an image of Darth Vader's melted helmet. "I have it," he says while a hooded man crouches next to R2-D2. "My sister has it," he says while someone is handed a lightsaber. "You have that power, too," he says into blackness once more.
Based on the dialogue, the imagery, and the speculation, I personally think it's safe to say that the person accepting the lightsaber is Rey; that the person handing her the lightsaber is her mother — and Luke's sister — Leia; and that she is indeed the next generation of Skywalker. However, this is far from confirmed.
We'll find out one way or another when Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens is set to hit theaters on Dec. 18, 2015.
Images: Screengrab/Walt Disney Studios
