The new trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi brings with it plenty of doom and gloom, perhaps signaling a sequel in which the Dark Side emerges victorious one again. It offers more insight into Rey's Jedi training, Luke Skywalker's apprehension, while also tracing Kylo Ren's evolution into a battle-scarred warrior ready to place the past behind and fully embrace his destiny.

RELATED: First Star Wars: The Last Jedi Trailer Released

Director Rian Johnson seems to have cut back on the lighthearted touches of 2015's The Force Awakens, and instead, chose to depict a sense of dread as the First Order aims to rebound and crush the Resistance once and for all. The trailer not only showcases epic space battles but also the film's themes of rebellion, betrayal and death as questions are raised about the legacy of the Skywalker family.

With that said, we break down the trailer's most intriguing and bombastic moments below.

The First Order Strikes Back

As the trailer opens, the First Order signals its intentions. Supreme Leader Snoke's caustic voice, whether in flashback or during Kylo Ren's recovery, is clearly energizing his apprentice for retaliation against the Resistance following the Starkiller Base in The Force Awakens.

RELATED: New Star Wars: The Last Jedi Poster Puts Skywalkers Front & Center

"When I found you, I saw raw, untamed power and beyond that, something truly special," Snoke encourages as Kylo admires his arsenal on the production line, just before we're shown AT-M6 (All Terrain Megacaliber Six) walkers moving across a desert. They're of course an update on the Galactic Empire's familiar AT-ATs; later they're joined by TIE Fighters in taking down Resistance fighters.

Rey's Awakening

Just as Snoke calls Kylo "special," the scene cuts to Rey apparently unleashing her lightsaber for the first time. She's terrified, but we quickly come to see her as a fast learner under Luke's tutelage. Alarmed by her abilities, as Rey levitates rocks and cracks the ground of Ahch-To, Luke says, "I've seen this raw strength only once before," as the footage cuts back to Kylo's betrayal and the destruction of the Jedi Temple. "It didn't scare me enough then. It does now."

Kylo Kills Again?

Kylo-Ren

We then see Kylo's maturity and what appears to be him finally putting away the past. He crushes his old mask, perhaps exorcising his Darth Vader demons, and embraces his battle scars. As he slaughters the Resistance fighters in his TIE Silencer, he says in voiceover, "Let the past die. Kill it if you have to. That's the only way you'll become what you were meant to be." It could be his inner-monologue, but as we later see, Kylo may be attempting to convince Rey to join him.

Nonetheless, as we hear his words, Kylo's fingers are on the trigger, apparently locked onto his mother, General Leia. However, we still get a tinge of that inner-conflict from when he killed his father Han Solo,  and the scene ends just before we get to see whether he follows through. This seems to indicate how cerebral Johnson wants Kylo's journey to be, maybe even offering a small window of hope and redemption, should he opt to spare Leia. There's a lot of emotion here, especially with Carrie Fisher's passing still so fresh in mind.

Page 2: [valnet-url-page page=2 paginated=0 text='Finn%20vs.%20Captain%20Phasma%21']

The Waning Spark of the Resistance

The trailer then barrels through the other characters, from Chewbacca and the Porg commandeering the Millennium Falcon,  to Poe Dameron's inspirational speech about the Resistance having the "spark that will light the fire that will burn the First Order down," to a more assertive Finn taking on his former boss, Captain Phasma. He clearly has some pent-up rage, and he's ready to make her pay for his miserable days as a Stormtrooper.

RELATED: Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Boyega Promises Epic Finn/Phasma Showdown

It's clear Johnson isn't holding back on the spectacle, as we also see BB-8 in the heat of battle, Finn eventually taken prisoner by the First Order, and the First Order's forces wiping out the Resistance fleet. It looks bleak for our heroes, painting a picture similar to that of The Empire Strikes Back.

A Defeated Luke

We get further insight into Luke and Rey's dynamic as we see Rey emerging from the water in a mysterious cave with Luke waiting. It's unclear just how this figures into her training, but the scene quickly transitions to Luke on the ground, his back literally to the rocks, looking defeated on a rainy night on Ahch-To.

RELATED: Star Wars: IMAX Reveals Last Jedi Opening Night Giveaway Poster, Ticket

"This is not going to go the way you think!" he says, presumably to someone who's gotten the upper hand. Maybe it's Snoke, or Kylo, or -- who knows? -- even Rey. But what's clear is that we haven't seen Luke in such a defeated since Empire, which means that things the situation could be far worse than we assumed. This may also hint that Luke could even be among the casualties of The Last Jedi.

Snoke Unveiled

snoke vs rey star wars

The trailer transitions from the heroes in the throes of defeat to Snoke urging someone to "fulfill your destiny!" We get our first glimpse of his deformed face, outside the holographic form depicted in The Force Awakens, but it's unclear to whom he's speaking. But given that he's apparently using the Force to restrain, and even torture, Rey, one can assume he's goading Kylo to kill her, ending the threat she poses.

Or maybe he's actually trying to get Rey to kill Kylo in a manner similar to how Palpatine goaded Luke to destroy Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi? Either way, Rey's in a lot of discomfort,and Snoke is as creepy as they get, even if he's clad in a golden robe. This scene teases his power, and portrays the formidable Rey as a tad out of her league.

Kylo Wants Rey Alongside Him

Remember when Emperor Palpatine tortured Luke in Return of the Jedi, and then Vader saved him? The final scene of the trailer hints at the possibility of such a development, as we see a distraught Rey saying, "I need someone to show me my place in all this." It cuts to an exhausted Kylo Ren, who extends his hand in partnership, similar to both Vader's interaction with Luke in Empire, and Rey as she returned the lightsaber to Luke at the end of The Force Awakens.

RELATED: Star Wars: The Last Jedi Tickets Are Now On Sale

Multiple questions arise. Does he save Rey from Snoke? Is he redeemed, or is Rey potentially joining the Dark Side? The latter would be tough to digest given that she's seen first-hand how ruthless a killer he is. But did Luke let her down and abandon her, leading to Rey's betrayal, leaving him truly the last of the Jedi?


Arriving in theaters Dec. 15, director Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Andy Serkis, Benicio del Toro, Laura Dern and Kelly Marie Tran.