If you audibly gasped when Blue was shot (and perhaps seemingly killed) in the latest Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom trailer, know that you're not alone.
Chris Pratt's Owen Grady's pet Velociraptor quickly turned into a fan-favorite character in 2015's Jurassic World, and many were glad to see the somehow-adorable dinosaur return in Fallen Kingdom's first teaser.
Thankfully, the shock of seeing Blue get gunned down by an InGen soldier doesn't last long; before the trailer is done, we learn that Blue will eventually rise up to roar another day at the side of her Alpha pack leader.
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The relief that came with seeing that Blue was still alive wasn't lost on us, either. It made us realize how attached we've become to the character over the course of the previous film. Now, with the final trailer for Fallen Kingdom indicating Blue's role as a central protagonist of the sequel, it's safe to declare that the character is the dinosaur movie franchise's most important character. Yes, more important than Owen, Dr. Alan Grant... or even the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Ever since the first Jurassic Park film, there was no denying the fact that the Velociraptors were neck-and-neck with the T-Rex in terms of popularity. It makes sense, then, that with the arrival of Jurassic World, the Velociraptors were turned from villains to heroes, spearheaded by their pack leader Blue. Fighting alongside Owen, the raptors were a force of nature the audience could cheer on rather than be frightened by. What's more, they proved instrumental in the fight against the Indominus Rex.
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Now, as we head into Fallen Kingdom, we learn that Blue is the last of her kind, the final living Velociraptor -- which means the InGen scientists, in all their deviousness, want to exploit her. Whatever their plans are for the reptilian beast, it doesn't appear she'll to go down quietly. Owen and Blue share a very special bond that has come to be at the heart of the Jurassic World franchise. Blue is a formidable ally for the human protagonists and, once again, she will likely prove instrumental to the sequel's story, as we see her once again take charge when it comes to fighting the newest evil monster InGen has cooked up in its lab.
Over the course of one movie, as well as a few trailers, we've gotten even more attached to Blue, much in the same way Owen has. We recognize that she is a valuable ally, and we fear for her safety. We may have all started fearful of the Velociraptors, but now we all want one for a pet. And that's all because of Blue. She has become an essential part of Jurassic World, of its DNA and of its story. It's pretty simple, really... To use an old fandom adage: If Blue dies, we riot.
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Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, directed by J.A. Bayona from a script by Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly, arrives June 22 and stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and B.D. Wong, joined by Toby Jones, Rafe Spall, Justice Smith, Daniella Pineda, Ted Levine, Geraldine Chaplin, James Cromwell and Jeff Goldblum.