The Jedi Council: What we are hoping to see revealed from Star Wars at SDCC 2015

The 2015 San Diego Comic-Con is nearly upon us, and with that in mind, Dork Side of the Force’s Jedi Council discusses what we are most excited for from the various Star Wars panels and booths. 

David (Razor) Harris: I know many of my colleagues will say the same thing: We want a new Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer. And, while that is my biggest wish for SDCC 2015, I am hoping for a bit more. When the Rogue One teaser was dropped at the Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, it was just enough footage and sound to give fans of the Star Wars universe a new hope (pun intended) that the Star Wars Anthology films would be fantastic. I want a full Rogue One trailer.

I would also like to see a title revealed for Star Wars: Episode VIII…although, I know that’s highly unlikely, as it will probably spoil The Force Awakens in some weird way. Back to The Force Awakens: A new trailer, full length, with the first reveal of Andy Serkis’ character — Supreme Leader Snoke — would be amazing, and would be the perfect fan service for loyal, die-hard fans of the Star Wars saga. Maybe a shot of Domhnall Gleeson and a little information about his character. Finally, I want to see Luke Skywalker…not his robotic hand resting on R2…but a full shot of Luke, brandishing his lightsaber at an off-screen threat, that way we fans have a ton more to speculate about until D23 in August, or Force Friday on September 4th.

Elaine Tveit: Of course course, when I hear the words “The Force Awakens Panel,” I immediately think of a trailer; I mean, come on, who doesn’t? I want more footage! I want to see Luke and Leia, and hear Kylo Ren, Finn, Rey, and Poe speak some lines. I want to see more planets, more ships. I want to hear more of John Williams’s soaring score.

But, if I had to pick one other thing that I’m hoping for the most to be revealed at San Diego Comic Con next weekend, it would be a theatrical poster for Episode VII designed (hopefully) by the great Drew Struzan. Struzan designed the beautiful painting-like posters for all three prequel movies and the special editions of Episodes IV-VI. He succeeded in evoking the space opera aesthetic of Star Wars in his work with gorgeous coloring and careful placement of the main stars, thereby enhancing the romance and drama inherent in all six films. A poster by him has the potential to reveal so much about the first installment of the sequel trilogy: its aesthetic, and who its true main character will be (i.e., who the central character on the poster is), as well as its true villain, just to cite a few examples.

Not only that, but it would surely make a great piece of art for my dorm room wall!

But who knows: maybe we’ll get a trailer and a poster! There’s no telling with the great JJ Abrams.

Kyle Warnke: You’d be absolutely crazy to call Star Wars Celebration Anaheim a disappointment (there were so many things to love about this year’s event), but there was one panel that didn’t live up to expectations this past April. While fans got the chance to see Gareth Edwards introduced to the franchise and hear about his plans for Star Wars: Rogue One, it was hard not to notice the metaphorical empty chair next to him.

It wasn’t long before the fervent speculation about Josh Trank’s uncertain future with Star Wars turned out to be true, although not in the way anyone expected it to be. But the storm of rumors over the second Anthology film did not dissipate. In fact, it strengthened to a Category 6.

Fast-forward to July, and we still don’t know what the movie is about, although there are plenty of ideas. Is it about Boba Fett and Han Solo? What about Obi-Wan Kenobi? Or even Yoda? Next Friday may finally give us the answers and put all this frenzied forecasting to rest.

Then, we can get to work pointing out how it’s the worst idea ever and it will ruin the franchise.

Michael Valverde: San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) always brings some exciting news to events coming up on the horizon. Fortunately for this game player and Star Wars nerd, two new games and a movie will have screen time by the end of December. With Battlefront and the expanding universe of Star Wars the Old Republic (SWTOR) hitting by the end of October, I am in a gimme mode to see what SDCC can deliver.

The first game I would like to know more about is SWTOR: Knights of the Fallen Empire. This game looks amazing and tid-bits from the crew at comic con should shed some light on what the characters role may be. The two brother’s aspect is very fascinating, and the challenges look just as much fun. Being able to start at level 60 and cap out at level 65. Bio Ware is installing an expanding gameplay story arc.

There will be a new faction, and the player must find new companions to build a new alliance. If you want to keep up with your friends and go that route, it will be available to you as well. Each class will have new abilities as well. Learning more about the characters, how the expanding factions, or even a new trailer will be exciting to see.

The other game is Star Wars Battlefront (SWB). It appears as though they are getting away and rebooting the Battlefront games, as it is not called SWB III. This is already an exciting angle from the Dice creative team Co-op in the Survival Missions on Tatooine look intense as AT-AT and Stormtroopers blast their way toward you and miss only like a trooper would. The player can also jump into hero or villain mode and play as Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, or Boba Fett, and others as well.

The planets to explore in Hoth, Endor, Tatooine, and Sullest should be lots of fun. Also, if ordered early you can explore the new world of Jakku from Star Wars the Force Awakens. In these planets, you will be able to use fire blasters, drive speeder bikes, snow speeders, and command your own AT-AT.

At the SDCC, I would be very interested if they are going to divulge some of the new villains and heroes in that new mode, also what other types of vehicles and planets may be able to access. Since Battlefront is a longer wait than the expansion to SWTOR, there may be less to show, but with this game it can show from several different angles and character play. Mostly I am interested in what direction they will take the planets Sullest and Jakku and how much detail will be given to both. It would be awesome to look at the fine details at SDCC. I am also crossing fingers in the hope that they also incorporate the planet Ilum.

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