Is this Tatooine? We've spent a lot of time there across the course of six Star Wars movies, and while it makes sense that The Force Awakens might return to the planet, it could be that this is just another desert landscape (some fans have fiddled with the contrast on the teaser and it appears as if there's only one sun). Regardless, we know it's home to Daisy Ridley's character, and the appearance of the vehicle she's using here confirms the legitimacy of leaked concept art which seemed to reveal that she lives in a downed AT-AT. We also see what could be this trilogy's new droid sidekick. Could this be how ALL R2 units look now that 30+ years have passed? Possibly!
Even more intiguing of course is the fact that we see the Millennium Falcon (which has only had a few minor cosmetic changes) engaged in a battle with a number of Tie Fighters, and despite the fact that he first appears at the beginning of the trailer, it seems possible that John Boyega's character may have crash landed on the desert planet after battling whoever is piloting the Falcon. It's been claimed that Boyega's stranded Stormtrooper meets Ridley's character following this as well. Why and how he ends up fighting side-by-side with her remains to be seen of course - if he does...that again is rumour - but the voiceover might provide at least some clues in regards to that.
Is it coincidence that the voiceover (which is from an unknown character who could be Max von Syndow, Andy Serkis, or, uh, Benedict Cumberbatch if some fans are to be believed) mentions an awakening when we first see John Boyega's character? Despite the fact that he starts off as a "bad" guy, could it be that he's actually destined to take on a Luke Skywalker-like role in this new trilogy as a Jedi? With the focus on him and Ridley in the trailer, you have to imagine that one of them is going to end up learning the ways of the Force...based on what we've heard though, it appears as if it will be Ridley, as she's the one who ends up going on a quest to track down the missing Jedi.
On the other hand, it was at one point reported (and be warned as this could be considered a major spoiler) that when she finds Luke, he's embraced the dark side and she does the same. However, while that concept art was obviously real, there are so many rumours doing the rounds, we have to be careful not to let them influence what we think we know about the movie! As light on plot details as this trailer is, a new threat has obviously emerged, and unless he's succumbed to the darkness like his father before him, I still can't imagine Abrams doing something to Luke which will upset pretty much every Star Wars fan EVER! We'll just have to wait and see though...
This is far from a big revelation, but one thing the trailer seemingly makes clear is the fact that the war between the Rebels and Empire is far fom over. We see Stormtroopers heading into battle in an intense looking scene AND the Rebels taking flight in X-Wings which are clearly influenced by the original designs by Ralph McQuarrie. Despite the fact that Darth Vader and The Emperor were killed off at the end of Return of the Jedi, that doesn't mean there weren't others who could take charge (something we know from real-life conflicts when a dictator has been taken out and someone just as bad or worse takes their place). Can you imagine if there was some sort of twist where it's revealed that they're actually fighting on the same side against a larger threat though? That would certainly be pretty fascinating to see play out, but ultimately seems extremely unlikely...
So, who the f*** is this guy?! There are obviously a number of actors not seen in the trailer who could be under that hood (Adam Driver, Domnhall Gleeson, and Oscar Isaac for example), and despite the huge number of potential spoilers doing the rounds, this is one character we've possibly heard the least about. Some have claimed that he's an Inquisitor like the one voiced by Jason Isaacs in Star Wars Rebels, while others have brought up a variety of obscure villains from the Expanded Universe who look vaguely like this hooded fiend, all of which seem unlikely due to the fact that Disney have officially wiped all of those stories out of continuity. They mean nothing now!
Oh, how do we know what he looks like? A leaked piece of concept art of course which you can see by clicking here! The lightsaber is particularly interesting, especially as it includes two cool looking additions which are also in all honestly a little on the impractical side. You have to imagine that they have some sort of use though and are there for more than just cosmetic reasons. Regardless, we have no idea at this point whether this villain is Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens' lead bad guy or possibly just a henchman for an unrevealed force. His movements look particularly creepy and threatening, and while we're assuming it's a "him", who knows at this point...
So, we're pretty sure that John Boyega and Daisy Ridley are playing two of the lead heroes, but if there's one big thing missing from this trailer, it's Luke, Han, and Leia! It's understandable in some respects, as all everyone is talking about today is those two, whereas including the actors from the Original Trilogy would have likely resulted in all of the attention being focused squarely on them. It's hard to imagine them not turning up in the next trailer though, but there are so many new casting additions, there's every chance that director J.J. Abrams will keep them under wraps for as long as possible! They're going to be a big selling point to fans left disillusioned by the prequels though, so we'll have to wait and see. Regardless, with so many characters in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, we still don't truly know who our lead heroes will end up being...