“Chewie, We’re Home”

The Force Awakens

Most people go to the cinema and complain about having to sit through trailers. Some patrons will deliberately turn up fashionably late as to avoid having to watch them.

Well, I absolutely love movie trailers.

It’s short form cinema. A well crafted trailer is captivating viewing, be it via it’s action, emotion or a blend of the two. For the latest entry into a much-loved franchise, it will often be a kick of nostalgia that will propel a trailer to success.

That was the case for the second trailer for The Force Awakens. That’s not to say that it didn’t have action – oh, it had plenty, including some stunts delivered by the new pilot of everyone’s favourite piece of junk, the Millennium Falcon. However, it was a scoundrel and a wookie’s return to that very ship which stole the show.

The final shot in the trailer reveals Han Solo and Chewie standing in one of the ship’s famously grotty characterful corridors. Han contentedly says, “Chewie, we’re home.” And with that, a million voices cried out in nostalgic euphoria, and a fair few tears of joy were shed.

Perfection, not just because of the context of the line within the story of The Force Awakens, but also because of how meta it is. The film marked a return to a galaxy far, far away for fans, and these movies weren’t the prequels. No, this time the familiar faces of Han, Luke, Leia and Chewie (I’m not counting his rather cheap Revenge of the Sith cameo,) that would fill our screens and warm our hearts once again. For millions of Star Wars fans, seeing Han and Chewie on the Falcon again really did feel like being home.

Did this trailer reveal lead to the moment losing weight when watching the film for the first time? Of course, we knew that Han and Chewie would burst through the door of the Falcon, even if Rey and Finn anticipated a First Order incursion instead. But I’m still thrilled that this reveal landed in the trailer.

It was Star Wars’ most meta moment and a beautiful one.