The first TV spot for Star Wars: The Last Jedi features new dialogue from Luke Skywalker, but mainly recycles previously released footage. With just two months until the film comes out (as of this writing), Lucasfilm is in the process of ramping up the Episode VIII marketing campaign considerably to send hype levels up to a fever pitch. This past week saw the grand unveiling of the full theatrical trailer, which accumulated a plethora of views online as it kicked off the next wave of speculating and theorizing about what writer/director Rian Johnson has in store.

Though fans (many of whom have already bought their tickets) would be content with promotion stopping now, the nature of the business means things are just getting started. Over the next several weeks, the studio will flood the airwaves with a multitude of television commercials (among other materials), and now the first of these has made their way online. You can watch it in the space above.

The spot begins with Luke asking Rey, “Why are you here?” but this is basically the only fresh material in it. Essentially, the promo operates as a truncated version of the Monday Night Football preview, consisting of many of the same shots and voice over as that aforementioned trailer – including Kylo Ren tortured seemingly by the possibility of killing his mother, General Leia Organa, and the moment of levity between Chewbacca and a Porg. There is a new look at BB-8 during the space battle (where he rolls his head back) and an extended clip of Finn’s showdown with Captain Phasma, though neither is truly noteworthy in the grand scheme of things.


While The Last Jedi has not been rated yet, the spot ended with the warning “This film contains scenes that may be too intense for younger viewers.” It’s widely expected Episode VIII, like The Force Awakens and Rogue One before it, will receive the PG-13 classification, so that note isn’t out of place. Though Johnson has confirmed his franchise installment is suitable for all ages, The Last Jedi‘s darker tone may place it in a boat similar to Revenge of the Sith and The Empire Strikes Back in that certain sequences could be off-putting for some. Even with the inquisitive Porgs flying around, things are going to get a little heavy and dramatic in Last Jedi. Of course, nothing’s going to be so severe to warrant an R rating, but it’s something parents should keep in mind before bringing the juice box crowd.

Since this is just the beginning of the big Last Jedi advertising push, it’ll be interesting to see how much more Lucasfilm reveals between now and December. There will surely be more TV spots (not to mention, international trailers), but hopefully any new snippets of footage are more vague than spoilery in nature. It’s comforting to know Johnson had a say in the marketing campaign, controlling what information is unveiled at certain times in the campaign. He knows what major twists and turns he wants to save for the premiere, so anything that comes out in the fall should be safe to watch.

KEY RELEASE DATES
  • Star Wars 8/Star Wars: The Last Jedi release date: Dec 15, 2017
  • Untitled Han Solo Star Wars Anthology Film release date: May 25, 2018
  • Star Wars 9 / Star Wars: Episode IX release date: Dec 20, 2019