By Devlin Francis ’15 | Associate Editor

In case you missed it, the second official teaser for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” was released Thursday, leading to a great amount of excitement amongst Star Wars fans worldwide.

I will never shy away from admitting my Star Wars fandom, and to be honest, when the first teaser was released after Thanksgiving I was worried that the seventh installment of the movie franchise would be a disappointment.  After watching the second teaser about a dozen times however, I’m suddenly ecstatic to visit the galaxy far, far away once again this Christmas.

It’s no secret that the past three trips to Star Wars universe have left fans rather disappointed; while no one expects the same level of greatness as the Original Saga, there will certainly be high expectations for the seventh film.

What I liked about the second teaser compared to the first is that it felt more structured. The first teaser also seemed to focus on the mysteriousness of the dark side of the Force and the role of the Sith in the seventh film, while the second teaser provided more looks at the revival of the Jedi Order, the Galactic Republic, and the inevitable conflict between the two of them and the Sith.

The second teaser also did a better job at displaying a fuller view of the classic Star Wars characters.  Although the first teaser did excited me with the mysterious lure of the dark side and made me wonder who the confused storm trooper was, it didn’t quite have the same effect as seeing the iconic mask of Darth Vader or hearing the heroic voice of Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill.

The second teaser is narrated by the familiar voice of Skywalker and shows pictures of Darth Vader’s mask, Skywalker’s robotic hand touching R2D2, and a lightsaber being handed from one Jedi to another. The dialogue in the trailer is from “Star Wars Episode VI: Return of The Jedi.” In it, Skywalker discusses his family’s strong connection to the Force;  something that has been evident throughout the entire Star Wars Saga.

Now after seeing both teasers multiple times, I can’t help but wonder: How will the Star Wars universe be portrayed in the upcoming film?

For starters, who is the confused storm trooper that  appears in the opening of the first teaser? While this storm trooper appeared to have little significance at all in the teaser, he appears many times in the second one, which leads me to believe that he’ll be a main character, even though his alliance remains unknown.

Also, how relevant will Darth Vader, or the idea of him, be in the film? While fans would certainly love to see the classic villain (or hero depending on how you look at him), his character arc has already been completed through the rise, fall, and resurrection of Anakin Skywalker in the first six films. However, when the voice that supposedly belongs to Luke Skywalker refers to his father as being a connection to the Force, it seems that Vader may still have a large presence in the new film.

Perhaps the most attention grabbing feature of the second teaser is the fact that Skywalker appears to be conversing with a young Jedi, as he tells them that they are very strong in the Force. Seconds later, we see a hand reach out and accept a light-saber. This tiny blurb is extremely exciting, as it shows fans that there is a future for the Jedi.

It’s no secret that director J.J. Abrams and everyone else behind the “Star Wars:  The Force Awakens” will face extreme amounts of pressure, especially after how disappointing Episodes I, II, and III were. However, fans should look forward to the seventh installment of the saga, as it already shows promise through the first two teasers.

Get ready for another journey to the galaxy far, far away.