Star Wars: Episode VII’s New Title Revealed: What We Know, What it Could Mean, and oh God what am I doing with my life?

Ever since the announcement that a new trilogy of films would be added to the classic Star Wars franchise (as well as various spin-offs and shows), fans have been hungrily devouring what information they could on the upcoming films. Would the new installments soar to the heights of the original trilogy, or disappoint like George Lucas’ more recent prequels?

For now, details have been relatively scarce – we know that the franchise is picking up 30 years after the end of Return of the Jedi, and that director J.J. Abrams seems to have embraced traditional special effects over more modern CGI techniques. But beyond a few casting details here and there, fans have mostly been left in the dark.

A glimpse of the episode 7 cast, with both familiar faces and new additions

Well, earlier this week fans were treated to another illuminating tidbit: Episode VII’s official title.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Now, reaction has been decidedly mixed. Many find the title to be underwhelming, while others find it in keeping with past titles, which were meant to evoke a sense nostalgia for early serials that inspired the franchise.

It’s worth noting that “The Force Awakens” is only the second Star Wars title to use an active tense (the first being “The Empire Strikes Back”). Considering Empire is largely seen as the best film in the series, it would be fair speculation to… to…

…

Oh my God.

Am I really doing this?

Am I really writing an article that analyses the subtitle of a Star Wars film? Jesus Christ, I am. I’ve already devoted a half-dozen paragraphs to analyzing three words, one of them being “the”.

You know, I just had a birthday a few weeks ago. I turned 28. All my friends, everyone I’ve gone to high school and university with, have already started their careers. Some of them have even started raising families. They all seem happy. I don’t really see them anymore.

Actually, that’s not true. I was helping out a customer the other day (she was getting an early start on her family’s holiday shopping) and all of a sudden she turned to me and said “Aaron! Wow, it’s you!” It took me a second to realize that the customer I was helping out was Megan Summers, who I had a crush on like way back in grade six. I should have recognized her sooner, I guess, but the way she carried herself was so different from how I remember when I last saw her over a decade ago. More professional. More adult.

Might the title signify a new Jedi Order?

I asked what she was up to and she told me she was a radio producer for some culture programs I had never heard of. She then showed me a picture of her two kids.

She asked how I was doing and where I was living. I told her I was living in an apartment downtown, and left it at that. I felt bad having to lie to her, but I knew that if I told her where I was staying she’d recognize it as the same house I had grown up in, and be pretty quick to figure out that I still lived with mom and dad. It’s funny. I’m not ashamed to live at home – in fact, I think it makes the most sense financially. But for some reason I just couldn’t say the words.

I finished ringing her through, and she was about to leave when she suddenly turned back.

“Do you still write comics?” she asked. “I remember you used to draw these really fun stories in class that kept getting confiscated.” She smiled. “I remember reading one and thinking it was the funniest thing I had ever read.”

I didn’t look up from the cash register and mumbled that it had been a while. But, I told her, the retail was only part-time. I was still writing. Online journalism. Articles for entertainment sites. Writing critical reviews for films, that sort of stuff.

A few days later my manager took me into her office and told me that someone had filled out a customer comment card, and that they had been very impressed with my service. My manager said she was proud of me and told me that I could keep the comment card if I wanted, but I couldn’t bear to look at it. I excused myself and went to the bathroom. I locked myself in a stall and cried as I thought about Megan Summers and her two smiling children.

These ARE the droids we’re looking for! Both C-3PO and R2D2 will be returning.

I don’t know. Sometimes I wonder where it was that my life got away from me. I look at pictures online of people I admire sitting together in bars, and it makes me sad to know that I’ll never be among them, never be asked to join their table. People say it’s never too late to change their life around, but does anyone really believe that? I feel like the world has completely passed me by. Like life is happening, and I’m just watching from the fringes. Like a certain moisture farmer from Tatooine, who has been confirmed to return for the newest film, although just what his role will be is anyone’s guess. One thing’s for certain, though. No matter what the outcome, this latest news has “awakened” our desire to learn more!