Star Wars

The latest installment in the 'Star Wars' franchise hit theaters tonight (12/17), and it got me thinking about the similarities between the state of North Dakota and Hoth, the ice planet in 'The Empire Strikes Back.'

Here's a forecast that's to Jedi for.

When you’re out promoting a movie, you’re often asked to do a lot of things, most of them pretty silly. With the amount of press the cast of Star Wars: The Force Awakens was being asked to do, there were asked to do a lot of silly things, none perhaps as silly as going on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and singing a medley of Star Wars music a cappella. But the entire cast — including Harrison Ford! — actually commits, and it actually turns out to pretty fun.

The original Star Wars was driven by nostalgia for pulp magazines, Saturday-morning serials, and a simpler era with clear-cut heroes and villains. The new Star Wars is driven by nostalgia for the original Star Wars, and a simpler era when that title evoked words like “adventure” and “excitement,” and not words like “the taxation of trade routes,” and “Jar Jar Binks.” The characters in Star Wars: The Force Awakens are all searching for something of great importance to the galaxy far, far away. I won’t reveal what this MacGuffin is, but I will tell you what it represents: that old Star Wars magic. Can director J.J. Abrams and the rest of the saga’s new creators find it?

Sure, there are lots of kids and teens buying Star Wars: The Force Awakens toys, but a long, long time ago in a galaxy that is actually this one, Star Wars belonged to another group of nerds — and those nerds are not going to let today’s kids take ownership of their fandom so easily, especially when these kids don’t know that action figures should STAY. IN. THE. BOX.

Just when you thought Star Wars might lay a little low this week after unleashing a new trailer, posters and a TV spot, we’ve got a couple of updates on the franchise, as Lucasfilm has released a new set of behind the scenes photos from The Force Awakens, while director J.J. Abrams is opening up about his involvement in the franchise, both present and future.

J.J. Abrams recently said that the third Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer that debuted back on October 19 would be the last trailer we would see for the upcoming Star Wars film. Turns out, even J.J. Abrams is wrong sometimes. Today, a new Japanese Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer appeared online with lots of new footage and BB-8 fans are going to love this.

Disney and Lucasfilm are trying very hard to preserve the secrets of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. There are reports that the film won’t screen for critics until the day before it opens in theaters. And there are rumors that not only will there be no more trailers, but that the TV spots that run won’t use any new footage and everything you’ve seen so far, is all you’re going to get. But, even as they try to keep a carbonite fist on spoilers, J.J. Abrams has to leave his house. As much as Disney would like, they can’t keep him chained up in a Rancor pit until December 17. The dude has to go out in public. And that he did just the other day, and as people shouted at him “LUKE!!! WHERE’S LUKE!!!!” he was obliged to answer.

'Star Wars: The Force Awakens,' easily the biggest film being released in 2015, won't hit theaters until December 18th, but tickets are already on sale at one movie theater in Bismarck.

Has there ever been as much hype for one movie trailer as there is right now for the Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer? (Except maybe the last Star Wars trailer? And, maybe the Star Wars trailer before that?) Fan anticipation has been at a fever pitch for the last few days, but the waiting is finally over. Enough hype, it’s time for you to actually sit down, take a deep breath and watch official, final Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer in all its glory.