It was a trend that most of the American population has grown up with in one way or another. There used to be a time where people were battling their friends with lightsabers or a time where kids were trying to move things with their mind. One thing is for sure, whenever we think that the franchise is over, Hollywood surprises us with three more movies.

This is exactly what Hollywood did to its fans last year when the trailer for “Star Wars: Episode VII-The Force Awakens” was released. Many people were nostalgic and excited seeing the new characters that will be playing an important role while seeing the old cast that many have come to love over the years. Ten years after “Revenge of the Sith” came out in theaters, people are waiting rather impatiently for the release of the new phenomenon.

“I was super excited,” junior Josh Abate said. “I acted like a little kid. Star Wars was my favorite childhood memory and I can’t wait for it to come out.”

For those new to the Star Wars universe, the story takes place in many different locations whether they are in space or on a new planet. Both the original stories and the prequels talk about what it means to be on the dark and the light side and the battle between the rebels and the empire. There is also a group of people called jedi who are skilled with supernatural powers known as the force, which is an ability to move objects without touching them. Their job is to bring both peace and justice throughout the universe.

The new movie starts off 30 years after the rebel’s victory against the Galactic Empire. While Darth Vader may be dead and the Death Star destroyed, a new villain appears with his own army of stormtroopers and threatens to put everyone in danger. With the help of Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), and other characters in there crew, find themselves facing whatever dark forces are thrown at them.

The series was brought to life by George Lucas who was both a filmmaker and an entrepreneur for many years. He created both the Star Wars franchise and he also created the Indiana Jones franchise with Steven Spielberg. In addition, he has also created his own company called Lucasfilms to help make both movies.

However, there has been a lot of changes since the last Star Wars movie came out. It was confirmed that in 2012, Disney was able to buy Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion and that was how the next three movies came to be. Students and staff had rather mixed feelings when they found out future Star Wars movies was going to be in the hands of Disney.

“I know a lot of people think that Disney is going to ruin it, but Disney made a lot of good movies,” senior Kellyn Clink said. “So, I personally think it’s going to be good.”

Many students and staff had predictions when it came down to the plot and the characters. Will one of the old characters die off? Are there any more epic space battles that will put the audience at the edge of their seat? The people who love the movies are excited to find out what will unfold in this adventure.

“I predict that the antagonist will confront the characters outlining the commercial and they will have to team up to fight him,” sophomore Nathan Melasi said, “but most likely, it will be kind of more of a discovering that they have the force and that they are jedis, at least the few that I saw, and that they have to go fight this new evil rising and possibly trying to challenge their way of life and/or lifestyle.”

When seeing the trailer, a lot of people were ecstatic to see the little hints and clues that the movie has to offer. However, there were many questions that people had when seeing the first few trailers for the first time. One of the many questions that were asked has concerned the character Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). It was hinted that he had a scene with the droid R2-D2, but people were still wondering what part he will play in the next three movies.

“I think that Luke is totally the sith in this one,” principal Tom Lietz said. “The only reason he beats Vader is because he gets angry; he gives into the dark side.”

There were also many people who were raising questions about our new antagonist who goes by the name of Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). After watching the trailer, audiences were left wondering if Kylo Ren will hold up to the high standards that Darth Vader has set up or will he end up being the annoying menace that many will want to see gone?

“I don’t think he’ll be good as Darth Vader,” junior Dominik Morici said, “because Darth Vader was that overpowered sith lord that kind of made his own destiny by going from bad to good over his own son. I feel like Kylo Ren is that one character that just wants to kill everyone in his path and will plan to destroy the dark side.”

In addition, many people had thoughts relating to the new characters Finn (John Boyega) and Rey (Daisy Ridley). There has been some talk about what the characters will bring to the table. Based on the trailer alone, will these characters be able to compete with the old cast? Is it also possible that a Han/Leia story might be happening to these characters?

“I’m a little iffy on them,” senior Saxton Baumann said, “because I don’t know if they’ll have the same expectations as the first movies did.”

When it comes to Star Wars, many people had many good memories to look back to in order to get excited for the movie. Whether it’s watching the first Star Wars movie in the 1970’s or watching the T.V. series many years later, fans cannot deny that watching the movie is what got them hooked in the first place.

“It was with my older brothers,” senior Megan Daniels said. “Both of them had realistic lightsabers and they made the noises. I was wondering what they were and they told me about it and they started to show me the movies and from there on, I just started getting addicted to it. ”

The new movie coming out also brings joy to many store owners. With the franchise being back into action, many stores are now giving out Star Wars merchandise such as clothes, bobbleheads, action figures, and even coffee mugs. With Christmas just around the corner, men and women of all ages are excited to get their hands on a Han Solo action figure.

“We have all the action figures from when I was a kid,” senior Chris Haley said, “but I really want all the cool new stuff, but it’s so expensive and I can’t afford it.”

Even though this series was beloved by many, there are some people who would like to see changes be made that will make this movie different and better than the others. When it came to changes, many people had suggestions.

“Mostly, not putting crew members in the shot,” sophomore Rebecca Barbes said. “If you ever really look at it, you can see cameras in some of the movies or people standing there; just kind of clean up the edges.”

Until then, students and staff are waiting until Dec. 18 in order to get the best seats and to let their imagination wander into space.