Star Wars: The Force Awakens - 10 Major Questions From The New Trailer

8. Who's Looking At Vader's Mask?

One of the most intriguing bits of chatter about The Force Awakens is that it could potentially open on a literal piece of detritus from the Original Trilogy, connecting the new and old in an instant. It's a particularly gruesome piece of flotsam, mind: Luke Skywalker's severed hand, complete with lightsaber, is said to be found some years after the events of The Empire Strikes Back...somehow. On the basis of this trailer, it's not the only example of OG Star Wars jetsam to be pored over in the film. Along with the potential of Luke's original arm kick starting the plot...somehow, it appears that Darth Vader's legacy may be continuing long after the asthmatic bad guy himself has shuffled off to a better place (ie in the background of a hoe-down on the Ewok planet). The teaser has an ever-so-brief glimpse at Vader's mask €“ battered, a bit melted and otherwise heat-damaged, so the mouth grill looks like a horribly misshapen set of teeth. It's a creepy, haunting image, accompanied by a clip of his infamous heavy breathing €“ but who exactly is examining the helmet, and for what purpose? And how did they retrieve it from the collapsing Death Star anyway? Did he perhaps have a trainee Sith of his own...?