The Star Wars crew finally announced the end of principal production on Episode VII, days after news of the wrap party and director J.J. Abrams’ thank you note made their way online. We also got a surprise we weren’t expecting.
We now have an official subtitle for Episode VII, and it’s a real snoozer.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens has completed principal photography. #StarWarsVII #TheForceAwakens pic.twitter.com/mFTP9YbKNN
— Star Wars (@starwars) November 6, 2014
The official page for The Force Awakens has been updated with a logo to reflect the new title. Noticeably absent is the “Episode VII” we’ve seen in previous promotion.
Like with almost everything surrounding the production, little is known about the significance of the name. Chances are it will make a lot more sense once we finally see the movie (or when enough new spoilers leak). Past rumored titles included A New Dawn and The Ancient Fear, but this appears to be the first time The Force Awakens has come up.
But Star Wars fandom, which has waited years for this movie, is decidedly mixed on the title. For one, The Force Awakens easily sets itself up for a whole lot of sleeper jokes, and fans on Twitter are already getting to them. It’s only a matter of time before we have parody videos of Jedi Knights and Siths in their pajamas.
Star Wars Ep VII: The Jedi Awakens Star Wars Ep VIII: The Jedi Shaves and Has a Shower Star Wars Ep IX: God I Need a Coffee #starwars
— FriedPuppyDog (@friedpuppydog) November 6, 2014
So the force was asleep for 30 years..#starwars
— The Cantina Cast (@theCantinaCast) November 6, 2014
When was the force sleeping? #StarWars #StarWarsEpisodeVII
— Matt Ex Machina (@ZestyPro) November 6, 2014
And whether it’s because people don’t actually like the title or that they’re just having fun mocking it, the parody titles are already strong with this film. In a matter of minutes, it’s already become a meme.
ok may have to go see this pic.twitter.com/BtdlWOIYot
— darth™ (@darth) November 6, 2014
@jimchines Star Wars Episode VIII: The Rebellion Strikes Back About Ethics in Gaming Journalism
— CL Holland (@clhollandwriter) November 6, 2014
That IS a weird Star Wars title. pic.twitter.com/5D5ucqXC12
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) November 6, 2014
If Disney wants the real traffic, they’ll go with Star Wars: The Force Awakens And You’ll Never Believe What It Sees Next
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) November 6, 2014
But beyond the puns and memes, the title could have deeper meaning than even the people behind it intended. We probably won’t know until we get the next major update. If nothing else, we’ll have a year to warm up to it.
So the new #StarWars has a title #TheForceAwakens eh? Kinda ambiguous and that’s how I’d sum up my enthusiasm for it. It may grow on me.
— Stephen Baker (@ShakinStevieBee) November 6, 2014
THE FORCE AWAKENS is a perfectly simple, almost meta title. #StarWars has been a sleeping giant in wider pop culture too long. Get ready…
— Justin Bolger (@TheApexFan) November 6, 2014
Photo by JD Hancock/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)