Hyperspace Theories Episode Nine: The Force Awakens in Vanity Fair

One of the big Star Wars news events of May was the release of the Vanity Fair issue highlighting The Force Awakens. The print issue includes a feature article by Bruce Handy and exclusive photographs by Annie Leibowitz. Additional content available online provides further insights from many of the movie’s key players: Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan, costume designer Michael Kaplan, and composer John Williams. For links to all of the great Vanity Fair content, check out Kay’s digest post here at FANgirl.

With so much to discuss from the articles, images, and interviews, it was an easy decision to make the Vanity Fair issue the topic of the May episode of Hyperspace Theories. The information revealed confirmed some previous speculation and rumors, such as Gwendoline Christie playing the chrome-armored stormtrooper Captain Phasma, while offering up numerous other hints and clues to spark much additional speculation.

We begin our discussion by revisiting our previous conversations about the key storytellers on The Force Awakens in light of the perspective provided in Vanity Fair, and how speculation about the movie can be informed by considering their influence on the story. We also ponder the world-building clues about the state of the galaxy seen in some of the images, particularly the First Order characters and locations, and the storytelling decisions that might be inferred from the information revealed. The theatrical release of The Force Awakens may be months away, but speculation can become more tailored as even slim hints about the film emerge in the early marketing campaign.

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Hyperspace Theories is now on Twitter @HyperspacePod!

Tricia is @FANgirlcantina on Twitter, as well as posting at FANgirl Zone on Facebook and on Tumblr.

Kay tweets @Geek_Kay.

Fangirl

Fangirl

Tricia Barr took her understanding of brand management and marketing, mixed it with a love of genre storytelling, and added a dash of social media flare to create FANgirl Blog, where she discusses Star Wars, fandom, and the intersection of women within Star Wars fandom. She is co-author of Ultimate Star Wars and Star Wars Visual Encyclopedia from DK Publishing, a featured writer for Star Wars Insider magazine with numerous articles on the Hero's Journey. Her FANgirl opinions can be heard on the podcasts Hyperspace Theories and Fangirls Going Rogue. Tricia Barr's novel, Wynde, won the 2014 Independent Publisher Book Award Gold Medal for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror Ebook. She was also part of Silence in the Library's successful all-female creator science fiction and fantasy anthology Athena's Daughters, which is available now. For excerpts and tales of her adventures in creating a fictional universe, hop over to TriciaBarr.com.