The Re-Release of the 1976 Star Wars Teaser – a Joke, a Coincidence or Start of the Episode 7 Viral Campaign?

new hope

When few days ago Lucasfilm re-released the Star Wars teaser from 1976 many people wondered if there’s a hidden meaning in it. Some expected that an Episode 7 announcement was imminent, but it didn’t happen. Hit the jump for some thoughts on the subject…

First I was hesitant about discussing that subject but there might be something more than meets the eye there. Your input in the comments section would be greatly appreciated.

So 5 days ago in Wednesday the official Star Wars twitter page posted the following message:

1976, the world was introduced to #StarWars… Check out the trailer that started it all! http://t.co/tOsMjDZ2XF
— Star Wars (@starwars) October 9, 2013

At first glimpse there’s nothing special about it. But if you remember just a few hours before that Ali Arikan mentioned about and upcoming Episode 7 announcement teaser featuring Luke.

I’ve heard word that there’ll be an announcement trailer/teaser featuring Luke. Tweeting this so I look like Nikki Finke if/when it happens.
— Ali Arikan (@aliarikan) October 8, 2013

Now the question is if this was just a coincidence or Lucasfilm decided to make a joke and indeed release a teaser featuring Luke. Unfortunately a teaser about the first movie. Considering how sensitive the fans are lately about official announcements I doubt that Lucasfilm will do such thing.

There’s also another possibility. Maybe Arikan’s source just heard that there will be a teaser with Luke and made the assumption that it’ll be about Episode 7.

Now here’s another possibility that I would like to believe in. What if it’s a start of some kind of an Episode 7 viral campaign?
The twitter post by StarWars.com looks like a part of a bigger message. Actually the first sentence of the post is incomplete.

“1976, the world was introduced to Star Wars…”  It feels like the sentence could be continued. Just put after the stops a word like “then” or “now” and something more after that and we could very well end up with a second similar tease this week. It almost looks like they are trying to recap the story so far and how everything would lead up to the new Star Wars episodes.

saga

Also we’ve heard plenty of rumors about an imminent announcement coming from Lucasfilm. That was almost a month ago but one of them was much more specific.
JediNews’s secret source have revealed that a possible announcement is coming on October 23 which is also a Wednesday.

So if the posting of the Star Wars trailer is not a joke or a coincidence I’m guessing that this week especially on Wednesday we’ll be getting more teasing stuff from Lucasfilm. The first tease was about how everything begun with the Original Trilogy, so maybe the second will be something about the Prequel Trilogy before we get the announcement about the Sequel Trilogy on October 23 (3 consecutive Wednesdays). 

Even I won’t be surprised if they release something similar for every Star Wars episode so far before the big reveal. Something like a count down.

This is just a speculation and this week we’ll find out if I’m right (possibly on Wednesday). Also don’t forget that the new Star Wars movies were announced on October 30, 2012. I’m sure that many fans will remember that day. It was the unexpected start of the new beginning. So in two weeks time on October 30 (also a  Wednesday) there’s something like an anniversary.  So what if we get the announcement on that particular day? Who knows, let’s wait and see what happens this week.

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Founder of SWNN, MNN and The Cantina forums.

Born on April 24, 1980.

Val Trichkov (Viral Hide)

Founder of SWNN, MNN and The Cantina forums.Born on April 24, 1980.

16 thoughts on “The Re-Release of the 1976 Star Wars Teaser – a Joke, a Coincidence or Start of the Episode 7 Viral Campaign?

  • October 14, 2013 at 8:32 am
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    I think so, especially in view of the upcoming October 30!!
    so it might be: 10/10 ep. IV teaser, 17/10 ep. V teaser, 24/10 ep. VI teaser, 30/10 ep. VII teaser (may be just an announcement title)..!

  • October 14, 2013 at 1:49 pm
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    Does anyone know the date (or the approximate date) when this first SW trailer was first released back in 1976?

    Might it have been in early-mid October of 1976? My first thought when this popped up online the other day was that it might be the anniversary of the trailer’s original release.

  • October 14, 2013 at 2:17 pm
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    Hmm. I’m not sure. But I’m 95% expecting a bunch of new information on the 30th. (Day before my birthday so I hope it’s good news!)

  • October 14, 2013 at 3:13 pm
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    I think this is hopeful thinking, but I’m hoping just as much as anybody!

  • October 14, 2013 at 3:27 pm
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    Must… have…. my… fix….

  • October 14, 2013 at 5:57 pm
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    Disappointed…. as usual.

  • October 14, 2013 at 6:29 pm
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    Maybe…

    Monday = A New Hope
    Tuesday = The Empire Strikes Back
    Wednesday = Return of the Jedi
    Thursday = The Phantom Menace
    Friday = Attack of the Clones
    Saturday = Revenge of the Sith
    Sunday = Episode VII?

    • October 14, 2013 at 10:46 pm
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      We will see if your theory is right tomorrow. But knowing Disney, i ‘m starting to doubt if there WILL be an episode 7.

  • October 14, 2013 at 9:13 pm
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    I’m old enough to remember when Star Wars first came out. I was 7 that summer, and it was a huge deal. However the trailer didn’t get much interest and I’m not sure how many people saw it, but not many. Most people thought it was going to be some type of Buck Rogers flick and theater owners didn’t even want it as there were no big names in it. Peter Cushing and Alec Guinness were way past their prime in the 1970’s. Plus space movies were seen as “kid shows”.

    Even more interesting is Star Wars got second billing to a romance movie. I forgot which and who was in it but it was supposed to be a big deal, but it flopped. Mainly due to opening the same day as Star Wars. If the theater owner ordered the romance movie than they got Star Wars with it. Imagine the surprise the theater owners got when they put Star Wars on screen.

    • October 15, 2013 at 7:11 pm
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      Same here BUT where I was, the trailer was what made everyone extra excited because no one ever seen anything like that before. Most of the sci-fi during that time was simply crap and Trek was that talkie show that no one paid attention to.

      I recalled how all the class and school mates were talking about this upcoming movie at that time called Star Wars. The trailer was on the Ultraman movie where about every kids in town went to see. This is during that time when we either have 30 minutes of Disney, Hanna Barbara or Ultraman per day and nothing else.

      Life is like in the movie American Graffiti, simple and nothing interesting. Until SW came!

  • October 14, 2013 at 11:36 pm
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    I think they are going to make a big deal of the ‘Return of Luke Skywalker-, and will emphasize the ‘full circle’ effect, how he was a young boy in the original and will now be the old wizard in Episode 7. Maybe that will be the connection between the two teaser trailers.

  • October 15, 2013 at 12:46 am
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    Well it makes sense to announce something on the anniversary of the Disney buy out of Lucasfilm……….

  • October 15, 2013 at 4:49 am
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    fans just remember what year , month, and day part 7 comes out….. so Disney is just hyping it up for as long as it can until then…. soon the hype will slow down for a while and then we will hear about the trailer and then it will be hyped big time then….. so until the actual movie comes out, fans should just keep entertaining themselves at youtube watching all the fan made trailers.. its good theropy …. hehe .. : )

  • October 15, 2013 at 7:04 am
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    Maybe Disney are plugging the leaks. They told staff they were releasing a teaser trailer featuring Luke and monitored where and who posted that rumour online. Plugging the leaks… thus they can now keep all marketing for the new trilogy “secret” until they’re ready to release and have complete control.

  • October 15, 2013 at 5:33 pm
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    I didn’t hear any fart noises or Jar Jar Binks talking so it’s not a joke … at least not from Lucas.

  • October 17, 2013 at 9:51 pm
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    For some strange reason, that sounds like William Shattner in the voice over; which would be ironic. Also it sounds like he’s on a Quaalude or something…..

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