Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Four questions we hope to see answered in the trailer

Scenes from the upcoming film Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Disney and Lucasfilm, deft Imagineers to master marketers, certainly know how to keep bated a fandom's collective breath.

The commercial Force behind the Star Wars franchise unveiled the official poster for The Force Awakens. And tonight, to kick off ticket sales for the film's Dec. 19 opening, the first full SW: TFA trailer will air between kickoffs on "Monday Night Football" (courtesy of a Disney-owned network).

Ahead of the trailer, that "chock-full o' iconic images" poster stirred as many questions as it answered. Among them:

1. Where, O where, is Luke?

The most conspicuous absence on the poster, by a long Falcon shot, is Luke Skywalker. Some fans are speculating that Luke will be in exile during much of Force Awakens, and that he'll get more screen time in the subsequent films. But of course, speculation is rampant, and even the trailer may not solve much.

2. Where, O where, is Lupita Nyong'o?

The Oscar-winning actress will play space pirate Maz Kanata in TFA. So ... is that poster's smaller, goggled creature alongside the droids the Maz we're looking for?

Oscar winning actress Lupita Nyong'o. Photo / AP

3. Is that a new Death Star?

Behind John Boyega's Finn, we gaze at that menacing body. Is this the new killer star base we're looking for?

4. Just what menace does that lightsaber of Rey (Daisy Ridley) possess?

Rey's saber doesn't look quite like anything we've seen before. Let's hope we get to see it in full, lighted action.

Daisey Ridley as Rey and John Boyega as Finn, in a scene from the new film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens directed by J.J. Abrams.