The Lightyear trailer, a Pixar Toy Story spinoff movie is finally here. But there are so many Lightyear trailer secrets we all failed to notice.
Enter The Star Command
Back in Toy Story when Buzz was trying to send back signals to Star Command, it sounded like the movie was a parody of Star Trek. But the Lightyear trailer establishes Star Command as a legit organization similar to NASA with access to advanced space-faring technology. Buzz Lightyear is an astronaut under the payroll.
Lightyear Trailer Shows The Movie’s Setting Is Similar To WALL-E
The Toy Story movies paint a rather rosier picture. The world is full of colors and seems delightful. But the Lightyear trailer shows a rather bleak imagery. Instead of a vibrant setting and background, it looks very dusty and mechanical, pretty much like Pixar’s WALL-E. The dawn like glow is also another hint.
Buzz’s Ship Runs On A Mysterious Crystalline Fuel Cell
The crystal energy source seems to be how Buzz’s Star Command space ship is able to travel so fats in outer space. But there might be a hidden catch to this seemingly clean source of energy. The crystalline energy source could be the reason the world is dying in Lightyear.
The Ship’s Computer Is Named IVAN
Just like Pixar’s habit of naming AIs and Robots in bold capital letters, a trend that became famous with WALL-E, IVAN is Buzz’s ship’s computer AI. But there may be another hidden meaning to this in the Lightyear trailer. The name IVAN may be specifically chosen because of famed digital graphics innovator Ivan Sutherland.
There’s An Elon Musk Space X Reference
Alicia Hawthorne is one of the major supporting characters in Lightyear. The Lightyear trailer introduces her as a veteran of Star Command and Buzz’s colleague. Her surname is clearly inspired from Space X‘s HQ, which is at Hawthorne, California. Also there’s a big “fuel stability” screen display in the very next scene which further implies the crystalline power sources are volatile and somehow are responsible for Buzz’s spaceflight malfunction.
Either A Movie Within A Movie Or Based On Real Events Within Pixar Universe
The sci-fi setting and seemingly grounded technology shown in the Lightyear trailer imply that a man named Buzz Lightyear did exist. And he was a renowned astronaut who later had action figures based on him. That would explain the Buzz Lightyear toy models in Toy Story. Or it could be that the toy models are based on a popular movie named Buzz Lightyear’s titular character. It is an either this or that situation.
Buzz Is A Guinea Pig In The Lightyear Trailer
The trailer shows Buzz slingshot across the sun, using the star’s gravitational field like a catapult. This scene and the fact that Buzz is using grounded but experimental technology proves that he is a Space Command test pilot who is the lab rat being used to test unproven technology. Lightyear’s early premise even confirmed that he is indeed a test pilot.
Emperor Zurg Is Definitely Coming
Zurg is an iconic villain made famous by the Buzz Lightyear animated series. In one of the trailer’s scenes, Buzz is seen sneaking around a hangar full of battle drones. As a hangar door opens, crimson light and smoke bathes the entire area. This is clearly a hint at Zurg’s eventual arrival as the antagonist in Lightyear. Buzz is already seen fighting aliens and faraway worlds. So it’s only a matter of time before Zurg shows up in the movie.
