Once Rogue One began winding down its’ theatrical run, it was pretty much a guarantee that either Rian Johnson, Kathleen Kennedy or LucasArts would reveal something about the upcoming and highly anticipated Episode VIII. Carrie Fisher’s tragic passing added to the already immense pressure behind the film since the studio confirmed they wouldn’t revive her through CGI and likely had to do some major restructuring with the trilogy’s story and character arcs.
While it’s still unknown how Episode VIII and Episode IX have been changed in the wake of these events, we at the very least only have eleven months to wait until we get to see the continuing stories of Rey, Finn, Kylo Ren, Luke and Leia (‘only’ being the operative word here).
Lo and behold, we finally have the film’s official title!!
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the sequel to Force Awakens and will be hitting theatres on December 15, 2017! The very first thing to note about this poster is the deep rep color used for the Star Wars logo. It’s reminiscent of the logos for Return of the Jedi but gives off some ominous, foreboding feelings. Rumors have been circulating that The Last Jedi would have a more serious tone than Force and John Boyega in a way confirmed this when he said “Rian Johnson is great. It’s a different take, darker, bigger“.
Rian backtracked a bit on these claims by saying “I want it to be a blast and to be funny and to be a ride the way The Force Awakens and the original Star Wars movies were” but after already stating that the film would dive deeper into the struggles of the lead characters, it doesn’t seem like a far cry to say the film will touch on some heavier themes or contain more emotional moments.
And speaking of speculation, with the reveal of the film’s title, now is an appropriate time to share some of my thoughts and theories on what could potentially happen in The Last Jedi. The studio picked the perfect name because despite sounding simple on surface level, it’s loaded with potential meaning. Here are just a few things I’d either like to see happen or could imagine happening with the clues the cast and crew have dropped so far.
The Knights of Ren will be revealed
We only got a momentary glimpse at this mysterious group of rebellious warriors, spearheaded by Kylo Ren, when Rey experienced an intense flashback after finding Anakin’s lightsaber under Maz Kanata’s cantina. Among the cryptic and indecipherable scenes thrown at us at a blinding pace was one of the Knights standing in a rain-soaked field with dead bodies strewn all around them.
Force Awakens already confirmed that Kylo Ren was an apprentice of Luke’s but was swayed to the dark side by Supreme Leader Snoke. We have to assume that the Knights were also trainees under Luke but decided to join Kylo and turn against Luke, possibly murdering everyone else at the Academy, or wherever it is they were being trained. One huge question lingers, though: where were the Knights during Force Awakens?
Hopefully we’ll get some solid answers about the mysterious group from their origins to if they’ll play a more prominent role in Last Jedi. There’s some huge storytelling potential here so with any luck, we’ll be given a few good morsels.
Rey will turn to the Dark Side, Kylo Ren will be redeemed
Stay with me on this one, okay? The chances of this particular situation coming to fruition are pretty scarce but it would be fascinating to see Star Wars‘ typically straightforward character and story progressions be completely upended by switching the alleigances of Rey and Kylo Ren. Yes, Kylo Ren did murder his father so redemption is already a bit of a far cry for him but Darth Vader still brought peace to the galaxy despite murdering thousands, including children, in Revenge of the Sith. Anything can happen.
When Rey and Kylo have their first intense duel at the end of Force Awakens, pay attention to the searing rage coming from Rey. This could be due to her not knowing how to master the power of the Force but for a moment, I thought she was actually going to kill Kylo right then and there. Look at her expression after she slashes Kylo’s face with Luke’s lightsaber. She’s holding back and it’ll be interesting to see if this anger comes out again during her training with Luke.
Seeing an irredeemable villain become a hero and a savior become the galaxy’s greatest threat would be wild, even by Star Wars standards, but pulling such a massive bait and switch would not only make the trilogy more memorable and powerful, it would serve to silence the haters who yammer on and on about the films being too similar to the original trilogy.
Luke Skywalker will die
Talk about a gut punch. Losing Han Solo was already hard enough but imagine how much higher the stakes would become if the legendary Jedi met his end in this film. Mark Hamill apeared to hint towards his characters’ end when he said “I finish Episode 8, and then I’m out of work,” during an interview with the Hollywood Repoter. Since then, he’s hinted at involvement in Episode IX so is it all cheeky misdirection? Given the series’ track record, I’m going out on a limb and saying absolutely.
Luke will be playing a more prominent role in Last Jedi as Rey’s mentor and we’ll be learning more about what happened to him in the thiry years between Episodes VI and VII. In Force Awakens, Han spoke of Luke disappearing after Kylo turned aginst him so along with revealing more about the Knights of Ren, Luke will more than likely reveal how these events affected him personally and why he went into hiding. Something tells me there’s a bit more going on than just Kylo’s betrayal.
If, after helping Rey control and master her use of the Force, Luke is either killed or passes away, this would mean that all three leads from the original trilogy would be dead. No General Leia, no Han Solo and no Luke. The fate of the galaxy and the hope of millions would rest solely on Rey and Finn’s shoulders and would make their victory that much more satisfying and help them carry on the legacy of those who came before them.
Rey’s lineage will be revealed
Going in, almost no one expected Force Awakens‘ bombshell of a plot twist: Rey is a Jedi. The film already hinted at her having a mysterious past but this reveal cracked open a Pandora’s Box of wild speculation and possibilities. Millions of fans are already convinced that Luke is her father but with the way Force toyed with us, this almost seems too obvious. Surely the writers wouldn’t go to all that trouble only to give us a ‘reveal’ that was plain as day.
Johnson previously said that family is “a huge part of especially Rey’s character, something that was a really powerful part of her setup and something I really wanted to dig into with this,” so Luke revealing his relation to her near the end of the training could serve to strengthen their bond and her own inner strength. One plausible theory is that Luke found a wife and had a child but was forced itno hiding when the Knights of Ren or Kylo killed his wife.
We see Rey being dropped off on Jakku while a ship flies off into the distance during her vivid flashback. Could this have been Luke placing her in hiding, much like Obi Wan and Bail Organa did for Luke and Leia, to keep her out of the First Order’s or Knights’ reach? Possibly. But what if she isn’t a Skywalker? What if, instead, she’s actually a Kenobi?
She uses the same mind trick Obi Wan used in A New Hope and wears similar cothes to the ones he wore in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. The biggest hint Daisy Ridley has given us was when she said “Because I’ve said that I’m solitary, and that’s how I begin, that is probably a big clue as to what Rey’s parentage is“. Obi Wan spent thirty years in exile after Revenge and little is known about what transpired in those times so he too could have had offspring. Who knows?
Supreme Leader Snoke is Darth Plagueis
Out of all the theories and debates surrounding The Last Jedi, this might be the most contentious of them all. When Supreme Leader Snoke first appeared in Force Awakens, we knew he was an old, possibly ancient being, who wields great power in manipulation and the Dark Side. He helped orchestrate the First Order and swayed millions to his side and seeing as how he has a massive scar on his face, is a deadly being you don’t want to find yourself in the crosshairs of.
In Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine told Anakin “it’s a Sith legend. Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith so powerful and so wise, he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life. He had such a knowledge of the Dark Side, he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying“. He goes on to reference a mentor, without naming him, who had immense control of the Force and it’s thought that Plagueis died sometime in the past. If Plagueis was truly that powerful, though, he could easily keep himself from dying.
Due to his infamy, however, he would need to go into hiding while the events of the prequels and original trilogies played out to prevent any attention from being drawn to him. Snoke being revealed as Darth Plagueis would be terrifying for our new leads because this would mean they’d be facing an enemy who’s been the pupeteer behind Palpatine’s rise to power, Darth Vader’s reign of terror and the continual resurgence of the Sith and Dark Side.
If Snoke is indeed Plagueis, that means he is more powerful than Palpatine, and Vader and stands as the series’ most dangerous villain yet. This would also serve as a fantastic way to wrap up all of the story threads from the previous seven films and lead to one, tremendous finale.
We should also note that The Last Jedi could also be plural and referring to mutiple Jedi, possibly Luke and Rey. Once we get our first teaster trailer, some of these theories may begin to be proven true or we might come out even more confused than ever. I’d be happy either way and just hope that Director Rian Johnson can deliver a powerful, emotionally charged and resonant film that stands up to the series’ best.
He’s the man behind some of Breaking Bad‘s greatest episodes so you can almost guarantee this film will be something special.
Those are just a few of my theories on what could be revealed in The Last Jedi but do you guys have any theories of your own? Leave a comment below on what you think might happen and hit that like button if you want to see more content like this in the future!!
May the Force be with you.
The Anchor Point 