Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi is set to land on our planet on December 15th and, just like Christmas, sci-fi nerds everywhere can’t wait to open their Disney/Lucasfilm/Pixar/ABC/ ESPN/ Marvel soon to be 20th Century Fox … present.
For some people, the best part of Christmas presents is the surprise. They have stared longingly at the gifts under the tree for weeks, and as they tear into the wrapping on Christmas morning, a world of possibilities awaits. For others, the wait is too much. These are the kids who sneak around under cover of night and shake their presents, listening closely for any telling sound. This article is for them, for the Star Wars fans who just cannot wait another moment to find out what’s in store for our space heroes.
A couple of years ago, Episode VII: The Force Awakens thrust us into a galaxy of nostalgia, reacquainting us with some old friends and introducing us to some new ones, like Rey, Poe Dameron, Finn, and Kylo Ren. But the film left us with more questions than answers.
What is Rey’s connection to the force? Who are her parents? What actually happened between Ben Solo (Kylo Ren) and Luke Skywalker? Who is Supreme Leader Snoke? Will Rey or Luke turn to the dark side? Who shot first Han Solo or Greedo? (Okay maybe that last question has been asked since 1977, but we all know Han shot first, right?)
At first blush, The Last Jedi trailers seem to provide some clues to a few of the big questions and give a lot away about the plot in Episode VIII. But it’s very likely that the trailers are misleading us – on purpose – with some fancy editing and red herrings.
When The Force Awakens came out, it was widely noted how closely it paralleled Episode IV: A New Hope. Though Rian Johnson has already stated that any similarities are unintentional, there is a good chance that The Last Jedi will continue the parallels and give us a darker story similar to Episode V: Empire Strikes Back. By its very nature, there will be some structural similarities, and we can probably expect some sort of big twist.
The trailers tease Rey reaching out to Kylo Ren to help her understand the Force. Will there be a Rey turn to the dark side? Many fans would love to see it, but it feels too predictable and screams red herring.
The bigger question surrounding Rey is her heritage. Is she a Skywalker? Perhaps. But it seems more likely that she’s actually a Kenobi.
Why?
If you ever watched the animated series The Clone Wars, you will now that Obi-Wan had a little fling with Duchess Satine Kryze, leader of the Mandalorians. They could have had a child in secret and that child could be Rey. A child of Mandalorian and Jedi descent would no doubt have to be hidden, thus why she was dropped off on Jakku. There are rumors of some Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) flashbacks at some point in this trilogy and let’s also not forget about the Kenobi voice saying, “Rey, you’ve taken your first steps” in one of Rey’s visions.
That is but one of many well-researched fan theories, and there are plenty more in the dark recesses of the internet.
