Star Wars Episode VIII – Who is the Last Jedi?
On Monday, Disney announced the title of the eighth episode in the Star Wars franchise. Star Wars: The Last Jedi is set to be released on December 15, 2017. It is rumored that The Last Jedi will be much darker than The Force Awakens, and many fans anticipate another monumental death scene, following the death of Han Solo in Episode VII.
What seems to be of the most interest, however, is the name of the latest episode. There has been plenty of speculation regarding who the last Jedi is. While there hasn’t been enough information released about the upcoming movie to definitively say it is any one person, past Star Wars movies have helped to narrow it down quite a bit.
Our first hint lies in Yoda’s last words: “Luke, when gone am I, the last of the Jedi, you will be,” (Star wars: Return of the Jedi). We see these key words again in the opening crawl of Episode VII: “Luke Skywalker has vanished. In his absence, the sinister FIRST ORDER has risen from the ashes of the Empire and will not rest until Skywalker, the last Jedi, has been destroyed,” (Star Wars: The Force Awakens). It is true that Luke was the last of the Jedi when Yoda died, and Luke is, quite obviously, a Skywalker. However, he is not the only remaining Skywalker. Some think it is possible that Leia could be the last Jedi. A great deal more believe it to be Rey. It is even possible for the last Jedi to be Kylo Ren, since he, too, has Skywalker blood running through his veins.
That brings us to our next movie clue. In The Force Awakens, Supreme Leader Snoke uses those key words: “The droid will soon be delivered to the Resistance, leading them to the last Jedi. If Skywalker returns, the new Jedi will rise,” (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) The droid in question, BB8, leads the Resistance to Luke Skywalker. This, along with our previous evidence, further confirms that Luke is the last Jedi that episodes VI and VII are referring to.
However, the word “Jedi” can be both singular and plural, and there is more than one Skywalker remaining. In addition to this detail, Snoke says, “If Skywalker returns, the new Jedi will rise,” (Star Wars: The Force Awakens). If Luke returns, as suggested at the end of Episode VII, the new Jedi (singular or plural) will rise. This “new Jedi” could be one person or many, which makes it even more difficult to pinpoint who could or could not be the last Jedi.
So is Luke the last Jedi? Perhaps that monumental death fans expect will be none other than his own, with Rey to replace him as the last Jedi. Perhaps the Jedi will rise again, stronger than ever. Perhaps the remaining Skywalkers will become the last Jedi. Until Disney releases more hints and details, it’s impossible to say. For the time being, it’s all just speculation!