Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi Predictions
The highly anticipated sequel to 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens title has finally been revealed via the official Star Wars twitter account! Rey, Luke Skywalker, Finn, Poe (and BB-8!) will return in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Here’s the title card Lucasfilm tweeted this morning.
This reveal shut down rumors that surfaced last May that the film would be subtitled “Fall of the Resistance.” However, what does this mean for our new favorite space rebels? Rian Johnson, the film’s director, has already stated that he wants the film to have the same exciting and feel-good atmosphere as The Force Awakens, but this hasn’t stopped fans from speculating the new film will take a darker approach than to the prior film, akin to the difference in tone between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back. With the red outlined lettering of “Star Wars” and the dark-and-peril connotation that “The Last Jedi” holds I say it’s safe to assume Episode VIII will reach a certain level of darkness that The Force Awakens had not.
But now let’s get to the literal meaning of the subtitle. Who is the last Jedi? Fans have already begun panicking that this could mean the end of our childhood hero, Luke Skywalker (meaning Rey would be the last Jedi by the film’s end). That’s easily the most obvious interpretation, and when it comes to Star Wars titles they tend to be fairly obvious and straight forward. However, the franchise has kept to seriously high levels of secrecy, and I’m sure the title of the film is meant to not reveal too much of the next stage in the Skywalker saga. Some are speculating that Jedi could actually be plural, as to say “[Rey and Luke are] The Last Jedi.” Maybe that number could go even farther than just Rey and Luke? We now know that Luke was training a school of Jedi before they were wiped out by who we assume was Kylo Ren, but could have some of them escaped and are now in hiding? Or perhaps new characters will be revealed to also be force sensitive. Only time will tell.
All in all, I don’t expect Lucasfilm to give away too many details with any sort of reveal for the franchise. No matter how obvious their title cards may be, this title can indeed have many different interpretations. With that said, prepare for the worst!
Star Wars: The Last Jedi will premiere in theaters on December 15, 2017. May the Force be with you.
