Who Is ‘The Last Jedi’ in ‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’? Maybe It’s Not That Obvious
The official title of the next chapter in the Star Wars saga was announced this morning, and there’s already been a little speculation among fans about who The Last Jedi might be — is it Luke Skywalker (the obvious choice) or Rey (the second-most obvious choice)? As it turns out, we already know, and by “we,” we mean you do, too…unless you didn’t see The Force Awakens. But observant fans will tell you that there may be a third option — one that’s less apparent, but a little more intriguing.
This morning, Lucasfilm officially unveiled the title of Episode VIII as Star Wars: The Last Jedi — a great title, and one that writer / director Rian Johnson recently said he’s had in mind since he first wrote the script. Almost immediately, though, fans began to ponder the identity of this eponymous Jedi. While Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker is the obvious answer, there’s some wiggle room; it could just as easily be Daisy Ridley’s Rey, who finds the reclusive Luke at the end of The Force Awakens and, in the final moments, extends her hand to offer the legendary Jedi his lightsaber. Since Rey appears to be one with The Force, she could become a Jedi herself with a little proper training from Luke.
But there’s no need to speculate — The Force Awakens already told us who the last Jedi is, and it’s Luke. Andy Serkis’ Snoke reveals this in a scene early on in the film, while speaking with Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren and Domhnall Gleeson’s General Hux:
The droid will soon be delivered to the Resistance, leading them to the last Jedi. If Skywalker returns, the new Jedi will rise.
What’s more, the film’s opening crawl also refers to Luke as the “last Jedi” in the very first paragraph:
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.
OK, OK, even then it’s still possible that the Episode VIII title is cleverly misleading — we know Luke is the last Jedi, but he may very well pass that honor down to Rey. (And if Luke dies, then Rey truly will be the last Jedi.)
There is another option, however, and it’s one that’s a bit more complex…and interesting: As a friend of mine pointed out on Facebook, Star Wars Rebels (which is official canon in the Star Wars universe) has introduced the concept of an ancient, enlightened being known as The Bendu, which doesn’t view The Force as merely good or bad, light or dark, Jedi or Sith; it’s a balance of the two. Perhaps Luke has intentionally made himself the last Jedi in an effort to restore balance to The Force — thus fulfilling the great Jedi prophecy.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi also stars Carrie Fisher, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Gwendoline Christie, Laura Dern and Benicio Del Toro, and hits theaters on December 15.