Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer sparks speculation

Star Wars fans are, to say the least, excited: the new trailer for The Last Jedi came out October 9 and tickets are now on sale. The trailer focuses on Rey and Kylo Ren, the light and the dark – a classic Star Wars theme. Some fans have expressed disappointment that other characters, like Finn or Poe, weren’t given much focus. Whether this reflects how the screen time will be distributed amongst the characters is yet to be known.

If you haven’t watched the trailer yet and/or want to remain unspoiled, TURN BACK NOW.

2015’s The Force Awakens only gave us hints of Kylo Ren’s previous life as Ben Solo. Since then, the little information we’ve gotten has only come from supplemental material such as books. It appears that The Last Jedi will reveal much more of his backstory, as well as his character in general: it has already shown us more of Snoke, Kylo Ren’s master, and the sway Snoke seems to hold over him. Kylo Ren is also heavily implied as intending to kill his mother Leia Organa, but it is far from a done deal. The trailer emphasizes Kylo Ren’s internal conflict (Adam Driver does some great face-acting).

The trailer also shows clips of Rey training on an island of Ahch-To with Luke Skywalker. She is implied to have special power. Luke seems rather bedraggled and wild-eyed, which is fitting since he’s been in isolation for years. It will be interesting to see how their dynamic parallels and contrasts with that of Luke and Yoda.

Finn, meanwhile, appears to be undercover in the First Order. He probably does this alongside Rose Tico who was introduced in a previous teaser. Then we see him battling Captain Phasma on a fiery landscape. Personally this is the scene that excites me most. It implies Finn isn’t done battling his demons, both internal and external, and I am eager to see more of Phasma (especially after the Phasma novel came out earlier this fall).

And who could forget the porgs? According to director Rian Johnson, they were inspired by the puffins living on Skellig Michael, the island where they filmed the Luke and Rey training scenes. Skeptics see them as little more than a marketing ploy to sell more toys. To which I say: Take my money! They’re cute; what more could you ask for? There is also a brief clip of a white fox-like animal on the planet Crait, which Rian Johnson has revealed is an old mining planet that once had a Rebel base. Little else is known about this planet or its importance to the movie. The fox-like animals are similarly mysterious.

The main mystery people are talking about, however, are those last few seconds.

Rey says, “I need someone to show me my place in all this.” The trailer cuts to Kylo Ren, who then reaches out his hand.

Does this mean Rey will turn to the Dark Side? Star Wars fans have already started speculating about what’s truly going on. It has been pointed out that Rey is wearing her Ahch-To clothes and hairstyle, presumably from earlier in the film, while Kylo Ren, surrounded by smoke and ash, is probably not on the island of Ahch-To. Additionally, in this shot, Kylo Ren is missing the bandage over his face wound. None of these details prove a specific theory, but they suggest that there is more going on than the trailer shows us.

The last shot also means that Kylo Ren is holding his hand out to someone. That detail alone has set off another flurry of speculation. Is he holding his hand out to Rey? Leia? Snoke? Finn? Some other previously non-introduced character – maybe one of the Knights of Ren?

I would advise people not to get too attached to one theory. After all, to quote Star Wars News Net, “The Last Jedi is deliberately trying to increase fan interest by playing to fan theories and confusing viewers with clever editing.” The only way to know for sure what’s going on is to watch the movie, which comes out December 15 in the United States.

(Credit to Star Wars News Net for supplying some fan reactions.)