Well, the full trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, is finally here. I have to admit, I wasn’t quite on the Star Wars Hype Train for this film – at least until now. Instead of just reviewing the trailer (which we’ve all watched a thousand times on loop by now anyway, right?), I’m going to speculate on what all this new information could possibly mean for the plot of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and possibly even Episode IX.
Again, to reiterate, this article is complete speculation. This is the author’s own personal take based on the information thus far presented. I could be (and likely am) very, very wrong on every theory presented below. But we here at Star Wars Reporter love a good fan theory and think that there’s fewer things more fun than asking yourself “What if…” when it comes to a galaxy far, far away.
We open to Snoke’s “When I found you I saw raw, untamed power – and beyond that, something truly special.” While it’s easy enough to assume he’s talking to Kylo Ren this might not be the case. What if he’s talking to Rey? We know from the novelization of The Force Awakens that Snoke sensed Rey’s presence and abilities during her duel with Kylo Ren on the surface of Starkiller Base. Movie tie-in books are based on film scripts, so it is possible Snoke also sensed her in the film. It’s also a fairly easy leap to presume that Supreme Leader Snoke is treacherous and quite willing to betray whomever he needs to for the sake of power. Han Solo even warns his son that Snoke is using him.
Cut to Rey talking to Luke about something inside her that is now awake and how she needs help. Judging from the various clips, we can assume that Luke does agree to train her – at least at first. But Luke Skywalker looks afraid. He even says as much. So perhaps as Rey’s power grows, he withdraws from his role as an instructor.
Without Luke’s aid, Rey returns to a clearly battle-worn Resistance that has suffered terrible losses. It is implied that these losses include the death of General Leia Organa (presumably at the hands of her own son). But with the Resistance on the ropes, Finn in deep undercover and likely in over his head, it is my guess that Rey is again captured by agents of the First Order.
But this time around, Snoke isn’t leaving things to Kylo Ren. No, he’s handling the matter personally. He tortures Rey, as we’ve seen in the trailer – but perhaps, like Kylo, he can’t break her. Or maybe he does. I’m not sure. Either way, my guess is that after an interrogation that includes offers to train her as his apprentice and offer Rey a place in his First Order replacing Kylo Ren. Ren finds out about Snoke’s willingness to betray him and that his father and mother were correct. Snoke is using him. He wants revenge.
This time around, it’s Kylo who helps Rey. He comes to her for aid, and she (in the face of being abandoned by Skywalker) reluctantly agrees to team up with him so that together they can defeat the First Order. Rey is, above all things, looking for a teacher and a place in the galaxy. Maybe she thinks she can reign in Kylo’s darker tendencies. Perhaps The Last Jedi ends with the two of them working together, Master and Apprentice, to begin the offensive against Snoke and his regime.
But just because he’s working against the First Order does not make Kylo a “good guy.” If I’m going to wildly speculate, I’d like to go a bit further. The arc of this story could easily carry into Episode 9, where we see Rey and Ren actually beginning to win the war against the First Order. The Resistance is achieving victory after victory – but at what cost? With each victory they become more and more like the thing they are fighting.
Luke, seeing an even greater darkness in both Rey and Ren uniting, finally reveals himself fully and goes to stop them. He confronts them both (and possibly reveals that he is Rey’s father), but in the process Luke Skywalker is killed. I’m betting by Kylo. Rey either does not try to stop him or (more likely) is prevented by Ren from stopping Luke’s death. That’s when she realizes Luke was right. They’ve gone too far.
During their epic final confrontation with Snoke in Ep 9, it’ll be Rey and Ren vs. Snoke. Not quite sure how it’ll go down, but my bet is that at some point Snoke will promise Kylo some great power or tell him it was all a test, then betray and try to kill him. But Rey will sacrifice her life so Kylo Ren – so Ben Solo – can live. Rey dies to redeem Ben Solo as a parallel to Darth Vader dying to rescue his son. Rey, the “good” one, sacrifices her life because she believes Ben Solo with all his power and all his crimes, is still the greatest hope for the galaxy and that he can truly restore peace as the last Skywalker.
Or I could be completely wrong and Porgs might end up saving the entire universe with their invincible cuteness and adorable chirp. Regardless, I am completely on the hype train at this point and can’t wait for December 15th. In fact, I’ve already pre-ordered my tickets. Until then, let’s all freak out, speculate, talk about theories, ideas, what-ifs, and possibilities. Because in a galaxy far, far away, those possibilities are as infinite as the stars.
