STAR WARS
VIII burning questions we have about The last Jedi. Richard Edwards unleashes the Bothan spies…
We’re having Force visions about The Last Jedi and a certain Han Solo.
Who is Supreme Leader Snoke?
IWe know that he’s in charge of the First Order. We know that he’s in tune with the Dark Side of the Force. We know that he’s got a whopping great scar across his face. But beyond that, actual facts about Supreme Leader Snoke are pretty thin on the ground. Indeed, for all we know, he might be six inches tall, and use his holographic projections to give the illusion of great presence. In fact, that would be a cool twist…
But who the hell is he? Early rumours suggested he may be a reincarnation of Darth Plagueis, the Sith Lord who trained Palpatine. Others suggested it may be Admiral Gallius Rax, the post-Emperor puppet master in Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath novels. We suspect, however, that he’s someone – or something – else entirely. The Aftermath series tells of Palpatine studying a major Dark Side presence in the Unknown Regions of the galaxy, which – conveniently – are where the First Order was established. Could that be Snoke?
Alas, rumours that he’s Jar Jar Binks in disguise seem to be unfounded, now that we’ve learned the hapless Gungan wound up performing as a clown, wracked with guilt for his role in making Palpatine’s rise to power possible. How tragic…
How did Snoke corrupt Kylo Ren?
II
In Force-sensitive circles, the son of Leia Organa, nephew of Luke and grandson of Darth Vader was always going to be something of a poster boy – especially as he’s the perfect nexus of the light and dark sides of the Force. But how did Snoke get his claws into the man formerly known as Ben Solo? Leia kept the identity of Ben’s grandad from him until he was in his mid-20s, when it was unceremoniously – and very publicly – leaked by her enemies. Was that enough to push him over the edge? Was Luke’s Jedi school really that bad? Did he just fancy wearing the Sith-like uniform of the Knights of Ren? Whatever the motivation, it seems key to The
Last Jedi’s plot – as does what Kylo Ren’s final training, as promised by Snoke, will involve.
Who are the “last Jedi” of the title?
III
Never has a plural been pored over so meticulously. In English, the “Last Jedi” could equally refer to “one” or “many” practitioners of the Force. But the rules of the French language mean it’s translated as “Les Derniers Jedi” – so we know there has to be more than one of them.
But who are they? Luke’s a certainty – Yoda says so in Return Of The Jedi, and he’s namechecked as such in The Force Awakens’s opening crawl. As for the other(s)… Did any of Luke’s pupils survive the Kylo Ren massacre? Or could it be Rey?
We think the latter’s more likely. We know that Episode VIII will pick up immediately after the end of the previous movie, on the planet of Ahch-To, and with Luke guaranteed to actually say something this time – a Disney event in March confirmed his first words to Rey are “Who are you?” – that leaves plenty of opportunity to train Rey in the ways of Force.
We’d also like to know why he entrusted his whereabouts to Max von Sydow’s Lor San Tekka – a flashback may be necessary.
Who is Rey?
IV
Arguably the source of the most speculation is the identity of Rey’s parents – and why they left her with Unkar Plutt, of all people, on Jakku. They must have pretty good reasons…
Luke, Han and Leia have all been mentioned as possibilities, but surely one of them would have worked out that Rey was the little girl they abandoned on a desert world – and Luke wouldn’t be asking who she is. Obi-Wan Kenobi is also probably out of the equation, because he died a decade before Rey was born. So we think it’s someone else entirely.
The Aftermath novels reveal that Jakku is more important than it looks, featuring areas of archaeological interest that led Palpatine to build research stations there. Could she have been conceived by something other than humans? Maybe some pesky Midichlorians were involved as they were with Anakin Skywalker, in the most fan-baiting storytelling move in history!
Does the New Republic care about the First Order now?
VAfter defeating the Empire at the Battle of Jakku three decades before the events of The Force Awakens, the New Republic got complacent, and ignored the swelling ranks of Imperial fanboys that would become the First Order. Only Leia saw them as a threat, and formed the Resistance (tolerated, but not endorsed by the administration) to keep an eye on them.
Now that Starkiller Base has wiped out the Hosnian system that was home to the government, however, we suspect the First Order has the New Republic’s full attention. More important, perhaps, is whether they still have sufficient resources left to fight back against General Hux and Captain Phasma (who’ll hopefully have a bit more to do this time) – even if they’re still smarting from Starkiller’s own demise.
How did Maz Kanata get her hands on Luke’s lightsaber?
VI
She’s over a thousand years old, so undoubtedly has many stories to tell, but surely the tale of how Maz Kanata stumbled upon Anakin Skywalker’s (latterly Luke’s) lightsaber is the most intriguing. Indeed, she assured us in The Force Awakens that it was “a good question for another time” and surely now is that time – even if she’s likely a tad pissed off that the First Order and Resistance trashed her castle. Early versions of The Force Awakens script reportedly opened with the ’saber (and Luke’s disembodied hand) floating through space – it would be great if that plotline made it into The Last Jedi.
Will we see more of Star Wars’ criminal underworld?
VII
The Star Wars galaxy has always been a tug of war between the order of the Republic and the Empire, and the criminal underworld who call wretched hives of scum and villainy home.
The Force Awakens only scratched the surface of this world with the likes of Unkar Plutt, the rival gangsters who intercept Han and Chewie, plus the patrons of Maz’s castle, but it’s a social group in the galaxy that The Last Jedi definitely needs to plunder. The Bloodline novel hinted at gangsters trying to fill the Jabba the Hutt-shaped void in the universe – they even helped fund the First Order – so they’re definitely a presence in this era.
Is there a way for Han Solo to come back?
VIII
There’s not usually a route back for dead non-Force wielders – but have we really seen the last of the galaxy’s favourite Corellian smuggler? After all, one leaked Last Jedi call sheet mentioned Harrison Ford, while Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy told Episode VII’s European premiere that “all the cast members you see here tonight will be in [Episode VIII] as well”. But the question is, will that be in the form of a resurrection, a flashback, or simply as a hologram at his much-rumoured funeral.
And there are so many other questions beyond that. Like who new cast members Benicio Del Toro (definitely a villain, but probably not Boba Fett’s son), Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern and Ade Edmondson are playing. Whether the First Order will abandon the clearly flawed plan of building “indestructible” armoured battlestations. And if this will be the first Star Wars movie since The
Empire Strikes Back to not feature a desert planet. Come on guys, let’s try somewhere different!
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is out on 15 December. Expect more to be revealed at Star Wars Celebration, which runs from 13-16 April in Orlando. Turn over for the latest on the Han Solo movie…