On Monday, January 23, the Star Warssocial media accounts dropped some pretty hefty news fans have been waiting for for months: the much-anticipated name of Episode VIII!
Similar to the teaser poster for The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, sits on the black backdrop of space, the new red lettering contrasting with the noir of the galaxy.
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It will still be a while before we get a teaser trailer, and even longer until we know what the name truly implies regarding the next installment's plot (like, until the movie comes out-long), but until then, we can have fun guessing!
Upon watching The Force Awakens, it seems pretty obvious that the title refers to Rey discovering her own Force-sensitivity, calling for the return of the missing Luke Skywalker to help her realize her true potential and become a Jedi powerful enough to defeat Kylo Ren and the First Order.
As for The Last Jedi, this can go down many different roads, and the one we hope that the movie doesn’t follow is the one that leads to Luke Skywalker dying (the horror!).
The new title could refer to the very obvious notion that Luke Skywalker truly is the last Jedi in existence, as stated in the opening crawl of The Force Awakens.
Perhaps this film will spend a great amount of time filling in the gaps between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, shedding light on what really happened between Ben Organa Solo and Luke and the fate of the New Jedi Order.
On the other hand, many people often forget that the word “Jedi” is both singular and plural. I.e., “Luke Skywalker is a Jedi,” or “All the Jedi will be eliminated, ‘and once more, the Sith will rule the galaxy.’” The title suggest that Luke may not be the only Jedi left in the galaxy: perhaps his other pupils and allies were able to escape (what is assumed to have been) the second Jedi purge by the Knights of Ren and are seeking refuge in hiding just like Obi-Wan and Yoda did once the Emperor seized control of the galaxy. Maybe Lucasfilm will even go as far to make Mara Jade, Luke's former enemy and wife, from the old expanded universe canon.
A more unlikely idea is that the title of Episode VII and VIII are directly connected, as though they are in a sentence: the Force awakens the last Jedi. Could the awakening of the Force have been powerful enough for Luke to feel from his reclusion, enough to make him willing to return to the battle against the evil First Order and rebuild his Jedi Order?
Speculation and anticipation go hand in hand, and attempting to guess everything that’s coming in the Star Wars franchise’s future is all a part of the fun. What do you think the title means? Is it hopeful, or does it mean something sinister…?
May the Force be with you until The Last Jedi releases in December.
