12 theories about 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi,' from the bonkers to the brilliant
[Photo by: Lucasfilm/Walt Disney Pictures]
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is almost here (it hits theatres Dec. 15), so to hold us over, we decided to trawl YouTube, Reddit, the Outer Rim and the Unknown Regions in search of answers to some of our biggest questions about the year’s most anticipated film. Focusing our efforts on two of Episode 8’s key players–Rey and Supreme Leader Snoke–we’ve read up theories involving Mace Windu, giant glowing eggs and [gasp] Darth Jar Jar Binks. Lightsabers at the ready!
Read more: Star Wars actor Adam Driver doesn’t know what emo is
REY
Theory: Rey is a descendant of Jedi Master and Star Wars legend Obi-Wan Kenobi.
[GIF by: Giphy]
One of the hottest theories about the mysterious heritage of force-sensitive scavenger Rey is that she belongs to the Kenobi family tree. Purveyors of this theory point to Rey’s vision in The Force Awakens, where she hears the voice of Obi-Wan, as well as her actions on Starkiller Base mimicking those of the Jedi Master on the Death Star in A New Hope, as evidence in favor of the Rey Kenobi idea.
Likelihood rating: 8/10; we like this idea, and with an Obi-Wan spin-off reportedly in the works, it could fit the direction of the franchise going forward.
Read more: Daisy Ridley is ready to leave Star Wars after Episode IX
Theory: Forget Obi-Wan; Rey’s dad is Ezra Bridger from Star Wars Rebels, and he’ll be played by Benicio Del Toro in Episode 8.
[GIF by: Giphy]
People who follow the Star Wars franchise closely are aware of the character of Ezra, the protagonist at the center of Disney’s animated Star Wars Rebels TV show. Reddit user Darth Hodor has come up with a pretty neat theory postulating Ezra’s fall to the dark side and Luke Skywalker subsequently hiding his daughter, Rey, from him. Sounds like a pretty cool idea to us.
Likelihood rating: 6/10; this is a creative take on Rey’s parents, and while it would be a treat for hardcore fans, would Disney put so much focus on a fringe character? We’re not sure…
Theory: Never mind about the Rebels TV show; we’ve already seen Rey’s father/grandfather in every saga film apart from Episode 7. It’s Emperor Palpatine, duh.
This theory reckons that Rey is the relation of none other than the evil mastermind and Sith Lord Sheev Palpatine, who conspired to bring about the downfall of the Republic and the Jedi Order until he was eventually destroyed by Luke Skywalker. But YouTube’s SYLO: Star Wars thinks that the Emperor lives on in Rey, highlighting similar lightsaber techniques between the two, as well as Luke’s apparent fear of Rey in The Last Jedi trailer.
Likelihood rating: 6/10; it could definitely happen, but shrouding their new hero in the cloud of the dark side would be a bold move from Lucasfilm.
Theory: You’re all overcomplicating things! Rey is a Skywalker, like we all thought in the first place.
YouTube channel Star Wars Coffee’s view is that Disney has been (inadvertently) trolling us ever since The Force Awakens dropped in 2015. Just because they didn’t come out and say it, doesn’t mean the most likely theory about Rey’s father–that he is Luke Skywalker–isn’t the right one. They argue that Rey’s use of a Skywalker lightsaber in TFA, the fact that Kylo Ren (arguably) knows who she is, and that the main saga films revolve around the Skywalker family, all point to Rey being the offspring of Luke.
Likelihood rating: 8/10; it certainly makes sense, but wouldn’t Rey Skywalker be a bit of a cop-out by Disney?
Theory: Quit with all this, “Who are Rey’s parents?” nonsense. The bigger question is: “Who is the last Jedi?” The answer? Rey, of course.
[GIF by: Giphy]
Director Rian Johnson may have seemingly debunked the idea that the identity of “the last Jedi” is anyone other than Luke, but that hasn’t stopped some people sticking to the notion that, actually, it’s Rey. Could Luke die in Episode 8, having trained Rey in the ways of the Force, and subsequently pass on the mantle to her?
Likelihood rating: 3/10; The Last Jedi’s director seems to have put this one to bed, but there’s an outside chance he could be telling a fib.
SUPREME LEADER SNOKE
Theory: Remember how Kylo Ren is a part of a group called the Knights of Ren? Well, Snoke’s master is a person called Ren, and they’re the real big baddie behind everything.
[GIF by: Giphy]
Prominent Star Wars theorist Mike Zeroh is of the opinion that there’s a greater force of evil than Snoke that’s going to be revealed in The Last Jedi, and they’re going to be this “Ren” we keep hearing about. Zeroh predicts that, like all dark-side users, Snoke must have had a mentor like Palpatine and Darth Vader before him; and the prominence of the term “Ren” in The Force Awakens leads him to believe that Ren could be the real enemy.
Likelihood rating: 4/10; a nice thought, but if Snoke is a follower of Ren, like Kylo Ren is, wouldn’t he have the word “Ren” in his name, too? And wouldn’t Snoke himself be a part of the Knights of Ren?
Theory: ‘Ren’ has nothing to do with Snoke; he was created by the infamous Darth Plagueis.
[GIF by: Giphy]
A lot of folks are predicting that Snoke will turn out to be Palpatine’s former master, Darth Plagueis the Wise, but one Reddit user is taking that theory a step further, presenting the idea that Snoke is a creation of Plagueis. The Force was supposedly manipulated to create Anakin Skywalker, so what if that happened again and created a being altogether more evil in the form of Supreme Leader Snoke?
Likelihood rating: 4/10; it’s more likely that Snoke will turn out to be Plagueis himself, but the Force has been manipulated to create life before, so there’s some strength to this theory.
Theory: Snoke’s older than Plagueis, and he’s an ancient Sith we’ve never encountered before.
YouTube channel Star Wars Theory claims to have a source that confirms Snoke is an ancient Sith Lord from the Old Republic era who has been entombed in the Unknown Regions for years, and this revelation will lead to Disney creating a new trilogy set in the time of the Old Republic. Apparently Snoke survives by sucking the life out of fellow Force users, and this is why he’s taken Kylo Ren as an apprentice and is hunting Luke Skywalker and Rey–so he can use them to strengthen his powers.
Likelihood rating: 7/10; this would be pretty cool, and it fits into Disney’s plans to continue expanding the Star Wars universe.
Theory: You’re all wrong! Snoke is MACE WINDU, and FINN is his SON (seriously, we’re not kidding).
This is a super complex theory, but in a nutshell, here it is: Mace Windu wasn’t killed by Palpatine; he’s alive and he’s really pissed off. The former Jedi Master is now deformed and has become Snoke, hell-bent on vengeance and looking to kill Luke after Anakin betrayed him. This theory also regards Rey as the offspring of Palpatine, and therefore Snoke/Windu is also looking to kill her after the Emperor helped Anakin defeat him. If that wasn’t enough, the theory also argues that Finn is the estranged son of Snoke, banished to the ranks of the Stormtroopers after not showing enough Force-wielding potential as a child.
Likelihood rating: 2/10; we’re gonna look dumb if this turns out to be true, but we just can’t see it. If Mace Windu was going to be the villain in this new trilogy, surely Samuel L. Jackson would have returned, rather than be begging in the media to reprise his role?
Read more: The Last Jedi gets a description of its first 10 minutes
Speaking of theories that were just never going to be true, here are three ludicrous Star Wars theories from over the years to round this list off:
Theory: Rey hatched from an egg!
[GIF by: Giphy]
This one revolves around a culture featured in a Poe Dameron comic called the Crèche, who worship a giant blue egg they believe will one day spawn the savior of the Star Wars galaxy. Some reckon Rey popped out of that egg, making our new hero what is essentially a Force-sensitive chicken. Sorry, eggers–this theory is just plain rotten.
Theory: Darth Qui-Gon!
[GIF by: Giphy]
Another crazy theory making the rounds speculates that Episode 1 hero, Qui-Gon Jinn, was, in fact, a Sith Lord in disguise, with the Jedi Master coercing his fellow Jedi into training Anakin, thereby bringing about the destruction of the Jedi Order. Liam Neeson’s character was a maverick, but we refuse to believe he was secretly an evil mastermind.
Theory: DARTH JAR JAR!
[GIF by: Giphy]
This is the most infamous of all Star Wars theories: That of the alleged secret Sith Lord, Darth Jar Jar Binks. Nope, he wasn’t just a bumbling alien that made fart jokes and was there for the kids; the most hated creature in Star Wars fandom was actually an evil mastermind working with Palpatine to bring about the downfall of the Republic. Yeah, it’s obviously nonsense, but a villainous Jar Jar is better than a Jar Jar that was there just to sell toys, right? Right?!
Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits theaters Dec. 15.
