Cast your mind back to December of 2014, when Disney and Lucasfilm were beginning to awaken a long-dormant, cinematic Force, and you’ll no doubt recall the sheer amount of curiosity and excitement swirling around Kylo Ren’s crossguard lightsaber.
Built to resemble a medieval sword from a bygone era, the weapon’s design was a fairly major departure from the lightsabers of old, as it offered its owner – the disillusioned Ben Solo, in this instance – protection in close-quarters combat. No longer could an opponent’s lightsaber slide down to the hilt and slice off a hand.
That’s not to say that Kylo Ren escaped The Force Awakens without so much as a scratch; following his duel with Rey on Starkiller Base, we know Adam Driver’s mercurial baddie will be sporting a gnarly facial scar come December, when all eyes in the galaxy will be trained on Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
There’s plenty to discuss coming out of last night’s spectacular trailer, and thanks to our own thorough breakdown, we’ve identified a handful of major theories concerning Rian Johnson’s sequel, Rey’s destiny, and Supreme Leader Snoke. As for Kylo Ren, though, it would appear the big bad formerly known as Ben Solo will be wielding a remodeled lightsaber in his fight against the “vulnerable” Resistance.
As you’ll notice, this is a decidedly darker rendition of Kylo Ren’s crossguard ‘saber, likely to reflect his descent into the dark side. There’s still a little bit of Ben Solo hiding away behind that disfigured face though, as evidenced by the moment when Kylo hesitates to fire upon General Leia Organa – she’s still his mother, for crying out loud! – and the Resistance fleet. Perhaps that will factor into The Last Jedi‘s overarching story? Time will tell.
Now that the full-length trailer is out in the open and budding fans are pouring over each and every frame, it’ll be some time yet before we receive new intel on Star Wars: The Last Jedi. And really, that’s okay, lest Lucasfilm spoil all the surprises in the lead-up to December 15th.
