“I’ve seen this raw strength only once before. It didn’t scare me enough then. It does now.”
Luke Skywalker isn’t known as a coward round these parts, nor is he a particularly frightful Star Wars character, but it’s clear his violent encounter with the young Ben Solo (AKA Kylo Ren), one which caused his Jedi Academy to crumble, left him with little choice but to distance himself from the Rebel Alliance and enter a state of exile.
His haven of choice? The far-flung planet of Ahch-To, an oceanic planet that is said to house both the last Jedi Temple and Luke’s rusting X-Wing, which is purportedly wasting away beneath the icy waves. When pulled together, it certainly explains Luke Skywalker’s hesitance to take Rey under his wing, even if Star Wars: The Last Jedi continues to play on the master-apprentice dynamic. But it would seem Daisy Ridley’s budding Jedi has problems of her own, after voicing a need for guidance in last night’s stunning full trailer. “I need someone to show me my place in all of this.”
Could it be that Rey is on the verge of succumbing to the dark side? It would certainly explain her blistering rise to power, and we all know how much Star Wars likes to play on the idea of a disillusioned youth struggling to gain control of their moral compass.
Even still, we’re more inclined to believe that The Last Jedi trailer is merely an example of clever editing, much like how Star Wars: The Force Awakens originally framed John Boyega’s Finn as the up-and-coming Jedi. It seems slightly more likely that Rey and Kylo Ren are actually related, thus explaining the former’s steely first exchange with Luke Skywalker upon arriving on Ahch-To.
That speculation will likely continue to swirl right up until December 15th, when Star Wars: The Last Jedi is due to drop in theaters.