The title of the next Star Wars film is making it crystal clear that the next movie is about a Jedi, and that Jedi is Luke Skywalker. But if Luke is the “last” Jedi, what kind of Force-user is Rey? Because, if Rey and Kylo Ren are indeed new kinds of warriors or Force-wielders, defined differently than the Jedi and the Sith, then this film might be the swan song for the Jedi.
Today, after Lucasfilm dropped the title for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Mark Hamill gave his reaction to it, saying the film had a “real samurai feel.” The Skywalker actor also praised the title as being “minimalist,” and mentioned he’d known the title since shooting the film last year. But if Luke is the last of his kind, what does that make Rey?
Writing on Birth.Movies.Death, Andrew Todd suggests that perhaps the saga is moving past the ideas of just Jedi and Sith. Essentially, Todd postulates that because both the Jedi and Sith deal in absolutes, neither can actually bring balance to the Force. Hence, something new is needed.
It’s a good theory, mostly because if Rey were to simply follow in the footsteps of the Jedi — or the Skywalkers — the pattern of people falling to the Dark side because of repressed sexual feelings and/or terrible hours at their job might continue to destroy the galaxy. This means that as heroic as he might be if Luke Skywalker is the last Jedi, that might end up being a good thing.
Now, all the saga needs is a new snappy definition for what kind of Force warrior Rey is. Maybe if she’s the first of her kind, that name is good enough: a Knight of Rey.
The Last Jedi opens on December 15, 2017.
