Lucasfilm just officially announced the Star Wars: Episode VIII title as Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and already a bit of a storm in a teacup has begun brewing online as fans debate what the title might mean. Well, without having seen the film, we can still provide ample evidence that the last Jedi of the title is, in fact, Luke Skywalker, and before you second-guess that to death, let’s provide you with several bits of tangible evidence from 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
For starters, it says very clearly in the opening crawl of Episode VII that Luke is, at this point in the timeline, the last Jedi…
There it is. For those grasping at straws looking for some of those “alternative facts” that are becoming more popular these days, there is also a scene in the film where Supreme Leader Snoke refers directly to Luke by the same moniker:
“The droid will soon be delivered to the Resistance… leading them to the last Jedi,” said Snoke.
So there you have it. Yes, “Jedi” is the plural of “Jedi,” but unless Luke has been training an army of pelicans in the ways of the Force on Ahch-To island, he be it. Of course, the thing Snoke fears most is Luke reigniting a generation of Jedi led by new kid on the block Rey (Daisy Ridley), which Rian Johnson has already confirmed we’ll see the beginnings of in Episode VIII. We’re not saying that the title may not contain some hidden meaning, but generally Star Wars titles have been pretty direct. The clones done attacketh, the Empire strucketh back, etc. At the end of the day, fans should be celebrating what this title is announcing: After 34 years, Luke Skywalker is truly back, and rather than being a silent McGuffin, he’s the central character of this new installment of our beloved Saga.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which is written and directed by Rian Johnson and continues the storylines introduced in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, welcomes back cast members Mark Hamill, the late Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Lupita Nyong’o, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, and Andy Serkis. New cast members will include Academy Award winner Benicio Del Toro, Academy Award nominee Laura Dern, and newcomer Kelly Marie Tran.
The sequel is produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman and executive produced by J.J. Abrams, Jason McGatlin, and Tom Karnowski.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is scheduled for release in theaters on December 15, 2017.
