Director Rian Johnson unveiled the first trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi today at the Star Wars Celebration, and fans worldwide are losing their minds. The trailer is the first footage we’ve seen of the next installment in the Star Wars saga, confirming a few of our suspicions about the film – like Luke’s disenchantment with the Jedi and the First Order becoming more aggressive in the wake of Starkiller Base’s destruction.
But for each theory The Last Jedi’s trailer confirms, it raises even more questions. Those questions are sure to be discussed to death between now and December, and it’s unlikely we’ll get any firm answers before then. So in the meantime, we’ve gathered together our biggest and burniest questions raised by The Last Jedi trailer in the hopes that if we all put our heads together, we might come up with some answers.
Here are our Biggest Questions From The Last Jedi Trailer:
Where is Rey in Her Training?
We know that The Last Jedi will be taking a closer look at Rey – delving into her past, possibly revealing her parentage, and explaining what her role as a Force-wielder will be in this new era for the galaxy. The trailer, however, is mostly concerned with Rey’s training on Ahch-To. This makes sense, since that’s where we last left her and it’s the most logical jumping-off point for the film, but it does raise some questions about the sort of training she’s receiving.
There was a big deal made among Star Wars fans about how proficient Rey appeared in The Force Awakens considering that (as far as we know) she hadn’t received any prior Force training. Within the span of that film, she was able to perform Jedi mind tricks, move objects with her mind and, of course, beat the living hell out of Kylo Ren with a lightsaber. What will Luke teach her? The trailer shows her levitating pebbles, which is reminiscent of Yoda’s training of Luke on Dagobah, but later she’s also shown taking part in some lightsaber exercises. So is Luke starting out fresh with her training, or right away moving on to something more advanced?
What Happened to Kylo Ren’s Mask?
After his beat down in the snow, Kylo Ren was rescued by the First Order, so it’s more than likely his wounds have been attended to and he’s had time to heal - physically, at least. Kylo will likely still be reeling from the emotional toll the events of The Force Awakens had on him (killing your father isn’t something that most people just get over in a weekend, if ever).
This brings us to his crushed helmet in The Last Jedi trailer. How did it come to be destroyed? Did he do that himself in a fit of rage? Sure seems like something Kylo would do, especially after a scolding or worse from Snoke. Perhaps there’s an even greater significance to Kylo Ren’s helmet being destroyed – as in, perhaps it signals his own disillusionment with the dark side? Maybe he comes to accept the light side (or a little of both, furthering that “grey” side theory) and casts off the Kylo Ren guise, returning to being Ben Solo?
What Are Those Ancient Books?
One of the more intriguing moments of The Last Jedi trailers comes in the form of two shots: one of a bookshelf on which several ancient tomes are sitting, the other a close-up shot of one of those books opened to a page displaying the Jedi symbol. As we’re told in The Force Awakens, when Luke disappears it’s said he went looking for the first Jedi temple. Whether he found it or not is still unclear, but it seems he has managed to find something relating to the Jedi Order.
What these books exactly are remains a mystery, but the most die hard of Star Wars fans probably have a good guess – The Journal of the Whills. This Journal has had many interpretations. At first it was an outline George Lucas created while plotting the original film, intending Star Wars to be one of many stories in a collection recounted to us by an immortal scribe or Whill. He eventually dropped the idea, but the concept remained in the background of Star Wars lore until it evolved into a chronicle of the galaxy by ancient, Force-connected beings known as The Whills. It’s been referenced occasionally – a brief passage from the Journal appears at the start of The Force Awakens novelization, referencing the dark, the light, and the Jedi; in Rogue One, Chirrut and Baze are referred to as Guardians of the Whills; and in the Revenge of the Sith novelization, Qui-Gon says the Whills’ teachings are a key part in living on through The Force.
Beyond these brief mentions, however, nothing more illuminating has ever been shared about the Journal of the Whills – perhaps, until now. If these books are in fact that ancient journal, then The Last Jedi might finally explain, in detail, what it contains. Are they ancient Jedi texts? A record of the galaxy? Do they contain secret Force knowledge which the Jedi Order suppressed?
What is Happening on Crait?
Much of the action in this first teaser for The Last Jedi centers around a battle between the Resistance and the First Order. The location of this battle has since been identified as a new world for the Star Wars saga – Crait, a planet far off in the Outer Rim where an invaluable mining depot for the Resistance is based (this might even be where our new character, Rose, work in maintenance). As we see in the trailer, the First Order is launching a ground assault while the Resistance counters with new ships, skimmers (for lack of a better word) that seem well-suited for Crait’s strange terrain. Is it the planet’s resources that bring the First Order there, or could they be hunting down the location of a new Resistance base?
There’s definitely an attack happening on some Resistance base in this trailer, but it’s unclear just where the scenes of Poe and BB-8 racing through the halls and Poe’s X-Wing getting blown up are actually happening. It’s doesn’t really look like the D’Qar base from The Force Awakens - there’s too much white and not enough vegetation in the architecture. In that case, it might be the mining facility itself, on Crait. Rian Johnson has said that Crait plays a “key role” in The Last Jedi, making it seem all the more likely those interior attack scenes take place there. But then the hangar in which Poe’s X-Wing explodes looks more like the hangar found on a ship, maybe even the same ship Leia is shown on while examining the galactic map? That ship (if it is a ship) might even be in orbit above Crait, again implying that big things could happen both on and above this new planet.
When Does Finn Wake Up?
We knew Finn suffered a serious injury when Kylo Ren slashed him down the back with a lightsaber in The Force Awakens. Finn was knocked unconsciousness as a result of the attack and was still in a coma at the end of the film. Turns out, he still won’t be awake by the time of The Last Jedi - at least, not initially. It’s the only shot we see of Finn in the trailer, and what we see is him in what we’re assuming is a kind of medical stasis pod. A new version of the classic bacta tank, maybe?
We know Finn can’t be out of it for the whole film because actor John Boyega discussed what’s going though Finn’s head during The Last Jedi at the Star Wars Celebration panel earlier today, saying he needs to decide if he’s sticking with the Resistance or continuing to run from the First Order. So he’ll be regaining consciousness eventually, the question is - when? And once he does awaken, how long will he have been out? Rey’s already gone, but has Poe left, too? Off on another Resistance mission, maybe one bringing him to Crait? This could also be where the new character, Rose, comes in to the story, as Finn would need help if he wakes up to find his friends gone.
Who Is Flying the Falcon?
They may not carry the same “wow” factor as the first shots of the Millenium Falcon from The Force Awakens trailer, but it’s no less exciting to see the Falcon shoot down Tie-Fighters and zoom across the screen. But who’s flying it (besides Chewie, of course). It’s practically guaranteed that Wookiee is sitting shotgun, but with Han no longer around, who’s in the driver’s seat?
Rey seems a likely candidate since she was last seen flying the Falcon with Chewbacca on their way to find Luke, but she may spend a large bulk of The Last Jedi training with Luke. Chewie and the Falcon might not have even stuck around. In that case, the Falcon may have returned to the Resistance, where it was paired with a new pilot. Poe may be flying it, since we see his X-wing get blown up in the trailer. Or maybe Finn takes the Falcon when he wakes up and wants to either flee or find Rey. No matter who’s piloting it, it’s unthinkable they’d be doing so without Chewbacca’s permission – so who would he trust?
Did Captain Phasma Take Part in Kylo Ren’s Attack on the Jedi?
A major turning point in this continuation of the Star Wars saga is the reveal that Kylo Ren, originally Ben Solo, betrayed his family and mentor by bringing the Knights of Ren to the Jedi Temple and murdering all of the new Jedi. Ben had been corrupted by Snoke, like Palpatine had corrupted Anakin before him, and he too took action to end the Jedi Order once and for all. However, also like Anakin, he didn’t exactly succeed, though it was still a huge blow for the light side.
In The Last Jedi trailer, we get another flashback shot to that fateful day, again depicting Luke and R2-D2 looking on in horror as the new Jedi Temple goes up in flames. It’s then immediately followed by a shot of Captain Phasma leading her troopers through flaming wreckage. Is this a scene from the same day, or is it just a trick of trailer editing? As of right now, it could really go either way, but knowing the kind of high-up role Snoke seems to have within the First Order, it wouldn’t be surprising to learn he sent Phasma along to make sure Kylo went through with the deed. And if Kylo and his Knights of Ren didn’t finish the job, Phasma and the Stormtroopers are there to clean up.
What Does Luke Mean, “It’s Time for The Jedi to End”?
The final line of The Last Jedi trailer is an ominous one – Luke saying “it’s time for the Jedi to end.” It’s a statement that has sent shock waves through the Star Wars fandom, for obvious reasons. Luke was supposed to restore the Jedi, so to hear the very last Jedi say they shouldn’t even exist anymore is a big deal.
We won’t understand fully why Luke feels this way until we see the film, but knowing he’s become disillusioned with the Jedi does raise questions about his training of Rey. It’s seems a safe assumption that the trailer shows Luke training Rey in the ways of The Force, but for what purpose? He certainly wouldn’t want to train her to be a Jedi if he thinks the Jedi should die out, so why teach her? Will Rey change his mind? Or does he eventually decide to teach her about The Force in some new, unaffiliated manner?
If Luke has abandoned the Jedi and – though his research with those ancient books, most likely – charted some new path, one of neither light or dark side, then he might be teaching Rey with this new, more balanced understanding of The Force. That’s at least one theory, but it’s one that’s only been gaining more traction the more we learn about The Last Jedi.
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These are some of our biggest questions after seeing the first trailer for The Last Jedi, what are yours? And do you have any answers to our burning questions? Let us hear from you in the comments!
Next: Will There Be Romance in Star Wars: The Last Jedi?
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