We need to talk about the teaser trailer for "Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi," because it was kind of like those appetizers that are so filling they count as a whole meal. And since it's Easter, I need a moment to tell you about your Lord and Savior, Rey.
The trailer opens with Rey panting on the ground as if exerting intense effort over something, followed later by a scene of the rocks around her hand floating. We can surmise her knowledge of the Force is coming along well. Viewers can expect Rey to be even more capable of battling the Dark Side in "Episode VII."
The trailer also features someone asking Rey what she sees.
"Light...darkness...a balance," she replies. From that, we might guess that, as many Star Wars buffs have noted throughout the years, the balance of light and dark is actually a necessary thing. Rey might be learning that while it's easy to fight against the Dark Side, they serve a purpose in the universe as profound as the Jedi.
Where Is Finn?
The only shot we get of Finn (John Boyega) is of him attached to what appears to be a respirator, a dispiriting note for any hoping for him to have already been rehabilitated following "Episode VII." We can only hope that he makes a speedy recovery to get back into the fray, because his knowledge about the goings-on of the Dark Side is invaluable to the Rebellion.
What has Luke seen?
The last time we saw Luke Skywalker, Rey had traveled the entire galaxy to find him. He, in a sense, would be her Yoda, and train her in the ways of the Force. The trailer appears to reflect that, but there's a catch. At the end of the trailer, against the backdrop of the foreboding and familiar music of John Williams, Luke says, "I know only one truth...the Jedi must end."
What has Luke seen and what is he saying?
Is he saying he won't teach Rey? Has he given up hope? Has he seen the Jedi stray from the Light in an irreparable way? These questions won't be answered until December, but the destruction of the Jedi as we know it may point to a bold and unexpected future.
An Easter Story
The trailer for "Episode VIII" could not have come at a better time, with Easter just around the corner.
It's no secret that Star Wars is so successful as a franchise because it plays on ever-popular themes of propitiatory sacrifice, discipleship, chosenness, life after death, and the very forces of good and evil.
And so, Good Friday -- the day that Jesus' life ends in the crucifixion story -- is a perfect time to introduce the story of a Jedi faction in danger of receding into nothingness. And if they do, we can only start immediately praying for a resurrection.
