Luke Skywalker has warned it's not going to be what we expect. Of course, that's from one of the trailers for "The Last Jedi," and we don't really know who he's talking to, but the quote is most likely in the trailer as a message to the fans as well. Based on my online stalking of Rian Johnson and looking at what people say about him as a director, Johnson's brain is a labyrinth of the unexpected. In fact, trying to figure him out and figure out where his creative process has taken him – and the rest of us – is probably a losing proposition. But it's just so darned fun to try.
So here is my offering to the "Star Wars" conspiracy gods: to heck with the Rule of Two – it's a triad.
Exhibit one: Looming Luke
One of the conspiracies currently afoot is the speculation that Luke Skywalker has gone bad. He's wearing dark, Sithy colors, and not the pure and happy white robes of the Jedi. Of course, he's been living on his own for who knows how long. Maybe he just doesn't care at this point. But, fashion aside, he's looming. Several "Star Wars" fans have pointed out that only villains loom at the back of the promo posters. Fair enough. Plus, he looks like he's had enough of something – oh, and there's that little thing he said in one of the trailers about the Jedi needing to end.
While all of that can indeed be taken as a turn to the dark side, it can also be evidence that he has simply chosen to incorporate dark side teachings into his Jedi wheelhouse. In other words, Luke Skywalker has started the process of balancing the Force by becoming a Gray Jedi.
Exhibit two: Rey
The "Force Awakens" protagonist is too new to the whole idea of the Force to even know which side she is on.
As we saw in the third trilogy's first installment, Rey is involved in an identity crisis of immense proportion. She didn't grow up as part of a functioning society, and has therefore not been indoctrinated into any sort of belief system whatsoever, so there is nothing pulling her toward the light particularly. "The Force Awakens" suggests that she will be trained by Luke, and her light saber is blue.
That is most of what we know. We also know Kylo Ren, a Sith and the grandson of Darth Vader, was the first Force sensitive she met. That is bound to have a profound effect on her. At the very least, she will be drawn to him, as he is her only actual peer. In addition to that, he could be family in a really weird way.
Exhibit three: Kylo Ren
The one thing that Kylo Ren without a doubt shares with his grandfather is the amount of angst he feels. Lust for power didn't take him to the dark side – feeling lost and without a solid sense of belonging did. Though that is far more dangerous if it is allowed to fester, it can also provide fertile ground for a future desire for redemption. It is possible that Kylo Ren finds his redemption by becoming part of the prophecy and helping to balance the Force?
It has been suggested more than once that Kylo and Rey are yet another set of Skywalker twins separated at birth. If Luke Skywalker took the two of them in hand and taught them to truly control their extreme powers, to enjoy the fruits of both the light and the dark, then the constant striving between Jedi and Sith could conceivably come to an end.
Besides, it may take the three of them to defeat Snoke.