We finally know who owns the designation as The Last Jedi in “Star Wars: Episode VIII.” Film director Rian Johnson confirmed speculations that the title refers to Luke Skywalker.
When Lucasfilm and Disney released the official title for Episode VIII as “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” naturally fans were intrigued. They want to know if the title is of any particular importance or if it refers to a specific character. When the first trailer for the film came out, speculations also rose regarding the significance of the title. Fans speculated that the Last Jedi is actually the Jedi Master himself, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).
Luke Skywalker is the Last Jedi
It turns out that this speculation is accurate, according to Rian Johnson. He recently sat down for an interview with The New York Times where he shared some details about “Episode VIII.” In his interview, he was asked about the meaning of “The Last Jedi.” He said the meaning is in the opening crawl of J.J. Abram’s film “The Force Awakens.” He then confirmed theories that the title refers to Luke Skywalker. Right now Luke is the last Jedi according to Johnson. "There’s always wiggle room in these movies — everything is from a certain point of view — but coming into our story, he is the actual last of the Jedi,” he said.
Focus of the story
Aside from the relevance of the title, fans also speculated on the plot of the film.
A few claimed the story focuses on Rey and Luke and their relationship with each other. A famous theory is that Rey (Daisy Ridley) and the Last Jedi have a special connection with each other and that it could be the familial kind. Fans speculated that Rey could be the daughter of Luke Skywalker. The trailer for Episode VIII fueled this theory when it showed the Jedi Master training her in the ways of The Force.
This theory would explain why in Episode VII, or "The Force Awakens," Rey was able to light up Luke's lightsaber. She also saw flashbacks of his experiences. This would also explain why Rey was left in Jakku since Luke had to seclude himself. It is unclear what made him alienate himself and this is something that the film will explore.
Rian Johnson subtly confirmed this speculation in the same interview with the publication. He revealed that the “heart of the movie is Luke and Rey.” Although the film also revolves around the other characters, its “real essence” according to the director is the development of both Luke and Rey.
