One of the more intriguing supporting characters introduced in The Force Awakens was Maz Kanata. The wise old woman, played by Lupita Nyong’o, was shown to have a lot of knowledge on the Force and the ways of the Jedi. Notably, she had Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber in her possession until she handed it over to Rey. It was surprising, then, to see that Maz ended up with a pretty small role in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
That’s not to say she wasn’t important to the story. Far from it, in fact, as she was actually crucial in helping the Resistance, introducing Finn and Rose to DJ, “the master codebreaker hanging out on Canto Bight” that was brought to life so wonderfully by Benicio Del Toro. But still, you can’t deny that her inclusion in the movie was certainly a bit awkward and did feel forced, which has left many to wonder whether she’ll show up in Star Wars: Episode IX.
With the sequel still so far out, it’s unclear whether the character will be involved, but it certainly doesn’t seem like a sure thing. When asked if she’d be reprising the role for Abrams’ upcoming film, Nyong’o told The Hollywood Reporter that she “doesn’t know yet,” but is hoping to “know soon.” Given that production is set to get underway in June, we imagine the cast list will be finalized in the near future, but going by what the actress says, there’s a chance she won’t be included on it.
Frankly, if Lucasfilm’s plan for Maz is to have her in Episode IX for only a brief appearance like in The Last Jedi, it’s probably best they leave her out. The character really deserves a bigger role (and almost had one in Rian Johnson’s recent effort, actually) and it’d be nice to see Abrams find substantial room for her. Given how there’s still a lot about Maz that we need answered, it is concerning that Nyong’o can’t confirm that she’ll be back for the next chapter in the saga, as most of the other cast members already know for certain that they’re returning.
Does this suggest that we’ve seen the last of Maz, then? Perhaps, but until we get some kind of official announcement from the studio, we won’t know for sure. Like we said, though, we do hope that there’s a role for her in Star Wars: Episode IX, especially after the disappointing way she was handled in The Last Jedi.
After all, we still need to learn how she got her hands on that lightsaber, right?
