“Darkness rises, and light to meet it.”
That eternal struggle between good and evil – between the dark side and the light – has been a cornerstone of Lucasfilm’s Star Wars franchise ever since Luke Skywalker walked out into Tatooine’s twin sunset. And when it comes to The Last Jedi, that feud will essentially boil down to two very powerful individuals who may have more in common than we’ve been led to believe: Rey and Kylo Ren.
Played by Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver, respectively, the Force-sensitive duo will be a big, big part of Rian Johnson’s sci-fi sequel, and we’ve even heard rumors that the Luke Skywalker will be the one who pushes Rey toward Kylo Ren in the first place. Remember, Mark Hamill’s jaded Jedi has seen better days, so we can only assume that Rey and Luke’s relationship will get off to a shaky start when The Last Jedi begins. And that’s putting it kindly.
Forget the clichéd master-apprentice dynamic; Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens at a time when Luke is a shell of his former self, having walked away from Leia, Han and the Rebel Alliance soon after Ben Solo succumbed to Snoke’s allure and became the Kylo Ren we know and fear.
Regardless, above you’ll find Empire’s five covers, including a subscriber-only issue dedicated to the porgs. In related news, it’s also been confirmed that Star Wars: The Last Jedi will be rated 12A – the UK equivalent of PG-13 – for “moderate violence.” And yes, at 152 minutes, it’ll be the longest entry in the illustrious series.
Getting back to Kylo Ren, though, that descent into full-blown villainy hasn’t been smooth sailing for Adam Driver’s budding Sith Lord, given The Last Jedi‘s most recent trailer included a scene where Kylo appeared to hesitate just as he came into contact with General Leia Organa, his estranged mother. And though it’s unclear how that meeting pans out, we know Supreme Leader Snoke takes issue with Kylo’s indecisiveness, and may even turn to Rey as a potential apprentice.
Expect those questions to be answered once Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens big on December 15th.
