It was a source of both praise and criticism for The Force Awakens that the 2015 trilogy-starter drew copiously and reverently from the story, structure and character dynamics of A New Hope. So while Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi marked a notable departure from the franchise template with polarizing results, J.J. Abrams’ return to the series with Star Wars: Episode IX may well mark a reversion to the Star Wars nostalgia of the director’s previous contribution to the saga.
Specifically, since The Force Awakens was in awe of A New Hope, you can imagine that this latest trilogy’s third installment will pay some form of tribute to Return of the Jedi, and according to YouTuber Mike Zeroh, one of these callbacks could be taking the form of a return to the climactic battle in the Emperor’s throne room.
In a recent video, Zeroh speaks of concept art showing our heroine Rey in a dark alleyway with numerous white orbs floating around her. It’s in this eerie setting that she reportedly has a vision of the final duel unfolding between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker.
Rey is also said to be holding the hilt of a lightsaber, with Zeroh further speculating that this flashback could have been triggered by the character holding Luke’s green saber in a sequence echoing the introduction of Luke’s blue lightsaber in The Force Awakens. Moreover, the vision is then said to transition to the scene of Luke burning the remains of Vader on Endor. It remains unspecified whether or not the accompanying “Yub Nub” song will also return.
While none of this is confirmed (and Rian Johnson would probably advise you to pay such speculation no mind), this could be a fitting way to visualize the conflict and connections of these three generations. Though Rey’s parents may or may not be nobodies, the latest set of films has made it clear that she’s the one to carry on the torch from the Skywalkers, and we’ll see how she and Abrams fair in this daunting endeavor when Star Wars: Episode IX comes out on December 20th, 2019
