Ever since The Last Jedi‘s inaugural teaser dropped, in which Luke Skywalker, the Tatooine farm-boy-turned-Jedi-Master uttered the by-now infamous line, “it’s time for the Jedi…to end,” a vocal pocket of Star Wars fans have come to the conclusion that Mark Hamill’s exiled hermit is about to wander over to the Dark Side – if he hasn’t already. There’s also the possibility that Luke has grown to become a Gray Jedi, which is to say that he’s distanced himself from the High Council and no longer abides by the Jedi code.
It’d certainly be an interesting angle to take; Luke Skywalker may have his flaws, but it’s fair to say that our brooding hero was once a force for good in Lucasfilm’s galaxy far, far away. So, by teasing the character’s jaded outlook and moral ambiguity, Rian Johnson has flipped expectations on their head, which is an achievement in and of itself for a franchise as big as this.
Still, we have no confirmation one way or another just yet on if Luke is indeed headed for a dark turn. True, Hamill himself continues to deny it, but the evidence just keeps mounting and it’s impossible to know if he’s telling the truth. And while basing story assumptions on a film’s marketing campaign is certainly a dangerous game, a new piece of merch has surfaced today which, once again, hints at an evil Luke.
Seen in the gallery below are some new cups from Alamo Drafthouse, one of which depicts the iconic hero on the Dark Side, along with Kylo Ren, Captain Phasma, Snoke and a few other characters. There are three version in total (Light, Dark and Porgs), but it’s undoubtedly that first one that’ll be causing the most discussion amongst fans.
Now, it’s important to note here that there’s also a cup where Luke’s seen on the Light Side, so this may very well be a similar case to most of the marketing material we’ve received thus far, which has seemingly depicted both facets of the character. Just like the trailers, these cups hint that there may be some darkness or doubt in him, but they’re not necessarily confirmation that he’ll make the switch.
One way or another, we’ll find out for sure when the Skywalker saga continues this December with Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and if those early reports hold true, it’ll seemingly end with a major cliffhanger in anticipation of the J.J. Abrams-directed Episode IX. So not unlike Empire Strikes Back, then.
While we wait for Rian Johnson’s pic to blast into theaters, though, tell us, what do you think of these new cups? Are fans reading too much into them? Or do they contain a huge clue hiding in plain sight? Drop your thoughts in the usual place.
