Anticipation for Star Wars: The Last Jedi has reached fever-pitch with the release of that new trailer, which teased the upcoming film so thoroughly that Rian Johnson even wondered whether he should encourage fans to watch it.
One of the most prominent theories to come from it though was that Luke Skywalker is finally due a turn to the Dark Side. Perhaps it’s his flirtation with it in the original trilogy, or the way he kinda looks like Darth Vader on that recent poster if you squint a bit? Or maybe it’s the way he keeps banging on about how the Jedi have to end? Or even just those shots of him looking ominous while dramatic music plays…
While we’re busy scratching our heads and trying to connect the dots, Johnson’s having a great time. In an interview with THR, he said the following about all of the fan theories currently doing the rounds:
“Having been a Star Wars fan myself for the past 40 years, having spent most of my life on the other side of the curtain, I know the anticipation and the guesswork and theorizing is all part of the fun and game of it. So I love it. I love seeing what people are thinking, seeing what they’re guessing, seeing what they’re anticipating.”
I bet it’s got to be awfully satisfying watching us peons run around like ants while he can presumably view the final cut whenever he likes. Then again, given that we’ve heard the film kicks some serious butt, I guess he’s got every right to be a bit smug about our fan theories.
For my part, I’m betting that Luke isn’t about to start waving around a red lightsaber and throwing lightning about. If The Force Awakens proved anything, it’s that Disney and Lucasfilm adore the original trilogy and I’m betting they don’t have the stones to reverse its central heroic arc. Having said that, I think it’s far more likely that Luke’s gotten sick with the whole Jedi/Sith dichotomy and concluded that maybe the universe is safer without space wizards of either brand running the show.
Either way, we’ll see what Luke’s deal is on December 15th, when Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens big.
