“Something…inside me has always been there. Now it’s awake, and I need help.”
Still licking her wounds – both physical and emotional – after the events of The Force Awakens, Daisy Ridley’s Rey is clearly in need of some guidance by the time we arrive at Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Having trekked across the galaxy to find Luke Skywalker, Rey arrives on Ahch-To to begin her Jedi training…or so she thinks.
Doing good on those earlier reports, October’s show-stopping trailer proved that Luke is actually wary of Rey’s ferocious Jedi powers, perhaps because they evoke bad memories of his Jedi Academy and, more specifically, how it crashed and burned at the hands of Kylo Ren, the budding Jedi formerly known as Ben Solo.
It’s that fall from grace that essentially forced Luke Skywalker into exile, and we understand Mark Hamill’s character spent those intervening years between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens searching for the last Jedi Temple. But how does this all relate back to Rey? Well, the way in which Episode VIII‘s trailer has been edited certainly suggests that the disillusioned orphan from the desert planet of Jakku is about to be swayed by the dark side.
Not only that, but a new plot synopsis for the film has been uncovered today on the Japanese website and it too hints at Daisy Ridley’s heroine heading down a dangerous path. Check out a rough translation of it below – courtesy of ComicBook.com:
The Light? The Darkness? Rey and Kylo, two people who seem to move between the two; a new shocking development is hinted to await them in Star Wars – The Last Jedi.
Although the world was shocked to see that the hand offered to Rey belonged to that of Kylo Ren, what awaits Rey and Kylo is the question of “The Light? Or the Darkness?”, as together they are tossed and moved by the powerful Force.
Rey, who, even though in the previous film ‘The Force Awakens’ awakened the Force, carries a sense of being lost and unsure; will she be taken away by the darkness…. Kylo, who killed Han Solo, despite the fact that he was his real father; will the hopeful small amount of light that still remains in his heart be able to undo the darkness!?
These two figures who seem to resonate with each other; we cannot take our eyes off of them!!
Again, it’s a very rough translation, and this is hardly concrete proof of Rey turning to the Dark Side, but the teases are certainly there. Coupled with all the other evidence we’ve already seen, we’d say that at this point, it’s very likely that she’ll turn evil – at least for a bit – but that’s just our best guess and has in no way been confirmed.
Either way, all will be revealed when Star Wars: The Last Jedi zooms into theaters on December 15th. Word is Rian Johnson and Co. have rustled up a cliffhanger ending – not unlike Empire – which ought to leave Star Wars fans on edge right up until the launch of Episode IX in 2019.
The latter has been subjected to some fairly drastic changes of late, after J.J. Abrams (and screenwriter Chris Terrio!) was drafted in to fill the director’s chair left vacant by Colin Trevorrow. A new, December 2019 release date has also been confirmed, which tees up a potentially huge box office clash with the so-far unnamed Wonder Woman sequel. And yes, Patty Jenkins will take point at the helm for Diana’s second solo movie following that record-setting deal.