Everybody has been trying to figure out what the title of the new Star Wars movie actually means. Who is The Last Jedi? The more appropriate question could be, how many last Jedi are there? Many have pointed out in recent days that the words might not refer to a single person, but actually more than one. After all, the plural of Jedi is still Jedi. Could The Last Jedi refer to more than one person? Let's give it a look.
At the end of Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi, as Yoda fades away, he tells Luke Skywalker that once he is gone, Luke will be the last of the Jedi. As far as we know, this statement is true. The rest of the Jedi were hunted to extinction in the events following Order 66. Only Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda survived, and by the beginning of Return of the Jedi, only their one remaining student survives. At the end of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Luke is found by Rey, a young woman with a powerful natural ability to use The Force. Implying there may be new Jedi once again.
Are Luke And Rey The Last Jedi?
The nearly universal agreement among fans is that The Last Jedi will deal, to a large extent, with Luke Skywalker's training of Rey to become a Jedi Knight. All of the rumors that we've heard that involve the two characters would seem to corroborate this idea. Followed to its natural conclusion, this means Rey will become a Jedi and that she and Luke Skywalker together will be The Last Jedi referenced in the title. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this idea. It all makes perfect sense and could very possibly turn out to be the truth. But what if there's more to it than that?
Will Rey Be A Jedi In Episode VIII?
First of all, there are a few issues with Rey and Luke being The Last Jedi together. The primary issue is one of timing. We know that the new movie will be picking up right where Star Wars: The Force Awakens left off. As such, Rey will begin the movie with zero training. While Luke's own training was far from perfect, he certainly was no Jedi at the end of The Empire Strikes Back. To believe that Rey will be one seems presumptuous. There are ways around this, of course. Maybe the movie itself will cover a much wider span of time than the other entires. Maybe Rey's natural affinity for the Force will be such that she will simply need less training. However, both of these are probably unlikely. While Rey may very well become a Jedi, I think there's a distinct possibility that she will not in this episode, and odds are this will not be the case until Star Wars: Episode IX.
Other Possibilities
However, even if Rey and Luke are not The Last Jedi, it doesn't mean that the title could not be referring to multiple people. Just because Luke Skywalker is the last Jedi we know of, doesn't mean he's truly the only one. Perhaps there were other Jedi who survived the purge, perhaps they've remained in hiding, perhaps they trained other students. It's possible that whatever information Luke has uncovered at the Jedi Temple might lead him on a quest to find others.
It's also possible that Rey's appearance on that hilltop could spark something in Luke. If Rey's abilities have been "awakened," has the same thing happened to others. Are there people throughout the galaxy with innate Force abilities they don't know they have? Maybe Luke and Rey will search together for a team who will all become The Last Jedi.
The Knights of Ren
Another possibility is that The Last Jedi could be referring to a group that we have been introduced to, but know little about. We're told in Star Wars: The Force Awakens that Luke Skywalker tried to start up a school to teach a new generation of Jedi. They were apparently all killed by Kylo Ren and the Knights of Ren. There is clearly a lot of this story that we don't know, and it certainly is being setup as an important moment, being part of Rey's flashback. What if The Last Jedi deals with the fate of the students and the events that led to Ben Solo becoming Kylo Ren? This could be the event that sealed the fate of the Jedi order.
There's a lot to chew on leading up until December 15. What are your thoughts?
