Disney and Lucasfilm have been keeping Star Wars fans' appetites thoroughly whetted by releasing a new movie each year, starting with The Force Awakens in 2015. Following a detour into the past last year with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, it's time to return to trilogy territory with The Last Jedi. As the eighth live action Star Wars installment, there's a lot to look forward to, from the typical fare (lightsaber duels, straighter battles) to more specific content (learning about Rey's past).
As per usual with the Star Wars movies, Lucasfilm is keeping specific details about the plot under wraps, and the trailer released in April, while visually stunning, provided few clues about what to expect. When it comes to castings, though, the studio has been slowly revealing which characters will appear in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. With that in mind, we've compiled all the faces, good and bad alike, it's been confirmed you'll see when you're seated to watch Episode VIII this December.
Luke Skywalker
Excluding that Force vision Rey saw when she touched his lightsaber, Luke Skywalker didn't appear in The Force Awakens until the very end, and even then he didn't utter a word. Thankfully, he'll have a lot to do in The Last Jedi, as he'll be training Rey in the ways of the Force on Ahch-To. However, in the first Last Jedi trailer, Luke said that it was time for the Jedi to end. It's unclear what exactly he meant by that, but after being betrayed by his nephew, watching his Padawans be slaughtered and spending years in solitude, we'll be seeing a much different Luke from the one we left off with in Return of the Jedi.
Rey
A lot happened to Rey during The Force Awakens. She permanently left Jakku, she made friends with Finn, she found a mentor in Han Solo and then lost him, and she fought Kylo Ren to a standstill. Now she's on Ahch-To to deliver Luke Skywalker's lightsaber back to him, but this won't be a quick visit. Despite demonstrating amazing Jedi abilities in such a short time, Rey still has much to learn about this mysterious energy field, so under his tutorage, she'll be better prepared to face off against Kylo and his fellow Knights of Ren.
Finn
Finn wasn't in great shape when The Force Awakens concluded. He did his best to protect Rey from Kylo Ren, but he was no match against someone who can use the Force, and was seriously wounded. While The Last Jedi trailer showed Finn still unconscious, he'll eventually heal from his injuries after some time in a batca suit. Following his recovery, the Resistance will send him to go undercover in The First Order for a mission. After all, since he spent his life as a stormtrooper, it will be easier for him to sneak back in rather than build a cover for someone else.
Leia Organa
The Resistance scored their biggest victory yet against The First Order, but the conflict is only going to escalate. Fortunately, the good guys still have General Leia Organa to lead them in this tough time. Despite losing Han at the hands of her son, Leia will have to keep her attention focused on ensuring that the Resistance can survive the newest assaults from The First Order. Whether or not Leia will also reunite with her brother, Luke, hasn't been officially confirmed yet.
Poe Dameron
Poe was already The Resistance's best pilot before The Force Awakens, but destroying Starkiller Base further proved why he deserves that title. Details about Poe's personal journey in The Last Jedi are being kept under wraps, but he'll continue to fight the good fight from the cockpit of his X-Wing, and Oscar Isaac says that the challenges he'll face will reveal "a lot more" about his character. Poe will also share more screen time with General Leia Organa.
Kylo Ren
As Starkiller Base slowly collapsed, Kylo Ren walked away from his duel with Rey freshly scarred on the face, and he was expected to return to Supreme Leader Snoke to complete his training. On the one hand, it looks like Kylo, a.k.a. Ben Solo, will be doubling-down on villainy in The Last Jedi, judging by his destroyed helmet and that intense stare while holding his crimson lightsaber in the first trailer. On the other hand, Adam Driver has implied that Kylo may end up feeling regretful about killing his dad, so perhaps there's a glimmer of hope for redemption.
BB-8
BB-8 was arguably The Force Awakens' main breakout character, adding levity to the galactic insanity with his adorable squeaks and built-in gadgets. Rather than stick with Rey when she went to Ahch-To, BB-8 stayed with The Resistance, and judging by The Last Jedi trailer, he'll remain Poe Dameron's astromech droid for when he's in the X-Wing shooting down TIE Fighters. Beyond that, we can almost certainly count on him to continue stealing scenes left and right.
Supreme Leader Snoke
Snoke has succeeded Palpatine as the sinister mastermind of the Star Wars universe, but there's still a lot we don't know about him. Where did he come from? How did he learn to use the Force? How did he organize The First Order? Although Snoke will appear in The Last Jedi as a practical effects creation and seems to be rocking a different wardrobe, director Rian Johnson implied that the movie won't delve deeply into the character's backstory, so it sounds like we won't get our answers about him until Episode IX.
General Hux
After Kylo Ren and Supreme Leader Snoke, General Hux is The First Order's most prominent figure. With Snoke's permission, Hux ordered Starkiller Base to destroy Hosnian Prime, the Republic's capital, and all the surrounding planets. He almost succeeded in destroying the Resistance base on D'Qar, too, but the planet-sized weapon was destroyed before that could happen. Hux escaped, so we'll see him continue to lead The First Order military in eliminating Resistance scum in The Last Jedi.
Maz Kanata
Max Kanata has been alive for 1,000 years, so needless to say she's seen a lot. While Maz is technically a Jedi, she does "know" the Force, and with her palace on Takodana in shambles after The First Order's assault, it's possible she'll be lending her wisdom to The Resistance during the remainder of this war. Maybe we'll also learn in The Last Jedi how Maz came to acquire Luke Skywalker's lightsaber, which had been lost in The Empire Strikes Back.
Captain Phasma
Captain Phasma was heavily marketed for The Force Awakens, to the point that it seemed like Lucasfilm was trying to make her the new Boba Fett, but she barely did anything in the actual movie. It doesn't sound like The Last Jedi will repeat this, because we've heard multiple times that Phasma will have a more prominent role in the next movie. How, exactly, is uncertain, but having escaped the destruction of Starkiller Base, Phasma will presumably still be serving The First Order, and this time she'll be armed with a spear.
Chewbacca
Chewbacca lost his best friend in The Force Awakens, and one doesn't recover from something like that instantly. Fortunately, he's decided to help out The Resistance, and when Episode VII concluded, he traveled with Rey and R2-D2 to Ahch-To aboard the Millennium Falcon. Since Rey will be training with Luke in The Last Jedi, it's hard to say whether Chewie will stay on Ahch-To that whole time or if he'll drop her off and head back to The Resistance. Either way, it's good to see him still in fighting form after all these years.
"DJ"
The Last Jedi is introducing a handful of new characters, and the most mysterious of the bunch is known only as "DJ" (played by Benicio del Toro), and that's just a nickname from the crew! The character's Vanity Fair picture depicts him as an unkempt badass, but Lucasfilm hasn't revealed anything about how he fits into the story. It was unofficially reported that he may appear on the casino planet Canto Bight, where Finn is expected to eventually end up.
Vice Admiral Holdo
Unlike "DJ," Lucasfilm is being more forthcoming when it comes to Laura Dern is playing in The Last Jedi. Her character is Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo, one of The Resistance's highest-ranking leaders. Unlike Leia Organa, Holdo prefers to dress more opulently, as if she was one of the Coruscant elite. Holdo will also reportedly be clashing with Poe Dameron during the movie, as they have different opinions on how The Resistance should be fighting back against The First Order.
Rose Tico
Another important Resistance character being introduced in The Last Jedi is Rose Tico, played by Kelly Marie Tran. Well, she'll become important. When we first meet her, Rose is a maintenance worker for the Resistance. Officially, that's all we know about her, but special Last Jedi footage showed Rose with Finn in a scene where they're both aboard a First Order ship wearing First Order uniforms, which lines up with reports about how Rose will be assisting Finn when he goes undercover.
C-3PO
Three decades after the Empire's collapse, and C-3PO hasn't changed a bit. The golden protocol droid didn't really do anything in The Force Awakens other than talk with his droid companions, show off his red arm and interrupt Han and Leia's reunion. No doubt The Last Jedi will have him continue to use his fastidious personality as comic relief, and I suspect he won't stray too far from Leia's side. Whether or not he'll still have that red arm remains to be seen.
R2-D2
When Luke Skywalker disappeared, R2-D2 put himself into low power mode, and he only woke up after The Resistance had destroyed StarKiller Base. He then joined his half of the map data with the half that BB-8 had been keeping to reveal Luke's location. R2 joined Rey and Chewbacca on their trip to Ahch-To, and given how closely connected the Jedi Master and astromech droid are, no doubt he'll hang around as Luke trains Rey, just like he did on Dagobah in The Empire Strikes Back.
Unkar Plutt
Unkar Plutt was the junk boss on Jakku, and he made Rey's life even harder as a scavenger by being stingy with trading food rations. It's hard to imagine Rey going back to Jakku in The Last Jedi to see him, but anything is possible. If we do see him in the present day, he'll be lacking an arm, as a deleted scene from The Force Awakens showed Chewbacca ripping it off on Takodana. It's also possible we'll see Unkar in a flashback, as he was seen taking Rey as a child in her Force vision.
Nien Nunb
Nien Nunb will always be best known as Lando Calrissian's co-pilot in Return of the Jedi, but 30 years later, he's lending his flying skills to The Resistance. He was one of the many pilots who joined Poe Dameron in assaulting Starkiller Base in The Force Awakens, and presumably, we'll see him back in the cockpit of an X-Wing during The Last Jedi. All we need now is to hear his official callsign.
Admiral Ackbar
Like Leia Organa, Admiral Ackbar is a veteran leader from the Rebellion who is now leading the charge in the Resistance, which included coming up with the plan to destroy Starkiller Base. Taking into account his service in The Clone Wars, Ackbar has more than 50 years of military experience, so his wisdom will continue to be valued in The Last Jedi. Among his many important qualities: being able to instantly spot traps.
Lieutenant Connix
Played by Billie Lourd, Carrie Fisher's daughter, Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Konnix is a junior controller of the Resistance. She coordinated communications between the Resistance base on D'Qar with the X-Wings attacking Starkiller Base in The Force Awakens. When we see her again in The Last Jedi, hopefully she'll be more noticeably used. No doubt her controlling duties are important, but if the Resistance is directly attacked, it'd be great to see her shooting some stormtroopers.
