As the summer months soon come to a close, you can almost feel the Star Wars fandom's hearts beginning to race. Because this December with bring Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which will continue the main story of the franchise, while also finally bringing Luke back to the silver screen in a substantial role. Daisy Ridley's Rey will presumably be hanging with Luke in Ach-To for a while, with the Jedi Master, in a similar way to the time spent with Harrison Ford's Han Solo in The Force Awakens. And it turns out that Han's loss will still being weighing on the new hero, especially because Luke will apparently be so miserable. Daisy Ridley said:
Oh my God, this other man that I lost within a couple days was somewhat of a father figure. Now he's gone, and instead I'm with this grumpy guy on an island who doesn't want me here.
Daisy Ridley's comments, which come to us from EW, actually sound like a great way of keeping Rey's Star Wars journey fresh and exciting. If Rey got along with Luke as easily as she did with Han, then The Last Jedi would likely feel a bit too similar to its predecessor. Instead, Luke will be busy throwing himself an intergalactic pity party with the alien caretakers, and Rey will have to convince him to not only rejoin the Resistance, but train her as a padawan. And it sounds like that's not going to be easy.
Han Solo's mentorship of Rey was one of the highlights of The Force Awakens, as the two appeared to have quite a few things in common. For instance, she instantly knew how to operate the Millennium Falcon, despite the ship being out of commission for a number of years. Additionally, Chewbacca took an instant liking to her, which is rare for the Wookie.
Speaking of the Falcon, it looks like the ship that made the Kessel Run in fourteen parsecs is now officially Rey's, which is another way that Han's influence will be felt when The Last Jedi arrives in theaters. Rey, Chewie, and R2-D2 traveled to Ach-To together, and she is likely the only person besides Lando who knows how to really operate the Falcon. Rey is now looking after Han's best friend and ship, which is a fantastic way to keep the smuggler's spirit in the heart of the film.
We'll just have to wait and see how much Han is mentioned when Star Wars: The Last Jedi finally arrives in theaters. For the sake of the fans, I'm hoping that we at least get one solid scene with Leia grieving her lover's death, as her loss wasn't featured prominently in The Force Awakens.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi will fly into theaters on December 15th. In the meantime, check out our 2017 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
