The following story contains a rumor which, if true, would be a spoiler for Star Wars: Episode IX.
A lot of people were upset by the way Star Wars: The Last Jedi didn't resolve many of the questions left hanging by Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but a new rumor says Episode IX may go back and deal with one of those questions. How did Maz Kanata come by possession of the Anakin Skywalker lightsaber? The last film never addressed the question, but it appears the next film might, and if the rumor is to be believed, the answer also answers another question we have about Star Wars Episode IX. How exactly will Lando Calrissian fit into the story?
As with all rumors, grains of salt should be liberally applied, but according to this unconfirmed report, Maz Kanata will have a much larger role in Star Wars Episode IX than her cameo appearance in The Last Jedi. As part of this new larger role, Rey and Maz are actually traveling together early in the film, which includes a scene where Maz explains how she came by the lightsaber she gave to Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Apparently, Lando Calrissian returned to Cloud City at some point after Return of the Jedi and came across the weapon, apparently literally sitting in a lost and found box that had been collected by some of the city's Ugnaught inhabitants. He then turned the lightsaber over to Maz, believing she would know what to do with it.
It seems Maz might be the door that Lando walks through to re-enter the story of Star Wars. We're told in Star Wars: The Force Awakens that Han and Maz are old friends, and we know Han and Lando are old friends, so it's perfectly believable that Maz and Lando are also old friends. While The Force Awakens doesn't dwell on it much, we also know that Maz Kanata is sensitive to the Force, which is likely the reason Lando would think the lightsaber would be safe in her keeping.
Of course, even if this rumor is completely true, and again, let's stress that Movieweb doesn't even mention a source, named or otherwise, it doesn't explain why Lando is seemingly important here. It would be one thing if Star Wars Episode IX decided to name drop Lando just for the referential quality, but the fact that he's name dropped here and Billy Dee Williams is reported to be reprising his role as Lando in the film, is almost certainly not a coincidence. Perhaps Lando's story of how he found the lightsaber will prove important in some way.
With filming now getting underway or, according to some reports, already underway, expect to hear a lot more rumors for Star Wars Episode IX in the months to come.
