The ending of The Last Jedi was a total shock to fans everywhere. After two years of theories and spoilers, nobody saw that coming.
But can the final movie in the Skywalker saga really make sense without the last Skywalker?
Setting aside the still rather murky parentage of Rey, Carrie Fisher’s untimely death has made Luke’s presence even more necessary for Episode 9.
The latest comments from Rian Johnson are bound to kick start another feverish 24 months of anticipation for Luke’s “exciting” last stand. Will he really come back as a Force Ghost?
By now everybody knows that Luke peacefuly crossed over into the Force at the end of The Last Jedi but the movie had already established that this is not the end of the line.
Episode 8 hammered home the idea of Force ghosts with Yoda’s perky and powerful cameo. The emphasis really is on the word “powerful” since the ancient Jedi master demonstrated just how much a dead Jedi can affect the living world in spectacular fashion.
Previous Force ghosts have hovered prettily like in The Return of the Jedi, or delivered words of wisdom like in the Clone Wars animated series.
Yoda called fire down from the sky.
Fans are still desperate to see a proper demonstration of the oft-repeated declarations that Luke is the most powerful Jedi.
Rian Johnson just gave hope that we will finally see this in dramatic action.
The director told Variety: “It seemed like the potential of Luke crossing into new realm — that offers exciting possibilities for the role he plays in the coming chapter. No one’s ever really gone.”
This sounds like a definitive confirmation that Luke really will be back in style.
Of course, this being Star Wars, Johnson also fudged his declaration, leaving room for another 24 months of speculation and theories.
He added: “I don’t know where the next movie is going to go. JJ (Abrams) and Chris Terrio are writing it right now.”
Asked if he was confirming Luke would really return, he said: “I’m not writing the script, so I don’t know. But as a fan, I would hope so.”
Surely Episode 9 without Luke is unthinkable?