Star Wars 8 divided audiences. One of the criticisms levelled at Rian Johnson’s vision by hardcore fans was a frustration that major and legacy characters suddenly behaved in ways that did not make sense. Most fans with any knowledge of the previous trilogies struggled with the idea that Luke would try and kill his own nephew. In his sleep, no less. This was mot the Luke that fans knew and loved. Unless, it really wasn’t… New leaks link back to scenes from Star Wars: Battlefront II, which includes a major sequence where Luke tracks down and breaks into one of Emperor Palpatine’s secret vaults on the planet Pilio.
It contains a treasure trove of Force artefacts, one of which eagle-eyed fans already spotted in Luke’s possession on Ahch-To in The Last Jedi.
What exactly does that compass do? There are theories it helped Luke eventually find the First Jedi Temple on Ahch-To. But what if Palpatine already had a deeper plan in place related to the compass and other items like it?
The possibilities are absolutely horrifying and also explain how the apparently dead Emperor has been able to keep influencing events across the galaxy all these years.
Even worse, it seems Luke might also have been under Palpatine’s influence, which lead to the catastrophic events that destroyed his Jedi school and set Kylo Ren firmly into the arms of Snoke – and thus, presumably Palpatine.
Redditor NumeralJoker (via Inverse) just posted the superb explanation, linking back to that compass. It ties in with our existing knowledge that some Sith Masters had discovered the ability to transfer parts of themselves into inanimate objects.
Star Wars fans have already seen evidence of this in the most recent Darth Vader comics where Palpatine gave his apprentice the mask of the Sith Lord Momin, which was able to influence those around it and even take possession of them if they could be tempted to put it on.
The new theory says: “The Emperor deliberately planted the compass as bait to lure Luke in, infiltrate the Jedi temple’s presence, and orchestrate Kylo Ren’s fall. He influenced the device, and those near it.
“This was also what tempted Luke to kill Kylo, for only a brief moment, ‘left with shame, and with consequence'”.
Did Palpatine really have such a precise ability to predict the future and plan for it?
Probably not. But the Aftermath novel confirmed the Emperor had laid numerous back up plans in case he was defeated. The entire First Order and the upcoming revelations about the red Sith Stormtroopers are all expected to be revealed as part of his machinations.
It is reasonable to suppose he seeded key places in the galaxy with items containing fragments of his soul which could then start corrupting and turning events to his advantage when they were discovered.
Fans were already expecting to see Kylo Ren somehow affected by Palpatine and possibly Rey. But Luke Skywalker too?
Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker is out on December 19