RetroZap Reactions showcases the team’s theories, questions, analysis and speculation at the historic title reveal of Star Wars: The Last Jedi!
What a day. Even Mark Hamill was surprised! Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the title of the eight episode in the “Skywalker Saga,” and even though it’s just three words, there’s plenty to unpack. Let’s take a look.
Joe Tavano
Star Wars: The Last Jedi can be read in numerous ways, which is the genius of the three simple words. Upon first glance, the title refers to Luke Skywalker, the last Jedi of the Jedi Order. But then there’s Rey, who has found Luke on Ach-To to seek his training. So maybe she would become the next, and subsequently currently last, Jedi.
However, Jedi is both singular and plural. So, if the title doesn’t refer to both Luke and Rey, then perhaps the last Jedi doesn’t mean the current last ones. Perhaps it refers to the last group of Jedi to exist: the group that was wiped out by Kylo Ren.
Rey found Luke Skywalker, but did she find a Jedi? Perhaps she found a man who has moved beyond the strictures of the Jedi into something else. Something more. Perhaps the thrust of the eighth episode is not a linear story. Perhaps that while Rey is being trained, Luke recounts the story of The Last Jedi–making the middle chapter a frame story–a smart device to not only explain, but show the drama of Luke’s life for the past 30 years, as well as bring the audience up to speed with Luke, his current way of thinking, and why Rey is being trained the way she is, And in doing so, a frame story would also be able to explain the menace of Snoke, Kylo Ren, and the First Order in greater detail before moving to the final act.
The Last Jedi has a great majesty to it; Hamill said it felt like a Samurai title, and there is an inherent dignity and melancholy mixed within the phrase. I see no way around the intent to look back as well as look forward, and a frame story would make all direction in the middle of the story possible.
Taxus
Does Star Wars: The Last Jedi portend an end to the Jedi Order? If that’s the case, then is this what was meant by bringing balance to the Force as foretold in some nebulous prophecy? Will the film show the evolution of Force-gifted individuals into a less dogmatic categorization than Sith versus Jedi? Dare I ask if they will blend them all into grey?
Force sensitive beings are still born throughout the galaxy. This is evidenced in the novel Ahsoka and even in the Star Wars Rebels. It only stands to reason that some would develop their abilities without the tutelage of masters. Someone had to be the first to figure out how to use the Force, just like someone figured out you can eat sea urchins or blowfish. I hope however, the delineation of good versus evil continues, if not for nostalgia sake, then for the sake of the story.
Perhaps this is simply a title that declares that finally, this is a story with Luke featured as a fully powered Jedi. Or maybe The Last Jedi will be whomever he trains to carry the flame.
Michael Harris
There is a title! I love it, and the red Star Wars logo with it. I’ll be speculating until December on what it means for the film and the Skywalker(s).
At first glance, it’s obviously Luke that the title is referring to, right? Yoda said, “When gone am I, the last of the Jedi will you be.” Then Luke saves Vader, brings about the Emperor’s fall, and goes on to train Jedi. This was touched upon in The Force Awakens briefly. Did the padawans he was training make it out after his academy was destroyed, or is he potentially again, the last?
But maybe the title isn’t referring to Luke Skywalker at all, but his new student, Rey. Luke was in exile, much like Yoda decades earlier, and training he is passing the mantle of “The Last Jedi” on to her.
It’s going to be hard to wait 11 months for this!
Stephen Kent
I am excited about this title. This new movie is going to close two arcs and possibly open a new one with “what it means to be a Jedi.” The only reason The Last Jedi is off-putting to me is that, chronologically, Star Wars has moved very quickly away from the “Return” of the Jedi, to once again the Jedi being mostly extinct in Episode VIII’s title.
What I am hoping is that Star Wars moves deeper into the gray area of the Force and that Rey pioneers a new definition of what it means to use the Force for good.Perhaps she’ll display true “balance” and take away credibility from the organized religions of Sith/Jedi that have torn the galaxy apart for centuries. Such a change has great promise.
The Last Jedi is also so much better than that rumored title “Fall of the Resistance.” Barf.
Steve Mcgillivray
The Last Jedi is Luke. It’s as simple as that. He has already tried to resurrect the Jedi through his teachings/academy, but when Ben Solo turned to the dark side and destroyed it all, Luke fled into exile, much like his teacher Yoda.
I think in the latest saga there is seeing a shift from the ways of old. There are no Sith, instead there’s the Knights of Ren. No less bad, but the hints suggest they are at least different. For the balance to restored there needs to be light side representation and this is going to change from what’s known as Jedi into something new with Rey. Hence, Luke literally is “The Last Jedi,” and he will pass the torch to Rey. The Jedi must adapt and evolve and that will be embodied in Rey initially, and others in the future.
Dan Lizotte
Well then, finding out the title of Episode VIII was not something that was remotely on my radar today. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a through the roof with excitement any time new and legitimate Star Wars news is released. But to be honest, I am a little tired. The New England Patriots are going to the Super Bowl…again. So as I sit here and bask in the warmth of Tom Brady’s greatness and read The Last Jedi, I wonder, “What did I do to be so lucky?” Patriots Super Bowl appearances and Star Wars movies everywhere I turn. It does not get any better than that!
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a great title and the best part of it is the fact that it could have numerous meanings. I want to be in the dark as much as possible; I enjoy seeing things for the first time in the moment at the theater. It was worth noting that Star Wars.com clearly stated it was the next chapter in the Skywalker saga. I don’t recall seeing that written like that with The Force Awakens.
I could be wrong and it could be written like that for marketing purposes to avoid confusion with standalone films. My big fear is that the Skywalker name is done with Episode IX, for the simple fact of not wanting the saga to end. My initial feeling has a foreboding inclination. But who knows at this point, right? Just get me to December.
Courtney Martin
Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Episode VIII’s title has been released – and I LOVE it. What does it mean exactly? Well, there’s plenty of room for speculation. The word “Jedi” is both singular and plural, so this title could simultaneously be referring to one person, or many.
Is Luke, as Yoda said, the last of the Jedi? Hopefully not. The title might refer to Luke’s Jedi Academy, that they were the last Jedi…until the Knights of Ren destroyed them. Then from here on out, there has only been one Jedi – Luke. And Rey, with her newly discovered Force powers, will be something entirely new. Maybe Luke, feeling responsible for the deaths of his students, has decided the Jedi are an antiquated society, thus no longer teaching their ways.
The font on this title is red, not the usual yellow. This isn’t something new; two other Star Wars films used the red lettering (Revenge of the Sith and Return of the Jedi). So, while not new, it does harken to perhaps a darker film. Both RotS and RotJ were deeper, emotional films. Thus it stands that the red (ominous) font precedes a dark, more profound movie. The Last Jedi. An outstanding title for what will surely be an exceptional film.
Dennis Keithly
The Last Jedi is an intriguing title for sure. Just like The Force Awakens, it already has fans talking and speculating.What does “The Last Jedi” mean? This phrase is both reason for excitement and concern.
First, Luke Skywalker was the last Jedi at the end of Return of the Jedi. Therefore, a title like The Last Jedi is reason for optimism that this movie will tell more of his story or focus on him. However, that also could mean there really are no other Jedi in the galaxy. Although that was implied by The Force Awakens, it is somewhat sobering. Part of the excitement of the post-Return of the Jedi state of the galaxy was that Luke might follow Yoda’s dying wishes and establish another Jedi academy. The next generation of Jedi, free from the strict rules of the Jedi of the Old Republic, could help keep peace in the galaxy and have many grand adventures.Now, that seems highly unlikely.
Alternatively, this title might not be a reference to Luke. It could be a reference to Rey. When The Force Awakens ends, she showed up on Luke’s doorstep with a lightsaber. She has powers in the Force. What is to say he doesn’t train her and then perish in this movie? That would leave Rey as the last Jedi with the burden of training the next generation in the legacy of the Jedi.
One thing is for certain, this title will keep fans busy for the foreseeable future, and at least until Lucasfilm either releases more information about the movie or presents fans with a trailer.
Richard Woloski
“The Last Jedi” title for Episode VIII can be interpreted in soooo many interesting ways. One of which being, who is it referring to? Of course, it’s meant to be ambiguous to keep in the continuity with what is known of Star Wars storytelling going back to “I am your father.” Yoda said to Luke in Return of the Jedi, “when gone am I, the last of the Jedi will you be.” (Thanks for the spoiler Yoda!) I know that the LFL story group is not overlooking this bit of foreshadowing, so I think we could be talking about Luke.
However, the argument against that is that the story group has been paving the way to pass the torch (ok, lightsaber) to new characters so Rey would be the obvious choice.
Unless, in this second act episode Kylo Ren is being brought back into the light by his mom and in doing so he is the Last of the Jedi from Luke’s new order. Then, in episode IX, there is a great battle with Snoke trying to bring back his pupil. That would align with Return of the Jedi, and give value to the fact that the Star Wars font is in RED! So many choices…Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi!
Bill Drewnowski
Does the title refer to the last secret surviving group of Jedi after Order 66? Is Luke the last Jedi with some alternate light side path besides the ways of the Jedi? Are Luke and his new apprentice the last two Jedi, with a questionable future for the Jedi Order? Will “the last Jedi” be the first of something new? Or something much much older? Did Luke find the first Jedi Temple intact? Did he unlock some ancient origins that had been lost even to the Jedi Council; knowledge that reveals a different path, one less reliant on what he isn’t (Sith)? Who knows? But it’s fun to speculate and engage in the mystery.
One thing I do expect is to walk out of the cinema in December and still be debating who or what is “The Last Jedi.” I expect the title to refer to more than one concept. “A New Hope” can refer to Luke or the Rebellion, “The Return of the Jedi” can refer to Luke specifically or the Jedi Order in general. So “The Last Jedi” will likely refer to Luke (perhaps) and something else more general. This title feels like tragic callback to “The Return of the Jedi,” with the possibility that the Jedi have returned only to meet their final ending once and for all.
Because of my interest in The Force Awakens and the sequel trilogy, I had a difficult time getting into Rogue One, but now that the build up to The Last Jedi is upon us, I am thrilled! I cannot wait for a trailer.
Swara Salih
I love this title. Really, what else could it be? Snoke said the phrase himself in The Force Awakens! It’s clear, concise, and appears to encapsulate the promises of Rian Johnson and the other filmmakers about Episode VIII: a story about what Luke has been up to, the history of the Jedi, what his relationship with Rey will be. It’s simple, powerful, and foreboding, as any middle Star Wars chapter should be.
The title obviously could refer to only Luke, but it could also be plural, referring to both Luke and Rey. However, we don’t know if Rey will specifically become a “Jedi”–she could become another kind, and presumably better, type of Force wielding master. A subtext I presume the title implies is the exploration of the history of the Jedi. What will Luke and Rey discover as they find a way to defeat the resurgence of the dark side? Will Luke be, for all time “The Last Jedi,” leaving the task of protecting the galaxy to Rey and the order she’d presumably train? Are they both “The Last Jedi” at this particular moment, and the title is simply meant to convey their desperation? It seems there are many ways to go with this, and it’s exciting to speculate.
Overall, I’m very, very excited about this title and its potential implications, and have even more excitement for Episode VIII than I did before.