Very few things ignite the internet hype train like the Star Wars franchise. Since The Force Awakens dropped smashing box office records and revitalizing fans love for the series it’s been positive pandemonium for anything new from a galaxy far, far away. Casting rumors, plot synopses, interviews, and similar promo material sends fans and news sites into a frenzy as they try to dig into and digest the latest morsels of information. The Han Solo standalone film held the web’s attention for a while with the casting news of Golden Globe winning actor Donald Glover and Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke, but then the momentum was derailed with the tragic passing of Princess Leia herself, Carrie Fisher. Last week, the hype was restored as the world was introduced to Episode VIII’s official title—Star Wars: The Last Jedi—and the web was buzzing with the fury of a thousand lightsabers.
But what do they mean The LAST Jedi?! Who IS the last Jedi—Luke? Episode VII’s heroine Rey? Both? Is someone going to die, leaving someone else to be the last? Or does the “last” refer to a group of surviving Jedi? There are so many questions, and so many months until we can get answers! We won’t know until the film is released this December (which may as well be renamed “Disember”), and until then the speculation and theories will dominate Reddit and similar sites. As I pitch in my own two cents on what I think the title could mean for the series and what expectations I have for the film, consider this my fuel to the Episode VIII internet fire.
It’s official. STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI is the next chapter of the Skywalker saga. This December. #TheLastJedi https://t.co/ySkVwQcMTP pic.twitter.com/eHrPgbsRJq
— Star Wars (@starwars) January 23, 2017