The Last Jedi Writer/Director Rian Johnson Talks About Rey’s Past and Explains the Film’s Ending

In a conversation with Anthony Breznican from Entertainment Weekly, The Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson provided some insight into Rey’s past and why he decided to go the route he did with revelations surrounding her identity in the movie. He also talked briefly about the movie’s ending and the meaning behind it.

Warning: If you haven’t seen The Last Jedi yet, stop now. Spoilers ahead…

 

 

Ever since fans saw The Force Awakens, many have developed theories about who exactly Rey could be. Throughout the first film of the sequel trilogy, Rey struggled with her abandonment and sought answers as to why her parents left her alone on Jakku as she patiently awaited their return. In the movie’s third act, it is revealed that she is very strong with the Force, leading many to assume that she must be connected in some way to the Skywalkers. Some assumed she was the long lost daughter of Han and Leia, while others held to the theory that she was Luke’s estranged daughter. Whatever the theory, there seemed to be no shortage of ideas out there, all connecting her lineage to that of a previously established Star Wars character, from Obi-Wan Kenobi to the late Emperor Palpatine.

 

But given what we now know from The Last Jedi, that Rey is really nobody special in that regard, it would seem the answer to the question of her lineage was there all along. As Maz tried to convince her, the answer was not behind her – it was ahead. Her parents are gone, and they’re not coming back. Where she comes from is inconsequential – it’s who she will become that will define her worth. It’s easy to get caught up in the idea that she has to be related to Anakin Skywalker in some way to possess the talents that she does in the movies, and she does indeed share a lot of his characteristics. However, at one time Anakin himself was a nobody, a slave boy from Tatooine. That is, until he became a somebody.

 

Young Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens

 

Johnson spoke to this revelation in The Last Jedi (referring to the mirror scene in the cave on Ahch-To) and why he went the direction he did with the enigmatic revelation about her past:

 

“In this search for identity, which is her whole thing, she finds all these various versions of ‘Who am I’ going off into infinity, all the possibilities of her. She comes to the end, looking for identity from somebody, looking for an answer, and it’s just her.”

 

In the movie, Kylo Ren sees the vision that she saw in the mirror cave on Ahch-To and challenges her to accept the truth – that her parents were filthy junk traders on Jakku who sold her for drinking money. Johnson explains that, ultimately, to make her the daughter of someone special would have amounted to simple wish fulfillment for many, but it wouldn’t have challenged Rey as a character, instead handing her the future on a silver platter. He also said that he can’t speak for what Abrams will do in Episode IX, but for him, this is the gospel truth coming from Kylo Ren. At least, he believes it himself and is not just feeding her lines to sway her to his side.

 

 

Johnson continued to compare the reveal to the “I am your Father” moment from The Empire Strikes Back. When writing the movie, he concluded that the reason that moment is so powerful in Empire is not that it is an unexpected twist or a shock to the audience, but that this was the hardest thing that Luke (and the audience) could have heard in that moment. From that point, we and Luke have to accept that this evil dark presence is more than just a villain – he is a part of our hero. That was tough to swallow in 1980. I have to agree with Johnson on that one. For Rey, who was searching for her place in the world, this was the hardest thing for her to have to grasp, but accepting that truth will allow her to grow beyond the past that hinders her and find her own place in the galaxy.

 

Johnson also took a moment to share his insight into the film’s ending, which features a young stable boy in Canto Bight named Temiri Blagg, who, after being scolded for telling stories about Luke Skywalker to the other children when he should have been working, heads out the door to grab his broom. As he reaches out for the broom, the handle floats a few inches into his grasp, and he looks up into the stars with a hopeful gaze just before the credits roll.

 

 

The director revealed that the moment is about the legacy of Luke Skywalker and how his actions have a huge impact on the next generation of heroes:

 

“To me, it shows that the act Luke Skywalker did, of deciding to take on this mantle of ‘the legend,’ after he had decided the galaxy was better off with, had farther reaching consequences than saving 20 people in a cave.”

“Now the Legend of Luke Skywalker is spreading. Hope is reignited in the galaxy,” Johnson said.

“I couldn’t think of a more evocative image of hope than a kid who is playing with his Luke Skywalker action figure and being inspired by that to grow up and have an adventure and fight the good fight,” Johnson said.

 

 

To read the original articles from Entertainment Weekly, click HERE and HERE.

 

 

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Jordan Pate is Co-Lead Editor and Senior Writer for Star Wars News Net, of which he is also a member of the book and comic review team. He loves all things Star Wars, but when he's not spending time in the galaxy far far away, he might be found in our own galaxy hanging out in Gotham City or at 1407 Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center, NY.

Jordan Pate (Hard Case)

Jordan Pate is Co-Lead Editor and Senior Writer for Star Wars News Net, of which he is also a member of the book and comic review team. He loves all things Star Wars, but when he's not spending time in the galaxy far far away, he might be found in our own galaxy hanging out in Gotham City or at 1407 Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center, NY.

121 thoughts on “The Last Jedi Writer/Director Rian Johnson Talks About Rey’s Past and Explains the Film’s Ending

  • December 19, 2017 at 5:16 pm
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    Haters incoming in 3..2..1..

  • December 19, 2017 at 5:16 pm
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    Haters incoming in 3..2..1..

    • December 19, 2017 at 5:33 pm
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      Hello I am a hater of the movie in some aspects but I had no issue with the Luke storyline. It had a great message and his one of the best aspects of TLJ. The humiliation of Hux, the pointless Canto Bight scene, the lack of Snoke’s background and space Leia however…

      /edit
      In my hater oppinion the movie as a standalone adventure/finale would be an 8/10. As a sequel it would be a 3/10 as a setup for the upcoming movie it would be a 6/10. So overall a 6/10 in the context of the franchise.

      • December 19, 2017 at 5:44 pm
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        While the Finn and Rose storyline was not really that great, I wouldn’t call the Canto Bight scene pointless. If the heroes had succeeded in their mission there, it would have seemed more important, but I personally liked that their mission was unsuccessful. It brought that whole “you win some, you lose some” reality to the story. However, I have no argument on your other points. Snoke didn’t need an in depth scene-stealing monologue to explain his origins or anything, but a simple explanation of who he is and where he came from would have been nice. We didn’t need an explanation for Palpatine – he just was and that was enough. But the fact is that in the vacuum of power, Snoke seemingly came out of nowhere, yet EVERYBODY in the movie seems to know more about him than the audience. This needed a little bit of exposition. As for space Leia…this scene brought back a lot of the feelings I have about some of the more cringe-worthy prequel moments…I loved the idea…I hated the execution. That being said though, I don’t really have any gripes with the story overall, and even if I did, it’s just a movie. I don’t get the whole “Rian Johnson crapped on my childhood” mentality of some of the film’s more vocal detractors.

        • December 19, 2017 at 5:55 pm
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          No movie director ever craps on anyone’s childhood unless your childhood consisted on nothing but watching movies. The issue I had with TLJ is that it felt like I had missed Episode 8 and was already watching 9. I know I am not the only one, on many of my favourite Star Wars channels and websites people needed quite a bit of time to digest what they had just seen. I think that Disney has been toying too much with expectations. Maybe not on purpose but certainly due to a lack of an overall plan what the sequel trilogy should look and feel like. I can appreciate that Rian wanted to push SW in a new direction but isn’t that what the first or the last installment of a trilogy is good for? Why would you change the direction SW is going as a franchise so drastically right in the middle? Some things ended too quickly, others could have, maybe even should have ended earlier. Seeing Leia float in space in her beautiful dress with the lights of the Raddus glowing in the background was a moment of serene beauty. Why not let this be the last image of our space princess, an equally sad an beautiful moment?

          • December 19, 2017 at 6:02 pm
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            And I completely understand where you are coming from. I’m of similiar viewpoints as you to where I enjoyed this movie, but in the context of the ST I find it disappointing.

            Rian Johnson in my view was too ambitious. This movie needed to be trimmed down and it needed to be more focus. I appreciate him willing to produce such a challenging movie, but really to quote Ian Malcolm “Just because you could, doesn’t mean you should.”

            Episode Nine for me, I’m more curious about that movie and less excited. As in, I ask LF and JJ Abrams: How are you going to work off of this?

            Especially, with this movie being super divisive, beyond just the tribalism of the fans with the OT, PT and everything else.

            And yeah, you cannot please everyone. But really, this movie for me even appreciating it, I do question if LF actually did plan this trilogy out?

          • December 19, 2017 at 6:09 pm
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            They didn’t plan it out. There’s a 7 hour podcast where Rian makes this crystal clear. I am more excited for his new trilogy. He does have a strong vision even though Lucasfilm might have given him the wrong task when creating the middle chapter of a trilogy. I will definitely see IX to see if JJ manages to life up to the challenge of a) plausibly finishing one of his own stories and b) to see if he tries to put TLJ more into context than VIII does by itself. If IX manages to retroactively improve VIII by putting it more into context then its score in my SW universe might increase 🙂

          • December 19, 2017 at 6:15 pm
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            And I can see that. And that is such a BIG mistake. The OT wasn’t well planned out, but it had consistency in its characters and even ROTJ, overbloated as that movie is(Still my favorite) is, still does do a decent job connecting the Luke and Vader stuff back.

            Even though, Han and leia are sidelined. But really, I’m just more curious given how The Last Jedi felt like an ending as you said. I guess that could be a good thing as it basically allows Episode Nine to be something different. But it could also be the glass on the road to where it can just stymie a lot of development. We’ll have to wait and see.

            Either way, in all honesty, LF should do some big soul-searching. They should further delay Epsiode Nine, like add another year to it. Maybe, move up another movie or not even have another SWs movie. And really give time for LF to hatch out a plan to figure out this movie.

            And get a fantastic screenwriter! JJ should NOT write this at all. Tierio I would have said other wise, but JL has proven to be mixed and they need someone good. Someone really, really, good. Maybe, David Koepp?

          • December 19, 2017 at 6:22 pm
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            Well I am probably a biased fanboy but Matt Reeves has shown that he is really good at character driven blockbusters with a consistent story with his planet of the apes movies. I don’t know if he is available though in the near future. David Koepp would be an interesting choice even though the last impression he made on me, “The Mummy” left a sour taste in my mouth. But then again he was only cowriting and Jurassic Par is still one of my alltime favourite movies 🙂

          • December 19, 2017 at 6:29 pm
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            Matt Reeves I honestly believe is probably the best director, next to the director of Blade Runner 2049 Dennis, I forget his last name, sorry; of this year.

            Reeves honestly made in my view two the best scifi films of all time with the new Apes films.

            And really, his sensibilities are enough to where I could see Star Wars benefitting a lot. So yeah, I’d be sold if he got involved. But that Batman trilogy could end up taking up his time. Though, given WB situation with the DCEU, I could see Reeves jumping ship.

            But also, maybe he doesn’t want to deal with KK. This is an anecdotal and mind you, I got this from a friend who works in Hollywood, but Kathleen Kennedy isn’t exactly in the most positive light from directors. Namely, her draconian methods. So I could see Reeves not wanting to deal with it. Even Taika Waitti of Thor Ragnarok joked about that. But he could very well be telling the truth.

            Koepp, yeah; the new “Mummy” sucked but that was more of Alex Kurtzman being inexperienced, too many cooks in the kitchen and Universal trying to franchise the heck out of that movie. But yeah, Koepp I think if there is anyone who could tie together this muddled mess of a ST, it is Koepp.

            Because, the guy as you said has written some truly fantastic films. Though, his dialogue can be iffy. But that usually just requires a rewrite/ a good director to help. And with JJ that kind of scares me.

          • December 19, 2017 at 6:46 pm
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            As much as I appreciate KK’s time at Lucasfilm and her personal experience with George I do not know why she is still inc harge of Lucasfilm. So far 8 directors have been working on 3 Star Wars movies either due to reshoots or because they were fired while writing early storydrafts. If a Human Resources department hired and then fired 75% of their employees before they can even finish a single project you would probably fire HR team too. Anyways Reeves probably has other stuff to do looking at his shedule. But what about Dave Filoni? He did/does a really good job with Clonewars/Rebels if you consider he only has a very limited budget, 20 minutes per episode and his target audience is mainly children. Without these limitations I am sure he could do all kinds of amazing stuff and he is someone who truly cares about the franchise. He would certainly want to tie up some lose ends.

          • December 19, 2017 at 7:54 pm
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            I have a hunch that Kennedy keeps Dave only because A) he is appreciated by a large chunk of the fandom and B) His close relations with George Lucas. Admittly, Filoni did the TCW movie which wasn’t great, but to be fair; that movie was three episodes smashed together.

            Honestly, Dave should be a member of the Story Group. That entire group in my view needs to be fired and new members be put in. Legends writers, like Zahn, Stover etc. or even some other individuals. Because, really nobody can convince me that the Story Group has done a good job. The movies are islands amid the new canon as far as I am concerned. With Rogue One being the lone exception to that rule.

            Namely, with the references with Chopper and Hera which I did enjoy.

          • December 19, 2017 at 9:55 pm
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            Director/writer already chosen.

          • December 19, 2017 at 9:54 pm
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            Writers already locked

          • December 19, 2017 at 7:41 pm
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            Point to this podcast where Rian Johnson says he was off on his own. Seen many an interview where Rian said he worked with the story group throughout the creation of the story and script. JJ Abrams continued on as a producer as well. He isnt walking into something he wasnt aware of.

          • December 19, 2017 at 9:50 pm
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            No plans seems to be the chaotic nature of this new trilogy.

        • December 19, 2017 at 6:46 pm
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          Lets take Canto Bight out and what is the consequence. Rose and Finn just hang around with Poe. What happens? Poe goes along with Holdo plan. Rey goes to Supremacy and is captured. Resistance remnants escape to Crait. Rey and Kylo kill Snoke and battle the guards. Then Rey and Kylo have conflict. Holdo flies off and cruiser runs out of fuel shortly past Crait. The First Order boards cruiser and discovers it is abandoned. So they backtrack and find Crait. Rey doesnt escape the Supremacy because of no diversion from Supremacy destruction. So in the end everyone is captured.

          • December 19, 2017 at 7:47 pm
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            Let’s take another route. Let Poe ask Holdo what she is planning. She tells him they are going to Crait which is just around the corner and that she will then crash the Raddus into the Supremacy once they have reached Crait. Maybe she will even let a droid do it, after all they can fly ships and noone loses his/her life but that’s advanced war tactics 😉 So the whole Canto Bight plotline could have been avoided if they had taken 2 minutes to get their plans straight and really, I don’ know why Holdo didn’t say: Look, I talked through this with Leia. There’s a hidden base right arround the corner so don’t do anything stupid it’s all gonna be fine.

          • December 19, 2017 at 8:16 pm
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            My point isn’t that you cant rewrite and do differently. The point in this narrative is that the plot line is needed. Now as for your narrative. You are changing around the Poe story. RJ put Poe into a learning narrative. He needs to grow to take over. Especially with Carrie Fisher gone now Poe leads the Resistance. Leia and Holdo couldn’t talk because Holdo was thrust into the position because Leia was unconscious. She woke up after the mission was all most complete. Holdo had 0 reason to feel beholden to Poe who just did a lot of damage to the resistance and was demoted.

          • December 19, 2017 at 8:50 pm
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            Look I really don’t want to discuss the whole Canto Bight plot anymore. Just googlea couple of reviews from people al over the interwebs and you will see that Canto Bight is often pointed out and almost never in a positive way. After 3 or 4 reviews you should understand what I mean. If a story sounds stupid and unrealistic and pointless on paper it porbably is 😉

          • December 19, 2017 at 9:18 pm
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            Dont be condescending to me. I have read many a review and have seen the movie 3 times already. My point was that ultimately the mission did move the narrative. Could they have written something else? Of course the whole movie could be completely different. As for why Canto Bight doesnt work. I dont know. I didnt have any problem with the actual Canto Bight sub-plot. Dont tell me I must have a problem with it. An issue I had with TFA was that it made the galaxy seem empty of people. TFA had the one scene when the planets are all destroyed which showed some people. I think that RJ also used Canto Bight to show that people actually still live in the galaxy.

          • December 19, 2017 at 9:47 pm
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            TFA included ‘small scope’ in it’s ANH paralleling.

          • December 19, 2017 at 9:56 pm
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            Huh?

          • December 19, 2017 at 9:52 pm
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            Yes. Here’s my answer to Ian which took me about 2 minutes to write as you can see in terms of grammer and spelling.:

            … I am not saying a detour would not have been cool but what about there’s a small mining colony on Crait and Finn and Rose need to get there and activate a shieldgenerator or make some other preparations for the arrival of the rest of the resistance. So they are already on crait preparing everything and there they meet these cjildren slaving away in the mines of Crait or something. It wouldn’t feel as bloated and more useful like the overcomplicated and ultimately unsuccesful codebreaker sidequest.

          • December 19, 2017 at 9:44 pm
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            People should also remember Broom Boy was discovered on Canto Bight. If they hadn’t gone there, he never would have got the Rebel ring.

          • December 19, 2017 at 9:51 pm
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            Well since he fashioned a Luke puppet and learnt the story of Luke this takes place quite a while after Lukes sacrifice. So the resistance could have already grown again. The scene was powerful enough as it is witout the ring so imo it certainly doesn’t make it necessary to include 30 minutes on canto bight for two seconds of showing the ring. I am not saying a detour would not have been cool but what about there’s a small mining colony on Crait and Finn and Rose need to get there and activate a shieldgenerator or make some other preparations for the arrival of the rest of the resistance. So they are already on crait preparing everything and there they meet these cjildren slaving away in the mines of Crait or something. It wouldn’t feel as bloated and more useful like the overcomplicated and ultimately unsuccesful codebreaker sidequest.

          • December 19, 2017 at 10:06 pm
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            It’s the contrast of the ultra rich and unseen laborers.

          • December 19, 2017 at 10:14 pm
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            Then have some rich minign bosses cruise arround on the saltlake like Jabba did. Use the boat seen in Canto bight if you want whirling up red dust foreshadowing what’s to come. Let them rich bastards bath in whirlpools on their floating cruisers while the thirsty children down there in the salt mines wave with their little hands and beg them for water.
            Have this ugly bastard mock them and don’t cut him out of the movie for a change.
            https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ea434fdc5bc1dca4848b688a04793039dcb406c7e459f95da03c9342c3b7b7c2.png
            And once the first order arrives on crait some fat bloated alien walks up to kylo and says: “Get off my property boy, supreme leader snoke has granted me exclusive mining rights…(which would indicate that Snoke finances his warmachinery on the back of child labourers)
            And Kylo is like, I am the Supreme leader now, rips that guy apart making it clear that he means buisness and has taken over the first order (rather than bullying Hux once more later in the movie)

          • December 19, 2017 at 10:51 pm
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            It was something new. All those ultra sleek ships, the exotic beings, JW’s original alien band music.

        • December 20, 2017 at 4:19 pm
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          You argument is too balanced by internet standards, good sir. If you have gripes with this film you have to hate it with all your being or get out of here.

      • December 20, 2017 at 12:35 am
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        I’m not a fan of Canto Bight sequence either, but I was watching the movie for the 2nd time with 2 kids and guess what?? They loved that part as some other parts that I didn’t enjoy as much. So yeah, I guess it was not made only for nerds who grew up on OT and that is something people have to realize.

      • December 20, 2017 at 12:35 am
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        I’m not a fan of Canto Bight sequence either, but I was watching the movie for the 2nd time with 2 kids and guess what?? They loved that part as some other parts that I didn’t enjoy as much. So yeah, I guess it was not made only for nerds who grew up on OT and that is something people have to realize.

        • December 20, 2017 at 1:03 am
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          I liked Maz castle and when it comes to SW I am a manchild. I just thought the plot was overly bloated given that there was only a bit of character developement, that’s all.

        • December 22, 2017 at 2:49 pm
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          A lot of kids and mothers liked Jar Jar by the time of the Prequels. Is this making him a good character ?

  • December 19, 2017 at 5:23 pm
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    i didnt hate that ending part i hated the luke part. May be this kid will grow and become the protagonist of his new trilogy

    • December 19, 2017 at 6:56 pm
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      No. See? That’s the mistake, trying to tie everything together and feeling inevitably disappointed afterwards. The kid is just a kid.

      • December 19, 2017 at 9:25 pm
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        They should title to new trilogy “Everybody’s Special.”

        • December 19, 2017 at 9:28 pm
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          No. Everybody is not special. But someone special can come from anywhere.

          Is that such an awful concept for some?

          I guess Yoda, Windu, Kenobi, Palpatine, etc, are all related to the same ancestor. None of them could have been descendants of junkers or a stable boys, because “ew, gross”

        • December 20, 2017 at 1:04 am
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          hilarious!

  • December 19, 2017 at 5:24 pm
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    Fuck off

    • December 19, 2017 at 7:54 pm
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      I’m not a fan of the film, but there is no need for such a comment. Try growing up a bit.

  • December 19, 2017 at 5:46 pm
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    Luke’s journey is a beautifully crafted story of failure and redemption and his martyrdom takes the character to a truly epic level. He’s so much more interesting to me than he was before The Last Jedi and I can’t wait to read the novel that dives into the events leading up to his confrontation with Ben at the Jedi Temple.

    • December 19, 2017 at 5:54 pm
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      I guess everyone sees what they want to see.

      • December 19, 2017 at 6:00 pm
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        Then apparently you wanted to see something you didn’t like? Logic goes both ways.

        • December 19, 2017 at 11:26 pm
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          It didn’t go the way I thought

  • December 19, 2017 at 5:55 pm
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    I came out of TFA without any sense of mystery about Rey’s parents. They were just the thing keeping her from leaving Jakku and on to greater things. Maz told her/us that outright. I was surprised to find out later that so many people thought “Who are Rey’s parents?” was the central issue going forward. And two years later we are told again that the past is not important and still people can’t let it go.

    • December 19, 2017 at 6:29 pm
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      ^exactly.

      It, like snoke, was a”mystery” manufactured more by internet chatter than by any foreshadowing in TFA.

    • December 19, 2017 at 6:29 pm
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      ^exactly.

      It, like snoke, was a”mystery” manufactured more by internet chatter than by any foreshadowing in TFA.

      • December 19, 2017 at 6:55 pm
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        Amen to both of you, Fantastma and Andrewtoronto.

    • December 19, 2017 at 7:54 pm
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      Baloney. The producers intentionally left it mysterious to build it as a big reveal. They said so. They even promised that it was going to be “incredibly satisfying” to fans. It was a really stupid ploy that did not pay off for fans. They would have been better to establish that her parents were nobodies in TFA.

      • December 19, 2017 at 8:01 pm
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        Spot on.

      • December 19, 2017 at 9:48 pm
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        It didn’t pay off for you. It was a gut punch that felt right to me. People who didn’t like the movie somehow feel they speak for all Star Was fans. The whole point of this movie is to knock down legends. The Force doesn’t belong to the Skywalkers. Anakin was a slave, Rey is an orphan, Broom kid is a slave. No one is a hero by the nature of their birth. Rey’s parents having abandoned her sets her free of so much baggage.

        • December 20, 2017 at 1:02 am
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          These movies are supposed to be about Skywalkers!

          • December 20, 2017 at 4:01 am
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            And they’re still dealing with the Skywalkers in Luke, Leia and Ben. At a certain point that becomes ridiculous. How many generations of chosen ones are there supposed to be in this one screwed up family? Aside from that who cares if it’s Luke Skywalker or Larry Shitkicker? The point of THIS movie is that the Force isn’t the exclusive property of a particular lineage. Would it make you happy if in the next movie Force Ghost Luke tells Rey he’s her dad? Do you really need them to wheel out that old trick again so we can get the warm fuzzies about how great it was the first time it happened? Wasn’t the big issue with The Force Awakens that it was self referential and repetitive?

          • December 20, 2017 at 4:01 am
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            And they’re still dealing with the Skywalkers in Luke, Leia and Ben. At a certain point that becomes ridiculous. How many generations of chosen ones are there supposed to be in this one screwed up family? Aside from that who cares if it’s Luke Skywalker or Larry Shitkicker? The point of THIS movie is that the Force isn’t the exclusive property of a particular lineage. Would it make you happy if in the next movie Force Ghost Luke tells Rey he’s her dad? Do you really need them to wheel out that old trick again so we can get the warm fuzzies about how great it was the first time it happened? Wasn’t the big issue with The Force Awakens that it was self referential and repetitive?

          • December 20, 2017 at 4:47 am
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            Don’t get so defensive….Just the point is…like it or mot,they are Skywalker movies. All of their unique power come from the chosen one. (fyi, there was only one)They did no justice with Luke’s character. He had ghost Yoda, ghost obi wan and ghost Anakin. He wouldn’t have made any of these choices with that amount of wisdom guiding him.

            if they want to sell the force can be from Larry Shitkicker and he’s the most powerful ever…then do it in a desperate SW movie. Not in this saga…about skywalkers!

            TFA was awful due to it being a total reboot and erasing the overall story arc of the other 6 films.

            And Leia Starlord….no thanks.

          • December 22, 2017 at 2:44 pm
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            That would explains her strong connection with the Force if she is a Skywalker or a Solo.

        • December 20, 2017 at 7:00 am
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          “People who didn’t like the movie somehow feel they speak for all Star Was fans.” And people who did like this movie feel the same way. This movie worked for some people, and it did not for others. Personally I didn’t like it (wouldn’t say I hated it either) but I feel like my reasons are justifiable enough. It largely comes down to ones own interpretation of Star Wars and what it means to them. There’s been WAY too many insults thrown on both sides of the aisle for no other reason than having differing views. Btw, not trying to imply this is you, Kevin, just making a general statement.

      • December 19, 2017 at 11:58 pm
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        They really did though:

        Maz spelled it out to us in the conversation with Rey, “Dear child, I see your eyes. You already know the truth. Whoever you’re waiting for on Jakku, they’re never coming back. But, there’s someone who still could”.

        Ir really doesn’t get any clearer than that.

        But, no, fans wanted her to be a Skywalker, Solo, Kenobi, or Palpatine.

        They’re the ones who are now feeling disappointed.

        • December 20, 2017 at 2:59 am
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          Please! It was PURPOSELY kept a “secret” to build suspense. Why did the filmmakers even call it a “reveal”? In the 2 years since TFA, when asked about it, why did the actors, producers, EVERYONE play coy and say they couldn’t tell? To say it was clear to everyone is re-writing history.

          • December 20, 2017 at 3:13 am
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            Who did you think Rey’s parents were?

          • December 20, 2017 at 3:13 am
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            Who did you think Rey’s parents were?

  • December 19, 2017 at 6:32 pm
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    I don’t know why everyone seems adamant at trying to discredit people’s complaints. Most of which have never actually been refuted…

    Just accept this one is at the very least divisive. If you liked it… good for you! Doesn’t stop people from having legitimate criticisms.

  • December 19, 2017 at 7:04 pm
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    RJ’s explanation of “broom boy” is exactly what I personally took from that scene at the end. I’m not sure why there is such intense speculation about “will broom boy be Rey’s apprentice?!” and other such nonsense. It is so clearly an homage to the resonance of Luke Skywalker throughout the galaxy, and an example of how the Jedi do not all come from important bloodlines. They come from nobodies — like Rey and broom boy.

    • December 19, 2017 at 8:07 pm
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      Even more, people forgot that Anakin was nobody (slave in the midldle of nowhere) from a nobody mother…so all this talking about Rey’s parents or the broom boy is pointless…the Force is strong with some people randomly in this galaxy 🙂

    • December 19, 2017 at 8:07 pm
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      Even more, people forgot that Anakin was nobody (slave in the midldle of nowhere) from a nobody mother…so all this talking about Rey’s parents or the broom boy is pointless…the Force is strong with some people randomly in this galaxy 🙂

      • December 19, 2017 at 8:29 pm
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        We don’t know who his father is exactly, his mother doesn’t know who the father is… That changes everything.

        • December 19, 2017 at 9:13 pm
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          Dimitri, you’re messing things totally in this comment “In the end his nobody mother was a queen and politician and his father the most powerful Jedi ever. Which ofcourse changed a lot.” You’re talking about Luke, I’m talking about Vader! Vader was Anakin,and Anakin was a slave of Wato, just like his mother,and his father just a bunch of midichlorians, so he really was nobody from a nobody mother…check your facts! 🙂

          • December 19, 2017 at 9:23 pm
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            Techically, her parents are still out there. So….

          • December 19, 2017 at 9:23 pm
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            Techically, her parents are still out there. So….

          • December 19, 2017 at 9:47 pm
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            I deleted that comment realizing it wasn’t about Luke…

          • December 19, 2017 at 9:47 pm
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            I deleted that comment realizing it wasn’t about Luke…

      • December 19, 2017 at 9:21 pm
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        But isn’t that limiting? Why can’t everyone have this complex, watered down version of the Force?

        The only real Force users left seem to be Luke and Snoke, both dealt cheap shot deaths. We’re left with a beautifully relevant parallel to modern millennials, a shadow of the previous generation.

      • December 20, 2017 at 12:58 am
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        Obviously you missed that they explained why Anakin was so talented…….he wasn’t a nobody! He was the chosen one!

    • December 19, 2017 at 9:16 pm
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      Doesn’t add up. She dreams of Luke/The island, comes from a desert planet [which also just happens to have the Falcon on it…and Lor San Tekka], hears Yoda and Obi-Wan’s voice, etc.

    • December 20, 2017 at 12:56 am
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      just as dumb with his explanation as it played out in the movie.

      • December 20, 2017 at 5:26 am
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        When you say “dumb” are you sure you’re not referring to your own comment?

        • December 20, 2017 at 5:38 am
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          absolutely….imo, worst SW movie to date. And I’m a Rian Johnson fan that had high hopes!

          • December 20, 2017 at 5:46 am
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            Sorry to hear you didn’t get the same enjoyment I did from it. That must really suck.

          • December 20, 2017 at 6:29 am
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            me too! I was really excited! glad you enjoyed it! We can’t all have the same likes.

    • December 20, 2017 at 11:49 am
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      No, that scene was simply implemented by Johnson and Disney to appeal to the kiddos. Here kid, even you can be a jedi! Come buy our toys, and be sure to buy our ticket hopper passes.

      • December 20, 2017 at 3:42 pm
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        That is over-the-top cynical and ridiculous.

    • December 22, 2017 at 2:32 pm
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      it was obvious since TPM that everyone can be Jedi. The Jedis of the Republic are not all Chosen Ones. But look the powers of Anakin were explained from being a child of the Force. So whet the excuse for Rey ?Not everyone in SW has sensitivity to the Force. They better with solid explanation in 9 or i ll stick with the old EU.

  • December 19, 2017 at 7:10 pm
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    Let it go, te past is unimportant, the future is and who will be you

    • December 19, 2017 at 9:13 pm
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      Exept that doesn’t really make any sense. If you sever the past completely, you never learn from it’s
      mistakes.

      • December 20, 2017 at 1:53 am
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        simply one learns from the past to be a better person, but the important thing is to try to move on and forge your own path

  • December 19, 2017 at 7:51 pm
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    2 years of hype about Rey’s parents, and Rian just said, “Meh. Who cares?”
    We were promised by Disney execs that that the reveal would be “incredibly satisfying” to fans. It was the most anti-climactic reveal. Ever. Disney would have been better off not holding out like it was this really interesting twist than building suspense for 2 years for it to be a pile of garbage.

    • December 19, 2017 at 8:08 pm
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      Let the past die. Kill it if you have to.

      • December 22, 2017 at 2:27 pm
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        yes this is said by Ren, but clerly comes from RJ like : guys the SW you knew is dying. Fuck off.

        • December 23, 2017 at 12:24 am
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          Aww someone was an abused child. I’m sorry.

    • December 19, 2017 at 9:54 pm
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      Where was this promise?

      • December 19, 2017 at 11:58 pm
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        It was made by one of the producers.

    • December 20, 2017 at 12:00 am
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      The reveal was satisfying to us fans who didn’t need Rey to be a Skywalker, Solo, Kenobi, or Palpatine.

      For the rest, not so much.

      • December 20, 2017 at 12:54 am
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        The chosen one didn’t have the abilities that Rey just figured out in 30 minutes in TFA…..not to mention her saber skills with no training…..no, she needs to be explained or have some kind of important “force” parents.

    • December 20, 2017 at 2:30 am
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      Maybe, but to be fair if her parents had turned out to be any of the suspects there were presented on the internet then I suspect many fans would now be complaining about how it was stupid that so-and-so was her father/mother and how it had ruined the established timeline or ruined star wars in general.

      • December 20, 2017 at 7:11 pm
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        yes had they said rey was luke’s long lost daughter, how would that have made any sense. who was the mother. What happened to her. why did luke not know and leave her and the child behind. None of that would have made any sense going forward from TFA, Similar for all the other speculation Kenobi, or palpatine. when did they have time to father a child. A one night stand on a slave girl sometime. Totally ridiculous not credible.

        • December 22, 2017 at 2:24 pm
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          Well it’s more credibble than a girl mastering powers of the Force and lightsaber without any lessons. Even anakin, the chosen one, spent long time teached by Kenobi.

  • December 19, 2017 at 8:20 pm
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    Rey´s parentage was feeded by TFA and by ESB, the main twist in the OT was about that. It was a typical soap opera twist transferred to science/fantasy fiction. So us, the audience, was hoping the same kind of “drug”, “please give me some lineage plot”, internet spreaded it widely.
    I watched the movie, and my friend first question was “I know Luke is her father, but don´t spoil it to me”, she doesn´t visit these forums where Luke as father theory was not popular anymore.
    Rian Johnson wisely decided to make Rey parents important to her, but not a twist. YET?
    I understand people interested in lineage and bloodlines, but I prefer SW is not about that, and it is about anyone can be a Jedi.
    Just think about the possibilites:
    Kylo and Rey sibblings, like Luke and Leia again?!?!? that would be hilarious, the possible incest, again?!?!? and ending the chances of any other kind of tension between them.
    Luke´s father, like Vader again?!?!? now cousins?!?!?

    Other possibilities of lineage were/are more complex to explain, but you must find them very useful in the plot.
    So we are here now, Rey instead of waiting her family she has found one, starting by Finn, Chewbacca, Luke, Leia, Rose, Poe, the droids and the porgs, exactly like Star Wars Rebels feel like a family.
    And now, who started this, JJ has the choice, is Kylo a bully “your parents just sold you” and retake the lineage twist, or just let Rey enjoy her new family.
    But, we the fanbase club, can forget about it for 2 years because now it is true, anyone (a no one) can be a Jedi.

    • December 19, 2017 at 9:10 pm
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      Not anyone, obviously.

      And it all plays into the twisted alternate parallel of this new trilogy. How do you top the ESB reveal with modern audiences?…Create an incredibly complex explanation for a simple answer.

      • December 19, 2017 at 10:28 pm
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        You want it simpler.
        OT was about discovering the evil finnally was your own father.
        This new trilogy is about the evil son who kills his absent father.

        With those pieces I like the puzzle solution for Rey, at this moment.
        Will she be a Kenobi? May be it could seem cool in Ep.IX, who knows.
        But at this moment, it doesn´t matter.

    • December 19, 2017 at 11:58 pm
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      The producers hyped the parentage mystery, too, claiming it would be “incredibly satisfying”.
      To say SW isn’t about lineage isn’t true. Kathleen Kennedy herself said the 3 trilogies was about the Skywalker FAMILY. That’s out the window.

    • December 19, 2017 at 11:58 pm
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      The producers hyped the parentage mystery, too, claiming it would be “incredibly satisfying”.
      To say SW isn’t about lineage isn’t true. Kathleen Kennedy herself said the 3 trilogies was about the Skywalker FAMILY. That’s out the window.

      • December 20, 2017 at 12:27 am
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        With regards to the incredibly satisfying thing, the trilogy isn’t over yet. Patience. With regards to the Skywalker Saga, I thought the same thing too that Rey had to be Skywalker’s daughter but they’re referring to Ben Solo. At least at this point they are referring to Ben because technically he has Skywalker blood. So we just have to have patience and wait for episode 9 to come out because JJ Abrams said that episode 9 will tie all of the trilogy’s together.

      • December 20, 2017 at 5:14 am
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        I only remember KK about Skywalkers, and these 2 movies are about Skywalkers.
        About producers… I don´t care.
        I remember comments from Daisy Ridley and Rian Johnson about the matter, they never leaded us to believe in a lineage solution in TLJ.
        This seems the discussion in Harry Potter about Pure Bloods against Muggle-borns. Sorry I am not in the Pure Blood side.

      • December 20, 2017 at 5:22 am
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        The 3 trilogies are still about the Skywalker family. Luke, Leia, and Ben are huge parts of this trilogy, and they’re all Skywalkers.

  • December 19, 2017 at 11:21 pm
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    – That’s why the twist of her parents being nobody special is brilliant. Because it’s a literalization of what now seems to be coming into focus as the main thrust of the new trilogy. Blowing up the old systems of what was possible or allowable in the SW universe.

  • December 20, 2017 at 12:06 am
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    It was perfect and beautiful. The hardest part was saying goodbye to 40 year long friendships. And the old gods fade…………..

  • December 20, 2017 at 12:36 am
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    I can understand the idea that Rey, being a nobody, has no ‘baggage’ and no inheritance, she strives forward on her own merit. However, the episode films are about the Skywalker Family line (and by extension, the Solo line), and TFA (if not ROTJ) proposed a heroine with significant mystery. If LFL knew from the outset that Rey was a nobody, then they could have announced it in TFA, we’d have accepted it there and then, and we’d have moved on knowing that Rey would win her claim by her own skill. Instead, we get to that same end point but through a distractingly unnecessary plot and subterfuge. I also don’t accept the comments above that Ani was a “slave boy nobody” [like Rey], simply because he was first and foremost a creation of the Force , and a lowly slave second. This is Greek Myth (turned modern family soap opera) : you set up the Hero with a significance ; any ‘nobodies’ in the plot are still-valid but *secondary* characters.

  • December 20, 2017 at 12:37 am
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    comparing to Anakin, who was a nobody???? He was the chosen one!?!…dumbest shit ever with Rey being a nobody. Impact not even close to that of Vader reveal.

    He destroyed Luke’s character and that is why Mark disagreed with him. I’ve mentioned it before…Luke had all if Yodas experience at his calling since he’s a force ghost, he had Obi wan as a ghost, Anakin Skywalker as a ghost and freshly redeemed! None of the dumb shit in TFA or TLJ would have happened to Luke with all of that experience (Yoda even trained with the Whills!)
    This is why they needed an overall story outline. Rian’s movie is more like an alternative Dark horse comic stand alone.

    Brilliant???? lol, if people say so. Glad you liked it, but too many valid reasons to dislike this movie besides it being just angry fanboys!

  • December 20, 2017 at 2:18 am
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    I did enjoy TLJ but the reveal of Reys perantage irritated me and also made me a little sad. It irritated me because it was made into a big mystery over the last 2 years by most involved with the film, both cast and crew, but turned out to be nothing! It made me sad because it means there will be no more saga films after IX. Kathleen Kennedy has said more than once and fairly recently that the saga films will always be about the Skywalkers. Luke’s dead, Reys not a Skywalker and I can’t see it ending well for Kylo in IX therefore no episode X-XII. Real shame!

  • December 20, 2017 at 2:18 am
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    I did enjoy TLJ but the reveal of Reys perantage irritated me and also made me a little sad. It irritated me because it was made into a big mystery over the last 2 years by most involved with the film, both cast and crew, but turned out to be nothing! It made me sad because it means there will be no more saga films after IX. Kathleen Kennedy has said more than once and fairly recently that the saga films will always be about the Skywalkers. Luke’s dead, Reys not a Skywalker and I can’t see it ending well for Kylo in IX therefore no episode X-XII. Real shame!

    • December 20, 2017 at 7:09 am
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      All of the great setups in TFA were given the middle finger by a guy whose parents can’t spell. Save us JJ

  • December 20, 2017 at 5:56 am
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    Broomkid’s name is Luuke ! It’s a Legendary name.

  • December 20, 2017 at 7:03 am
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    This is a cop out. BAD BAD BAD. SAVE US JJ ABRAMS, YOU’RE OUR ONLY HOPE

    • December 21, 2017 at 3:23 pm
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      The whole movie is disconnected and confusing. I’m hoping JJ can make some sense out of this.

  • December 20, 2017 at 8:09 am
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    Theory: Broomkid is offspring of the offspring of Kenobis offspring.

  • December 21, 2017 at 10:34 am
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    Nobody today. Saviour and/or wife of Ben Solo tomorrow. Or adopted daughter of Leia from a certain point of view. That would be family right?

    It would also satisfy the statement from Maz that the belonging that Rey seeks is in the future not the past.

  • December 27, 2017 at 2:10 am
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    Nah he can say it however he wants but it feels like he just did a big F U to all the fans who were waiting for something epic. She could have even been a descendant of Qui-gon gin. That would make sense. Then it would tie all three trilogies together like JJ Said he wants to do.

    What better way then to make her the great granddaughter of the Jedi who discovered Anakin Skywalker/Vader and be trained by his son Luke to stop the evil grandson of Vader. It would be perfect. I hope they still do something with that.

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