Welcome to The Cantina where we definitely server your kind. I’m your bartender Kyle Malone and I’m serving up tall glasses of nothing but Star Wars. By now you know I am the dedicated, well versed in the EU, experienced gamer, and open-minded fan this world needs. I see the flaws in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, but also the great moments too. I know the importance of The Empire Strikes Back but see how strong Return of the Jedi is. I see that the prequels… well… we’ll get there. I love Star Wars and I want more! More books, comics, games, and movies that take place in a galaxy far, far away. Today’s drinks are on the owner, Jo- Jam Mer, so order up!
Rumors
Rumors and leaks are a double-edged sword. The can help satiate the need for information, but can also ruin the surprise. This means there are potential spoilers below. Let’s dive into some of the holonet’s most interesting rumors.
Mara Jade. If you know that name, you’re my friend for life. If not, GO READ THE THRAWN TRILOGY! Jade was a character from the Expanded Universe who was once one of the Emperor’s Hands, special agents used for assassination and other things. After Palpatine’s death, Mara sought to kill Luke Skywalker but a series of events left them stranded together and needing to work together to survive. Skywalker and Jade would eventually get married and have a child, Ben Skywalker. Oh yeah, she was a Jedi too.
Why is this important? Well, according to leaks via The Hashtag Show a few months back, a female between 40 and 50 years old to play a role named “Mara” was being sought by casting director Nina Gold. This follows the novelization of The Last Jedi revealing Luke did have a wife, and we know that LucasFilm has borrowed from the EU in its last four films. So does this mean that Mara Jade will appear in the movie in a similar fashion to her EU self? I kind of hope not.
While I am completely okay with Mara Jade being a part of Luke’s past, I am not sure how she would work in this movie. I have stated before how I don’t want Episode IX to be used to “fix” The Last Jedi. I think introducing too many new characters will bog the story down and leave the movie feeling incomplete. I say use her to enrich the current canon in the comics and novels. She was a great character in the old EU and represents a strong female character with a rich background to draw from.
One last thing… If they do use her in the movie she better not be Rey’s mom. Especially if Luke’s not the father. I really don’t want Rey to have famous lineage. but it’d be really dumb to bring Jade in and not have her kid be Luke’s. Almost as dumb as the name Ben for the Solos.
Haven’t you always wanted to see Hayden Christensen back as Anakin? Wouldn’t it be even better if he was a Force ghost that was blended with Sebastian Shaw? What if that amalgam was in a scene with Luke’s Force Ghost? Well according to supposed leaks via Express, that may happen.
Apparently, we will see Luke in a cave with floating orbs and in front of him will be this blended ghost of his father. The leak does not give any more detail than this. This is another thing I don’t want to see. Mainly because I can’t see where this serves the story of the Resistance or Rey. Force ghost Luke is fine, I hope he does come back in some capacity to help Rey or Leia, but there’s no need for any version of Anakin.
Darth Plagueis. He is a dude that figured out how to play with life and death. It’s alluded that he may have created Anakin in a book titled after the dark lord himself, but that book is part of the now defunct EU. However, he is a character that does exist in the current canon thanks to one of the few good scenes in the Prequel Trilogy. Palpatine describes to Anakin how this Dark Lord of the Sith could use the force to create life and keep loved ones from dying. This would be great knowledge for anyone to have right?
Well according to more leaks via Express we may get to see books with this information. That’s right, one of those books Luke had, that Rey stole in TLJ, will be titled ‘The Science of Creating Life.’ In it will be pages about the ‘Philosophy of Life’ and ‘Transcending Death.’ What does this mean? Did Luke create Rey? That’s not the rumor, but feel free to start it. The leak also says Rey shuts the book and takes it with her, not sure where too though.
This is actually a rumor I am okay with. This can help expand on the entire saga, introduce more from a fan favorite EU/Canon character, and help with the story. While I don’t want Rey to be the same Force manifestation that Anakin was, I would be okay with her using this to affect Luke in his death. Imagine if Luke’s use of that much of the Force in TLJ didn’t really kill him, but has him in some sort of limbo. If other rumors of Snoke coming back or him being Plagueis himself, Rey may need some help and who better than Luke? Yeah, that’s far fetched, but I can’t think of what these books will actually be used for other than to explain Rey… I really don’t want that, but there could be things the knowledge could do for the story.
Well, there you have it, folks. Three fairly recent rumors that I felt deserved a little light. In the end, I want this next movie to just lean into what they did in the last and tell us a complete story. If they introduce too much new stuff or try to “fix” the past then we’ll get an incomplete story. Let’s wrap this up on a high note and give us a thrilling conclusion to the greatest saga ever told.
Alright, it’s closing time. Come back next week where I’ll be reviewing the beloved Thrawn Trilogy.
What do you think about these rumors? What about other rumors you’ve heard? What do you hope is true and what is not true? Let me know in the comments below, and May The Force Be With You!
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