By Kylie Potter
Editor-in-Chief
With only four days to go until the much-anticipated release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, fans are scrambling to get tickets and be the first to witness Episode VIII of the legendary saga.
The more casual Star Wars fans, however, may not have watched the previous installment of the saga, The Force Awakens, in quite some time. Many people may need a refresher on where exactly the previous episode left off, and what they should look forward to when viewing The Last Jedi, officially opening this Friday, December 15th.
In the previous installment of the new trilogy, we were introduced to several new characters, and visited by many familiar ones. The original characters of the saga, Han Solo, Princess Leia, and Luke Skywalker, all made an appearance, as well as Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2.
The new main characters of this trilogy, who will all continue into The Last Jedi, include:
– Rey — a scavenger from the planet of Jakku
-Finn — a defected Stormtrooper
– Poe Dameron — a Resistance pilot, and
– Kylo Ren — the son of Han Solo, who turned to the Dark Side and now serves the First Order.
For those that wish to experience The Last Jedi in the coming weeks, here’s a compiled list of the most important things you need to know:
- The Last Jedi will pick up right where The Force Awakens left off: with Rey returning Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber on Ahch-To, her hand outstretched towards him.
- Rey’s heritage will finally be uncovered in this next installment. Previously, fans have speculated that she is a Skywalker, a Solo, a “nobody”, or even a Kenobi or a Palpatine.
- Each character will be expanded on more in this episode. One storyline will explore Rey and Kylo Ren, while another will explore the adventures of Finn and a new character, Rose Tico. Rose is a maintenance worker for the Resistance who accompanies Finn on a mission to the planet of Canto Bight, for a reason we do not yet know. Yet another storyline will explore General Leia Organa and Poe Dameron, introducing even more new characters along the way.
- Luke Skywalker is not as enthusiastic to train Rey as many people originally thought. Based on all of the trailers that we have seen so far, he has appeared to be weary of her, commenting on the immense power she appears to hold.
- This is the second installment of the trilogy, so everything will not be resolved. The movie will likely end with some unsolved conflicts, which will then be resolved or further explored in Episode IX (due to be released in 2019).
- A new droid by the name of BB-9E will be introduced, similar in build to BB-8, but aligned with the First Order instead of the Resistance.
The world premiere of The Last Jedi occurred this Saturday, December 9th, in LA, and the reviews so far have been phenomenal, with many viewers comparing the success of this episode to Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, released back in 1980. Most Star Wars fans consider The Empire Strikes Back to be the greatest installment in the saga, so comparing it to The Last Jedi was, predictably, a big deal among fans. Some of The Last Jedi reviews have been listed below:
https://twitter.com/JimViscardi/status/939733482917445632
https://twitter.com/Breznican/status/939734975024209920
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