Will J. Abrams retcon Rian Johnson’s Last Jedi and change Rey’s parents and origin explanation? Some people think Luke Skywalker’s name in the title means yes. But is it actually a road map for future Star Wars movies?
Earlier this month, Rian Johnson expressed a level Zen over the possibility that writer-director-producer J. Abrams could return to the Star Wars franchise and retcon his work in The Last Jedi, specifically with regard to Rey’s origins. In the middle installment of Lucasfilm’s sequel trilogy, Kylo Ren reveals to our Force-wielding heroine that she’s not a “chosen one” or of the Skywalker lineage — she’s just some kid dumped on Jakku. Knowing Abrams to be a master of the longtail mystery, the revelation came as a surprise, be it polarizing. Many wondered if, in returning to Episode IX, Abrams could possibly undo Johnson’s poignant explanation in favor of something more lore heavy.
Johnson, speaking to MTV, said he wouldn’t mind either way.
“I want to let go of all my expectations,” he said. “I want to sit back. I want to be entertained. I want to be surprised. I want to be thrilled. I want him to do stuff I wasn’t expecting him to do and just go along for the ride.”
With the reveal of Episode IX’s title, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the potential for retconning Rey’s origin is back on the table. Who else could possibly be the Skywalker in question? As Luke whispers from the great beyond, over footage of Rey preparing for a massive Force-enabled jump, “We’ve passed on all we know. A thousand generations live in you now. This is your fight.”
And yet, this image from The Last Jedi…
The end of The Last Jedi finds the Resistance in shambles, with only a few surviving members speeding away from the First Order’s violent campaign. But the group persists, and its message of freedom has trickled down to a younger generation. Johnson returns one last time to Canto Bight to find “Broom Boy,” left with a Resistance ring after Finn and Rose’s daring escape.
