As the ninth movie in the Star Wars franchise, it was going to be difficult for The Last Jedi to surprise fans. However, Rian Johnson found a way to take the familiar story with all the fan favorite characters and make it new. As the movie starts the Resistance and First Order find themselves once again locked in battle, however, it soon becomes very clear that this isn’t a normal fight, it’s much worse than usual. With the Resistance literally on the run, the stakes are instantly raised and never let up until the end. With all the unexpected moments, comes a lot of questions about what happens next. Like, will Episode IX be as funny as this one was.
The reappearance of Luke Skywalker would normally make things settle down, but his part in the training of Rey and helping the resistance just leads to more questions. While The Force Awakens led to endless fan theories about what would happen in the next chapter of the story, The Last Jedi launches quite a few questions about the fate of the characters we know and the motives of the ones we’ve just met. Here are the questions that fans will spend the next two years trying to answer.
15 DID FINN’S DEFECTION HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE FIRST ORDER?
Since it picks up right after the action of The Force Awakens, there are a lot of questions for The Last Jedi to answer. While the film couldn’t possibly get to them all, one of the most fascinating ideas is whether Finn’s freedom from the First Order inspired other Stormtroopers. In an organization as large as the First Order, surely not everyone is happy.
They don’t seem like the most stable or safest employer. There had to have been others who were questioning the deadly tactics of the group. So, it stands to reason that Finn wasn’t the only possible defector. And if those workers saw Finn get out, wouldn’t they want to try themselves. Hopefully, it’s something that will show up in Episode IX.
14 WILL WE MEET THE REAL MASTER CODEBREAKER?
Once Finn and Rose figure out that they’re being tracked through lightspeed, they come up with a crazy plan to sneak aboard Snoke’s ship and take the tracker off line. Maz tells them to go to Canto Bight and look for the Master Codebreaker. They get a glimpse of him before being arrested. He’s played by Justin Theroux in a quick cameo. They end up enlisting the services of the sketchy DJ. It doesn’t go well, as DJ betrays them and escapes.
All this action leaves the audience wondering if they will meet the actual Master Codebreaker. Maz described him as the only person she would trust to do a job of this importance. Now that the Resistance needs allies, it seems like he would be someone they would want on their team.
13 WHERE ARE THE REST OF KYLO REN’S ALLIES?
Both Kylo Ren and Luke tell Rey the story of how, in a moment of weakness, Luke nearly killed Ren to snuff out the growing darkness in his nephew. Luke says that Ren, along with a group of his fellow Jedi students, killed the others and fled. After the framework of this story was revealed in The Force Awakens, fans speculated that Ren’s Jedi friends were actually the Knights of Ren. Of course, this was not confirmed in The Last Jedi, but it does lead viewers to wonder what happened to the rest of those students.
Ren doesn’t seem like the type who would just let them walk away. Plus even if he did, does that mean there are a bunch of Luke’s former Jedi pupils with dark side tendencies roaming the galaxy. If so that seems like something everyone should be worried about.
12 WHOSE SIDE IS DJ REALLY ON?
After Finn and Rose fail in meeting the Master Codebreaker, they end up in jail where they meet DJ instead. He’s obviously untrustworthy, but when he helps them escape, they decide to take a chance and get him to break them onto Snoke’s ship. DJ makes it very clear that he he has no loyalty to either the First Order or Resistance. He’s just in it for himself. He wants to make money and stay out of the fray.
Considering how upfront he was about his self preservation, it’s no surprise when he betrays them and gets the duo captured. Before he leaves DJ seems certain that they’ll run into each other again. So, is it possible that DJ is the actual Master Codebreaker and he’s just playing a role as the lying thief. Producers wouldn’t cast Benicio Del Toro just for a quick one off appearance would they?
11 WHAT’S UP WITH FINN, ROSE AND REY?
Since they first met on Jakku, Finn has been pretty much obsessed with Rey. She’s basically the first real friend he’s ever had, so he instantly becomes attached. Every decision he makes is about helping or protecting Rey. In The Last Jedi, he’s about to desert the Resistance to go find Rey. It is in this moment that he meets Rose. Since he’s the hero who left the First Order and helped blowup Starkiller Base, Rose is a little obsessed with Finn.
As they travel to Canto Bight and eventually get captured, Finn learns more about Rose and a connection forms. During the battle on Crait, she saves him, then kisses him before passing out. It seems like he may have found someone who appreciates him, but where does that leave his feelings for Rey.
10 HAVE WE SEEN THE LAST OF CAPTAIN PHASMA?
One of the most common complaints from The Force Awakens was that there wasn’t enough screentime for Captain Phasma. The popularity of actress Gwendoline Christie made fans take an instant interest in the head of the Stormtroopers. Between movies she received a solo comic book and a novel detailing her backstory. This heightened profile had fans thinking that she would see more action in The Last Jedi.
Sadly, that wasn’t the case as she only appeared in two short moments. The one highlight came when she and Finn finally had their big confrontation. Finn defeated her, sending Phasma into the fiery depths of Snoke’s ship. However, was that really her last time on-screen? Phasma has been proven to be resourceful with a strong survival instinct. It’s not out of the realm of possibility to think she found a way off the ship before it was destroyed.
9 WHERE DOES THE RESISTANCE GO FROM HERE?
Let’s not mince words, the Resistance is in bad shape at the end of The Last Jedi. Their fleet and numbers have been decimated by the First Order. The entire group fits on the Millennium Falcon. Even worse, when they send out a distress call none of their allies answer. They got the call and just didn’t come, because as Leia points out the galaxy has lost hope. Considering the might of the First Order it’s understandable, but it leaves the Resistance on its own, completely cut off from the rest of the galaxy.
With no ships and the leadership mostly dead, how will the resistance bounce back and keep fighting? Perhaps Poe has finally learned his lesson and will take on more of a leadership role, or maybe an old friend will come back to help.
8 WILL LANDO CALRISSIAN RETURN?
With both Han Solo and Luke Skywalker gone, the Resistance is in desperate need of veteran leadership. Someone who knows how to get things done and occasionally color outside the lines. The loss of Admiral Holdo means Leia will need to call on someone she can trust to take over. Someone who believes the impossible can be done when all odds are against them. Leia will need someone from the old days to show these kids how it’s done.
Out in the real world, without the comforting presence of Carrie Fisher’s Leia, fans may be more open to the coming change if a familiar face leads the Resistance. These are all perfect reasons why Episode IX should signal the return of Billy Dee Williams’ Lando Calrissian. Williams is still popular with the fans and it would be great to see one of sci-fi’s few black heroes make a comeback.
7 WITH KYLO REN IN CHARGE, CAN THE FIRST ORDER FUNCTION?
Kylo Ren has been called a lot of things, but no one would ever say he’s a calming presence. The death of Snoke left the job of Supreme Leader open and Ren immediately appointed himself successor. The thing is, he’s so impulsive, irrational and short-sighted that he can’t possibly be a good leader.
With the Resistance in worse shape than ever before, now is the time for sound military decisions. Something Ren has proven himself incapable of. Also, don’t forget that General Hux desperately wants to be in charge and will be undermining Ren’s authority every chance he gets. Though the Resistance is on the verge of defeat, they would be smart to take advantage of the lack of real leadership in the First Order.
6 DOES IT STILL MATTER WHO SNOKE WAS?
The mystery surrounding Supreme Leader Snoke’s origins and motivations launched a million fan theories. We heard everything from he was really Emperor Palpatine to he was the original Jedi or Sith to he was just using Kylo Ren so he could take over his body. His death in The Last Jedi was the film’s most surprising moment, as it seemingly makes him irrelevant.
With that in mind, does it matter who he was or what his endgame was? We already know Jedis can communicate after death, so why wouldn’t Siths be able to? This means that despite his death, Snoke may still be controlling Kylo Ren and the First Order. If we’re being honest, Ren isn’t cut out to manage a McDonald’s, let alone the evil governing body of the whole galaxy,so he probably needs someone guiding him.
5 WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE JEDI ORDER NOW?
For a year audiences have been wondering what the title The Last Jedi meant. Was it referencing Luke, since he’s the last of the Jedi order or was it about Rey because she will become the last Jedi? As it turns out, it refers to them both. After his amazing showdown with Kylo Ren on Crait, Luke is shown disappearing into the Force.
With Rey and the aforementioned students who sided with Ren, there are clearly more Jedi in the galaxy. The movie also ends with the shot of a young boy summoning a broom across a room, so there are even still Force sensitive children out there. Will Rey be the one to train them or maybe Leia? At the very least, the Jedi order as we now know it will change.
4 IS LUKE REALLY DEAD?
After his failure with Kylo Ren, Luke became so disillusioned that he went to the edges of the galaxy and cut himself off from the Force. He lives a lonely life on Ahch-To with only the caretakers and Porgs to keep him company. When Rey storms into his life, bringing back old friends and conflicts, he is finally forced to confront his feelings about everything. After he battles Kylo Ren, he’s revealed to still be on Ahch-To and as he watches the sunset he disappears, presumably becoming one with the Force.
However, is he really dead? Chances are he’ll return as a Force Ghost in Episode IX, so we probably haven’t seen the last of Mark Hamill. Though, it wasn’t like he was killed so if he became one with the Force, could he come back to a regular plane of existence if needed.
3 HOW WILL THE ABSENCE OF LEIA BE ADDRESSED?
Going into The Last Jedi, every fan was wondering how the filmmakers would deal with the passing of Carrie Fisher. It was said that none of her story was changed and that she wouldn’t digitally appear in Episode IX. As the film ends she’s still very much leading the Resistance and never loses hope that they can win. So that leaves viewers questioning how her absence will be handled? The easiest thing would be for them to have her leading a separate battle off-screen. No one wants her to die off-screen, so just quickly explaining her absence and having her call in commands from time to time could work.
Honestly, there’s just no easy answer to this one, because whatever JJ Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy decide, the hole Fisher’s Leia leaves behind is impossible to fill.
2 WAS REN LYING ABOUT REY’S PARENTS?
The only thing that spawned more fan theories than Snoke’s origin was Rey’s parentage. It seemed crazy that a girl with that much Force Power could go unnoticed in the galaxy. Even more curious were her awesome flying skills and quick mastery of basic Jedi powers. She connected with Luke’s lightsaber and saw a flashback to the night of Ren’s rebellion.
With all that going for her, she had to be someone important right? However, in The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren tells her that she’s known all along that her parents were nobodies who are buried in unmarked graves. The thing is, Ren isn’t the most credible source. So, is it possible that Rey, who seems awfully important to destiny, really is just the daughter of random junkers? There’s no Jedi Code that says she has to have an important family name. Anakin’s mom was a slave after all.
1 WHAT IS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN REY AND KYLO REN?
In The Force Awakens, Kylo Ren’s interest in Rey always seemed a little creepy. The way he talks to her is like a guy in a bar trying way too hard. That connection (and his creepiness) are even stronger in The Last Jedi. While Rey is on Ach-To with Luke, Ren is back on Snoke’s ship and they use the Force to communicate with one another.
They go back and forth talking about his betrayal of Luke and her trying to understand her powers. When they finally meet, Snoke claims he facilitated their bond to bring her to the dark side. However, Ren can’t bring himself to kill her and they end up fighting side by side. In the end she literally shuts the door on their connection, but there’s obviously some kind of pull between them.