Star Wars: How Leia Could Complete Rey's Training in Episode IX

It's just under a year to go until the release of the ninth entry in the Star Wars saga and the concluding chapter of the sequel trilogy. But even as that Christmas 2019 release date creeps closer, aside from rumors of a time skip between Episode VIII and IX, we're still none the wiser when it comes to even the smallest plot details, or even what the film's title is. We can, however, make some educated guesses by piecing together the scraps of information mercifully thrown our way so far.

Amid speculation about what director J.J. Abrams has in store for newcomers Rey, Finn, Poe and the self-appointed Supreme Leader of the First Order, Kylo Ren, the role of the last surviving "legacy player" has also been subject to fervent discussion. In the wake of Carrie Fisher's sudden passing at the end of 2016, The Last Jedi was expected to bid a fond farewell to the princess-turned-general.

And yet, Leia made a miraculous Force-powered leap from the jaws of certain death in the film. The last we saw of her, she was reunited with Rey and fleeing the Resistance stronghold on Crait; left to mourn another heroic sacrifice with Luke's last pupil as they had previously done at the end of The Force Awakens (because after three Death Stars in eight films we can assuredly say that Star Wars very much subscribes to the idea that history is cyclical.)

While many have been predicting a quiet, off-screen ending for the character in Episode IX, Carrie Fisher's brother, Todd Fisher, dispelled this assumption somewhat when he appeared on Good Morning America last December to reveal that the leftover footage that'll be recycled from The Force Awakens for the film is actually quite significant. "There's a lot of minutes of footage. I don't just mean outtakes [...] This is unused, new content that could be woven into the storyline."

If this is the case, what will Leia's concluding storyline be, then? Could it be possible that she will become the final mentor to Rey? This idea was touched upon by u/Sin_Stalker on Reddit several months ago, but Todd Fisher's recent comments lend it renewed weight. "Showing that Leia has Force powers [in The Last Jedi] may have been a way of letting us know she was trained by Luke," the user posted to the the r/FanTheories subreddit. "We could have learned about this more in Episode IX. So, the 'last Jedi' would have been seen as Leia, not Luke or Rey. Then in Episode IX, Rey is trained by Leia."

NEXT PAGE: It's Unlikely Rey Still Needs a Jedi Mentor

Detractors to this theory argue that it is more likely that Luke will continue to tutor Rey as a Force ghost because there's no canonical evidence to suggest Leia ever received similar training, making her an unsuitable candidate to become his replacement. However, what the theory and its critics assume -- perhaps falsely -- is that Rey still needs a Jedi mentor. The curmudgeonly Skywalker was overtly reluctant to train his eager apprentice in the first place, and the pair parted on bad terms. There's also probably little more he can teach her that she can't glean from the sacred Jedi texts she salvaged anyway.

By the end of The Last Jedi, it was also clear that Rey's Jedi training was already complete -- or near enough complete. She resisted Kylo Ren's call for her to join the Dark Side, she ran rings around the First Order with Chewie in the Falcon and, most importantly, she moved some rocks around with her mind. Rey doesn't need any more Jedi Masters in her life, but what she can still learn from is Leia's lifetime of experience as a dedicated diplomat and military leader. Sure, they're skills that aren't as flashy as learning to wield a laser sword or manipulate people's minds, but Leia's resilience and sharp wits have ensured that she's outlived her greatest allies and enemies.

Having Leia as Rey's final mentor would also complete an overlooked pattern that the sequel trilogy has set up: Each of the original three human heroes from the original trilogy have taken turns imparting their specific wisdoms onto Rey. She realized her potential as a pilot with Han Solo in The Force Awakens, then tapped into her Force-using potential with Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi and now she can hone her leadership and strategic skills with Leia Organa to destroy the First Order in Episode IX.

Not only would the completion of this cycle make Rey the most well-rounded Star Wars protagonist, but having her potentially take Leia's place in the Resistance's ranks -- in the way she's already taken Han's place in the Falcon and Luke's as the "last Jedi" -- would finally give the lonely orphan we've been following the sense of familial belonging she's been searching for.

Rey may not have any blood ties to any established family in the Star Wars canon (if the revelations from The Last Jedi still stand) but the Skywalker/Solo/Organa torches seem to have been passed to her nonetheless.

CBR

Leia Will Complete Rey's Training in Episode IX (But Not How You Think)

NEXT PAGE: It's Unlikely Rey Still Needs a Jedi Mentor