Spoilers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens lie ahead.
It picks up where The Force Awakens ends
We know that Luke Skywalker is a much bigger part of this film, and that he’ll be training Daisy Ridley’s Rey in the ways of the Jedi. The tiny island of Ahch-To looks like it’ll be a key location, too.
There’s an Empire Strikes Back vibe to it
Not only is The Last Jedi the middle part of a trilogy, but it shares some plot similarities with The Empire Strikes Back too. Just as Luke Skywalker spent time with Yoda undergoing training in Episode 5, much of the eighth instalment appears to hinge on Luke helping Rey realise and come to terms with her powers.
The Millennium Falcon is returning
Who will be in the cockpit this time? Chewie is my best guess. But will he be alone, now that Han Solo is gone?
This one’s going to shake the Jedi to their core
There’s been debate as to whether “Jedi” in the film’s title is plural or singular. Is Rey the last ever Jedi, or is the film exploring the last group of Jedi? Going by French, German and Spanish translations of the film’s name, it appears that it might be plural.
“It’s time for the Jedi to end”
So says Luke in the trailer. Teasers suggest we’re going to find out what happened to his Jedi academy, which we learnt about in The Force Awakens, and it can’t be good – it’s why he ended up on Ach-To, after all. On top of all that, the trailer shows us what seems to be a Jedi temple burning, with Captain Phasma back and walking through the flames. The First Order is going on the offensive…
The Kylo Ren/Darth Vader comparisons continue
There’s a shot in the trailer for The Last Jedi that shows Kylo Ren’s ruined black mask, a surely-deliberate callback to Darth Vader’s burned mask in The Force Awakens. Ren isn’t the most stable chap at the best of times: the end of The Force Awakens isn’t likely to have helped...
The late Carrie Fisher will be back
She’d already filmed her performance for The Last Jedi before her tragic death at the end of last year. Lucasfilm has ruled out using digital trickery beyond that to keep the character on screen, though.
There’s more to come…
Star Wars: Episode IX starts filming next, with Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow calling the shots this time round. It’s likely to be the ultimate end to Luke Skywalker’s story…
The Last Jedi lands at Vue in December.
