This morning at the annual Star Wars Celebration convention, hundreds of fans gathered to witness the first ever glimpse at the newest installment of the Star Wars Saga. Episode IX director JJ Binks and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy both took the stage to present a lens-flared teaser trailer that offered very little in the way of plot, or how it plans on undoing the damage that The Last Jedi did to the series. It did however, unveil the title - The Rise of Skywalker.
Let that sink in for a moment.
So what they're saying is that a film that marks the end of the Skywalker Saga is going to be titled "The Rise of Skywalker". If you're confused by this, you're not alone. Many fans have already taken to the internet to express their many emotions ranging from concern to anger. Of course, this is to be expected due to the polarizing nature of the franchise - but we won't open up that can of sarlaccs.
Sure, it's a little confusing at first, but I'd like to think that given the reception that the previous films received, Disney is not going to let one of their most valuable cash-cows go to pasture in disgrace. That said, if you're brave enough to dive into the comment section of just about any media website reporting on the new Star Wars, you're likely to find three prevailing theories to explain the title:
Theory #1 - Rey is actually a Skywalker
For me, this is an easy one to get behind. One of the more frustrating revelations that came out of The Last Jedi was that Rey's parents were actually nobodies - a key plot twist that Rian Johnson decided to go with because he just lo0o0o0oves "subverting" expectations, even at the expense of good writing. I'm pretty sure JJ's intention was to make something of Rey's parentage, seeing as how The Force Awakens dwelled so much on and eluded to their identity. Honestly, JJ might have emphasized on this a little too heavy-handedly, which is why it was such an easy target for Rian Johnson. Now that JJ is once again driving the pod-racer, perhaps he can somehow salvage his original plan. Was it just me, or did Rey and Leia seem to share some sort of maternal bond during the brief time they spent together?
Theory #2 - Ben Solo hated his name so much he killed it twice
I personally find this theory to be pretty weak, but it does seem to be getting a lot of circulation in the message boards. Basically, the idea is that Kylo Ren will, in the typical Star Wars fashion, experience a change of heart and turn away from the Dark Side. In doing so, however, he would also have to abandon his father's name and embrace his mother's biological name. Not only would that betray the memory of his father (that he killed, mind you), it just wouldn't make any sense. Leia never identified as a Skywalker, and instead kept her adopted name, Organa, so let's not entertain this speeder-wreck of a theory any further.
Theory #3 - Skywalker transcends a name and becomes a title
This one, while not as straight-forward as Rey simply being the daughter of a Skywalker, is actually kind of fascinating. The idea behind this theory is that the titles of Jedi and Sith have been muddied up over the generations and no longer adequately classify the nuances of The Force. Despite how I feel about The Last Jedi and its perceived shortcomings, one of its more illuminating "hot takes" was that the Jedi aren't all good, and the Sith aren't all bad - that in order to achieve a true balance, one had to embrace the force in its entirety; the idea that there isn't just the "Dark" and the "Light", but also a "Gray" middle area where one can be truly achieve singularity with the force.
Another interesting component to this would be TLJ's emphasis on "Killing the past", which in this particular context could involve killing off the title of your long-dead masters. While I am vehemently opposed to Rian Johnson's interpretation of a tired, disgraced Luke Skywalker, I do however agree with the idea that the Jedi didn't always make the right decisions and their philosophies on how to wield the force were inherently flawed. By following this logic, one might look upon the legacy of the Jedi in a negative light, and would ultimately want to adopt a mantle that better represented a new doctrine of The Force - one that sheds away the biases and contradictions of the past.
I think it's entirely plausible that Rey, being the heir to the Jedi legacy, would embrace the philosophy that Luke had instilled upon her during their time together, and adopt a new title that is more indicative of his teachings. Perhaps his name, maybe?
In any case, all will be revealed come December, and honestly, trying to speculate its outcome is a fool's game. But how else will I pass the time if not spending it scouring the web to find validation for my feelings?
Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker comes to theaters December 20, 2019
