Tag Archives: Who is Luke Skywalker?

Movie Reviews, Star Wars

“Who IS Luke Skywalker?”

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“Noooo! I’ll never join you!” That’s what Luke Skywalker cried out when Darth Vader asked him to cross over to the Dark Side and rule the galaxy alongside him, and J.J Abrams basically said the same thing to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy when she first reached out to ask if he’d sign on to help launch the first in a new assemblage of Star Wars films.

Kennedy persuaded him to helm the film by asking him one simple question, one with the potential to upend our core beliefs about the galaxy far, far away. “In the context of talking about story and laying out what we were thinking, I said one thing to him,” Kennedy recalls.“‘Who is Luke Skywalker?’”

Abrams, decided he needed to know the answer, even if he had to devise it himself. “He said, ‘Oh my God, I just got the chills. I’m in,’” Kennedy says. “I mean, it really was almost that quickly.”

So what got J.J Abrams so excited about the question “‘Who is Luke Skywalker?’”and more importantly what has he done to answer that question, we haven’t truly seen Luke Skywalker in ‘any’ of the marketing collateral, which leads me to believe his new persona is more than what we originally thought, and even though the footage shown in the teaser trailers provides clues to supplement the other rumors, but as for Luke, all we’ve seen are out of context shots and we still have no official synopsis; and any idea of Skywalker’s whereabouts or his state of wellbeing, which are among the film’s most talked about mysteries at this point. The closest fans have gotten to date is a short glimpse of the actor, sporting an Obi-Wan like beard, discussing the series’ return to practical filmmaking in the behind-the-scenes reel that was shown at San Diego Comic-Con 2015.

Skellig Michael Rock Star Wars The Force Awakens by Anthony Riiordan Photography Copyright 2015 
Image used under kind permission of Anthony Riordan Photography

The only real place he’s been seen during filming is on Skellig Michael west of the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry in Ireland in Kerry, which has long been believed to be the site of some of the last shots of the movie, including what is quite possibly the last shot. I would personally imagine that such a zoom-out scene would involve Luke training his ‘presumed’ daughter Rey, since Mark Hamill and Daisy Ridley were the only cast members present – it would also explain why their stunt doubles were brought along, as they could be shot from a distance. If the rumor is true and the scene zooms out, that would be a bit of a departure from the previous six Star Wars films, which have all ended with group shots (unless BB-8 happens to be there or something).

These rumors have started to add a bit credence as they both have just returned to film on Skellig Michael for a few weeks for Star Wars: Episode VIII with director by Rian Johnson.

I also believe we have been thrown a ‘Jedi’ red herring with Finn and ‘that’ LightSabre scene in the snow. He is part of the Resistance. He escapes the First Order after defecting and gets pulled to the other side of the conflict. He’s going to use a lightsaber, which is going to be great and is part of the official marketing, but he’s probably not going to be the protagonist that is the main face of Good for this side of The Force.

The true protagonist is going to be Rey, whose identity has always been something that has been under dispute ever since we were calling her “Kira” based on certain spy photographs from production. There’s been the rumor that she’s a Solo child because of that Japanese interview where Daisy Ridley said her character was “solitary” and her and Kathleen Kennedy then laughed, you feel Kathleen was having a double laugh, and is quietly thinking back to her ‘Who is Luke Skywalker?’” moment with JJ, and that Rey is somehow linked to the family of Skywalker. We’ve also heard rumours that Rey appears in a flashback where we see young Jedi attacked by evil forces, possibly the Knights of Ren, and and Kylo was present. Which has made us assume these attacking forces have assumed that Kylo and Rey are related, potential to the Skywalker bloodline somehow, which brings me back to that question ‘Who is Luke Skywalker?’ …what has Luke been doing in the abyss after Return of the Jedi, built a new Jedi Order that went wrong? started a family?…who knows!! I just hope J.J.Abrams has taken that initial question and turned it into one great Secret Box of answers.

One final bit which might add a bit of proof to the above, check out these recently leaked Topp Trumps cards…Rey the Jedi, so are the news films From the ‘continued’ Adventures of Luke Skywalker …and his Family?? …bring on December the 17th for the real answer.Rey Skywalker the Jedi

Movie Reviews, Star Wars

The Knights of Ren

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So we now have some captivating new information concerning the main villain in Star Wars: The Force Awakens that was teased by J.J Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly. They’ve said Kylo Ren, who is played by Adam Driver isn’t his real, but instead he’s named in the same way in which Vader is called a Darth like many other Darth names in the Star Wars universe. The Darth name is often thought to be a combination of letters from the title Dark Lord of the Sith, a theory which is only officially alluded to in Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force, but many other theories exist like, Darth may also be a portmanteau of dark and death. Instead for Kylo he’s now part of The Knights of the Ren.

So what is this group called Ren’s and what does it stand for? Is it Knights of the Renegade?  Is he linked to Luke? Who knows?

But whilst talking to EW, director Abrams confirmed that Ren is someone who’s aware of the events that took place during the original Star Wars trilogy and that his appeal is Ren’s intentional nod to Darth Vader.

Kylo The Knights of the Ren

“The movie explains the origins of the mask and where it’s from, but the design was meant to be a nod to the Vader mask. [Ren] is well aware of what’s come before, and that’s very much a part of the story of the film.”

Abrams also revealed that Kylo’s weapon of choice, the infamous crossguard lightsaber that he wields is something he built himself, and “is as dangerous and as fierce and as ragged as the character.” Not only that, but apparently the character sees himself as the hero of the story. The director explained

The famous crossguard lightsaber The Force Awakens

“As you see in the best of storytelling, and no doubt the best of Star Wars, these are tales in which an every person has to step up. And I think that what makes Ren so unique is that he isn’t as fully formed as when we meet a character such as Darth Vader. And I think that there are two sides to the Force. Both sides, arguably, would see themselves as the hero of their story, and I think that applies here.”

“Kylo Ren won’t be the only “Ren.” The title of “Ren” is something that someone has to earn.” Abrams said,

“He is a character who came to the name Kylo Ren when he joined a group called the Knights of Ren. He is not your prototypical mustache-twirling bad guy. He is a little bit more complex than that, and it was a great joy to work with Adam Driver on this role, because he threw himself into it in a deep and remarkable way.”

Lawrence Kasdan also waded in with his input on the character and also talked about Driver’s performance in the movie:

JJ Abrams and Lawrence Kasden discuss Kylon Ren on the set of the Starkiller Base

“I’ve written four Star Wars movies now, and there’s never been a character quite like the one that Adam plays. I think you’re going to see something that’s brand new to the saga.  He’s full of emotion. No matter how we express ourselves in the world, whether we hide it and act very calm or whether we’re very out there and demonstrative, everybody’s roiling with emotion. And you want your characters to be that way, too. Then they have to deal with their emotions as best they can, with what they are. (Kasdan pauses as if he is on the verge of saying too much)…  I’d say that is as far as I’d go”.

So after learning all this ‘new’ information, how does this character fits into the saga? Is Ren in some way related to the Skywalker family. With his knowledge of the events that took place in the original trilogy and his obsession with Darth Vader.  Is he this inverse of Luke? Is Ren perhaps not the villain but the hero  who comes from no means, who rises from obscurity and yet still manages to cause tremendous upheaval in the force…is he the new chosen one?

 “Noooo! I’ll never join you!” That’s what Luke Skywalker cried out when Darth Vader asked him to cross over to the Dark Side and rule the galaxy alongside him, and J.J Abrams basically said the same thing to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy when she first reached out to ask if he’d sign on to help launch the first in a new assemblage of Star Wars films.

Kennedy persuaded him to helm the film by asking him one simple question, one with the potential to upend our core beliefs about the galaxy far, far away. “In the context of talking about story and laying out what we were thinking, I said one thing to him,” Kennedy recalls. “‘Who is Luke Skywalker?’”

Abrams, decided he needed to know the answer, even if he had to devise it himself. “He said, ‘Oh my God, I just got the chills. I’m in,’” Kennedy says. “I mean, it really was almost that quickly.”

It would definitely make The Force Awakens a more dramatic film if Kylo Ren was related to the Skywalker family.

One last ’put it out there idea’ like with the Sith, “Always two there are, a master and an apprentice.” Who is Ren’s master …Luke?

Kylo Ren amongst the smoldering ruins of a Jakku Village Star Wars The Force Awakens

One final final bit…The latest released image which shows Kylo flanked by First Order stormtroopers, striding with intense purpose through the smoldering ruins of a once peaceful village on Jakku..