Star Wars Episode VII News: Week 49

The Role of Luke Skywalker

     This week, most of the news concerned the The Force Awakens sequel, Episode VIII, but this news may have more weight than the others. In an interview with Movie Fone, he was asked about what if was like to be in an X-Wing, whether or not he watched Star Wars as a kid, you know, the usual stuff. After talking about J.J. Abrams, Isaac was asked, "And your next director isn't too shabby either. Are you excited to work with Rian (meaning Rian Johnson, the director of Episode VIII.)?" To which Isaac replied, "Yes. Very excited." When he was asked whether he talked to Rian Johnson or not, he said, "No, not yet." So this means two important things for Oscar Isaac's character. Number one, Poe Dameron survives the The Force Awakens. Number two, he want to be in the sequel. This slip up is grave. Some tension in the movie just flew out the window. However, he was later asked by Slashfilm about his quote, he said, "Ah, I couldn’t speak to that. I don’t even know. I think generally…watching the trailer was my only confirmation that I even was going to be in this one so I have no idea. I know that people thought I was saying I was going to be in the next one which is not true. I was asked if I was excited to work with Rian Johnson. I mean of course I would. I’d be excited to work with him. I have no confirmation whether I will or not or anything like that."So that confirms yet another thing; he has a very small role. If you don't know whether or not you're in a movie until you see the trailer, chances are, you're not a very important character. But why would he be casted as one of the big newcomers? Because to kill off a newcomer in the first movie is ludicrous. Except for during The Phantom Menace. But that's not a very good example.

     Another question floating around the plot of The Force Awakens involves the enrollment of Luke Skywalker in these films. There have been rumors of him killing Han Solo, or of him being evil, or of him dying, but according to Making Star Wars, he has a much smaller role.

     After the characters lose Han Solo, they get into the Millennium Falcon and fly off. Rey (played by Daisy Ridley) directs it to a new planet we haven't seen before. She walks up some stone steps, and hands someone his lightsaber. It's Luke Skywalker. Bam, roll credits. The end.

     If this ending were true, it would be incredibly frustrating. Luke Skywalker was cast in a movie, and has no lines, scenes, or anything but accepting a lightsaber from a new character? And Han Solo is sacrificed for that? I've heard of rumors that The Force Awakens would involve the protagonists finding Luke's lightsaber, but I didn't think that Luke himself would not appear in the actual film. If this rumor is true (and Making Star Wars' rumor track record doesn't look very good), then it will disappoint so many fans, that in Episode VIII, Disney will have to do some serious backpedalling. Killing off Han Solo was bad enough, but not featuring Luke Skywalker AT ALL during almost the entire movie? That's unforgivable.