'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Character Bios Tease Fascinating Plot Hints
We're less than two months away from the release of Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and it won't be long before we'll be all caught up with the adventures of Luke, Leia, Rey, Finn, Poe, and the rest of the gang in a galaxy far, far away. We already know a considerable amount about what to expect from the new film thanks to an extensive EW cover story and our breakdown of the most recent trailer, but some new character bios from the film's official Japanese website have surfaced and they tease some intriguing plot hints that are worth further examination.
You can read the character biographies at the official Japanese Star Wars site, but ComicBook.com has translated them and we'll be reproducing their translations here. There are some slight cosmetic differences between ComicBook's translation and a straight Google translation, so keep that in mind that these may not be 100% accurate down to every last word, but they're very close.
Finn: Finn, a former operative of the First Order, previously dedicated himself to the cause of fighting for the Resistance continues the fight. Now, he's at a crossroads over his role in the war.
Poe: Now that the conflict between the First Order and the Resistance has escalated into total war, Poe is shining as a leader of a courageous flying battalion. But while he is brave and a skilled pilot, both the First Order and the Resistance alike are starting to fear his dedication to the war effort.
We've heard that Poe takes on more of a leadership role in the Resistance thanks in part to Leia's encouragement, and the Resistance conflict teased here likely has something to do with Laura Dern's Vice Admiral Holdo, who we last saw in a photo surrounded by soldiers. The idea that Holdo may fear Poe's dedication is fascinating: is she scared that he's too committed, and therefore might make hasty decisions that could cause unnecessary loss of life for their side?
BB-8: A cute ball-shaped droid faithful to Poe Dameron who provided data key to finding Luke Skywalker.
General Leia Organa: Leia Organa, whose son betrayed her and fell to the Dark Side, is leading the struggling Resistance fleet. General Leia takes advantage of her decades of experience in order to halt the First Order's advances.
This phrasing makes it sound like Leia succeeds in halting the First Order's advances. Hooray for the good guys! But wait – there's another bio coming a bit later that has me a little worried about their odds.
C-3PO: The ever-worrying protocol droid C-3PO is more anxious than ever with the threat of the First Order on the horizon, but he continues to serve General Leia Organa faithfully.
Maz Kanata: After Maz lost her castle, she has been forced to take a more active role and take advantage of her ties to the criminal underworld. She will provide crucial assistance to the Resistance in their fight against First Order, making use of every connection she has.
We know Maz puts Finn and Rose in contact with the mysterious DJ, Benicio Del Toro's character, as they attempt to infiltrate Canto Bight.
Kylo Ren: Humiliated by his defeat at Rey's hands, Kylo Ren redoubles his efforts to crush the Resistance. However, although his powers in the Dark Side continue to increase, it is still not enough to impress his shadowy mentor – First Order Supreme Leader Snoke.
This is the first confirmation that Kylo Ren's powers increase in the film, which wasn't a given. We obviously knew that Daisy Ridley's Rey would be doing plenty of training, but Kylo's Force status in The Last Jedi was still uncertain; he easily could have spent the whole film at the same level that he was before, and that plateauing could have been yet another source for the character's seemingly never-ending rage. But it seems like he'll be stronger than ever.
Supreme Leader Snoke: Snoke, the shadowy leader of the First Order, finally emerges from the shadows to lead the First Order to victory after the destruction of Starkiller Base.
Again, the phrasing here implies that Snoke succeeds in his mission to lead the First Order to victory. So will that contribute to this movie's Empire Strikes Back-style tone, where the good guys have their backs against the wall after suffering crushing defeats? And how does that tie in with Leia's bio? Is she able to stop some of the advances, but not all of them?
General Armitage Hux: Although Starkiller Base has been destroyed, the New Republic's leadership was eradicated by the superweapon's only firing at Hux's command. From the bridge of the Finalizer, Hux issues commands to pursue the Resistance.
Captain Phasma: Captain Phasma, known for her characteristic metallic armor, escaped from Starkiller Base shortly before it was destroyed. Taking command of the Stormtrooper Corps, Phasma is determined to destroy the Resistance and settle a private grudge.
We know from the most recent trailer that the grudge referred to here is with Finn, Phasma's former Stormtrooper soldier who, along with Han Solo, left her in a trash compactor at the end of The Force Awakens.
Rey: Rey, now aware of the awakening power of the Force, travels to the hidden world of Ahch-To. She is looking for Luke Skywalker, who is the last Jedi Master in the Galaxy and the last hope for the Resistance. Rey was hoping to find a legendary hero – she instead found a man who disagrees with her expectations.
Jedi Master Luke Skywalker: After his attempt to rebuild the Jedi Order was ruined, Luke Skywalker disappeared from the Galaxy in search of answers, leading him to the planet Ahch-To. Though he seems intent to live out a modest lifestyle away from the war, the Resistance needs the hero who defeated Darth Vader to stand a chance against the First Order.
Does that last line mean that Luke will ultimately be joining the battle in a larger sense in this movie? I've always assumed he'd just stay on Ahch-To the entire time, but this is the first hint that he may join the fray in a more significant way as the film goes on. Then again, the bio could just be referring to "needing" him in terms of him training Rey so she can contribute to the cause instead, so we'll have to wait and see how that plays out.
Chewbacca: Millennium Falcon co-pilot Chewbacca, a faithful navigator, is now accompanying Rey on her quest to find Luke Skywalker.
R2-D2: A droid with various abilities, ranging from maneuvering of spacecraft to decryption. R2-D2 has slept ever since Luke parted ways from the droid, but the Astromech was able to reactivate and lead the Resistance to Luke's hiding place.Star Wars: The Last Jedi flies into theaters on December 15, 2017.