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‘Star Wars Episode 8’ Spoilers: Darker Sequel Will Reveal Luke Skywalker’s Mysterious Past, But Rey’s Identity May Wait

By Nathan Francis
Published on: 08:45 PST, Jan 23, 2016

Star Wars Episode 8 is still close to two years away, but spoilers are already indicating that the much-darker sequel will reveal the still untold story of what happened to Luke Skywalker — not Rey.

[WARNING: Star Wars spoilers ahead]

As viewers found out at the end of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the Jedi who took on the Dark Side and Darth Vader had been living somewhere at the edges of the galaxy in what appeared to be a self-imposed exile. It left questions as to how he got there and how his fight against the Dark Side went so wrong.

As Vox reported, Star Wars: Episode 8 will also have a much darker tone, which would seem to indicate a dark story for Luke Skywalker himself.

“According to TheForce Awakens star John Boyega (who plays Finn), Episode VIII will be “much darker” than its predecessor.

“That’s as much as he gave British Vogue in early 2016, but it’s enough to set the speculative wheels spinning. For those who feel that TheForce Awakens is essentially a remake of A New Hope, the promise of a darker second chapter certainly points to Episode VIII following in the footsteps of TheEmpire Strikes Back.”

The movie also promises to give viewers more of the backstory to Luke Skywalker and what sent him into exile. While Mark Hamill appeared only in the final scene of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, there is already word that he is a much bigger factor in Star Wars Episode 8. The Irish Examiner reported in September that filming Star Wars Episode 8 had already started on the island of Skellig Michael with Mark Hamill on set. Viewers would remember Skellig Michael as the cliff overlooking the sea where Rey found Luke Skywalker at the end of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

There could be more spoilers coming after Star Wars Episode 8. One of the biggest mysteries of Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the lineage of Rey, the hero with an unknown past. There are theories that she could be Luke Skywalker’s daughter, or possibly Obi Wan Kenobi’s daughter, but the answer might not come for a few more years.

J.J. Abrams, director of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, said he knows the secret of where Rey comes from but didn’t want to tip off Rian Johnson, who is directing Star Wars Episode 8.

“Obviously it’s not for me to talk about in this moment because this is Rian’s story to continue now,” Abrams told Entertainment Weekly. “The last thing I’m going to do is reveal something that he would be upset about. I want to make sure that Rian gets the courtesy that he showed me.”But it may not be coming until even later than that. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Episode 9 director Colin Trevorrow gave a strong clue that Rey’s identity might not be revealed until his turn at the helm in 2019.

“What’s interesting is I’m not creating a host of new characters,” he said. “I have a lot of characters that people really love that we’re going to make sure are all honored. No one’s going to be left behind.”

Fans eager to find out if the Star Wars Episode 8 spoilers show Rey’s identity or Luke Skywalker’s mysterious past will have to wait a little longer. The release date of the film was just pushed back, and now it won’t be out until December 2017. At least, fans won’t have to wait too long to see some of their favorite characters. Rogue One, a movie about Rebel pilots making plans to attack the Death Star, is due out later this year on December 16.

[Image via Lucasfilm/Disney]

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