A Guide To ‘Star Wars Episode’ VIII Rumors, Including The Possible Name

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story makes its public debut in the coming week, but as with most things in Hollywood, fans and media alike are already clamoring for the next installment of Star Wars. They will only have to wait a year before the untitled Star Wars Episode VIII hits theaters. While The Force Awakens did a decent enough job of keeping its secrets, the same can’t be said for Episode VIII. Here is the complete guide to Star Wars Episode VIII rumors.

You have been warned.

Snoke May Not Be Anyone Who Has Appeared On Film

A popular theory of just who is pulling the First Order’s strings doesn’t come from the films, but from the books. Running concurrent with the Skywalker Saga is a trilogy of books known as Aftermath written by Chuck Wendig. While the books have been met with some criticism, there is a clear-cut leader of the remnants of the Empire, and it is no one that has ever been seen on screen.

While only hinted at in the first book Aftermath, the second book, Life Debt, gives a full introduction to the man known as Gallius Rax. Rax was discovered on the world of Jakku by Emperor Palpatine himself prior to the events of the original trilogy. Palpatine was in the process of searching Jakku for relics of unknown origin, and Rax stowed away on Palpatine’s ship.

Palpatine goes on to enlist Rax to stay on Jakku and monitor the search. Rax obliges and grows up in the service of the emperor. It should be noted that to this point there is no indication that Rax has any relationship with the Force. However, he is a military strategist that studies his enemies similar to the way the recently reintroduced Admiral Thrawn does.

Many, including Star Wars Post, are more than convinced that in later years, Gallius Rax becomes Snoke.

Leia Does Have The Ability To Tap Into the Force

It was a letdown to some fans that Princess Leia never went on to train as a Jedi with her brother, Luke. In fact, the only indication of Leia’s force abilities in The Force Awakens was her sensing the loss of Han at the hands of their son, Ben (Kylo Ren). If the rumors are true, Leia does get her force on in the opening sequences of Episode VIII.

IMDb contributor Mr_Ghostfast_Lives suggests via Movieweb that during the memorial for Han or very soon after, an assassination attempt is made on Leia, where we see her Jedi side. It is said that she uses the force to thwart the would-be assailant, who escapes and is then pursued by Finn and a new scoundrel in the Star Wars universe played by Kelly Marie Tran.

Luke Is Not Rey’s Father

While this seems to have been confirmed by J.J. Abrams himself to Cinemablend, many have held out hope that Rey is in fact Luke Skywalker’s daughter. Fans point to the fact that in the past, Abrams can’t be trusted to tell the truth when it comes to fan speculation, citing the Khan fiasco of Star Trek Into Darkness. However, signs point to the fact that he may be playing this one straight.

The rumor suggests that not only is Rey a student of the force to Skywalker, but she is also enlisted her help to discover the origins of the force. This is one of the very reasons Luke went into exile in the first place. Over the course of the film, it is discovered that Rey may, in fact, be the reincarnation of one of the original force wielders, and it is not Anakin as some have suggested.

Episode VIII Has A Name

With all Star Wars movies, the title is a big question mark. Episode VIII is no different. If a recent filing at the European Union Intellectual Property Office is believed to be true, Episode VIII will be subtitled Forces of Destiny. According to ScreenCrush, there seems to be too many products with this name attached to it to not merit some consideration.

It is certain that this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Star Wars Episode VIII rumors. It should be noted that none of the rumors mentioned above have been the slightest bit confirmed, but in the age of the internet and instant access to information, it likely will not be long until this or some other rumor is.

[Featured Image by Adrian Dennis/Getty Images]