With The Force Awakens right around the corner waiting to bash us over the head with a kosh and steal the money from our wallets, let’s dive into some of the theories circling the film. Some are possible, while others outlandish. The fact is they’re out there, they’re getting weirder, and it’s all J.J. Abram’s fault for being so secretive about the film.
Where Did We Park The Falcon Again?
Star Wars Fact: Han Solo owns the Millennium Falcon, right? Maybe not. We’ve known the iconic freighter will be in The Force Awakens since the first trailer but are Han and Chewie flying it to begin with? Theories and subsequent trailers suggest that the Falcon is Rey and Finn’s ticket off Jakku, but not with Han at the controls. The shot of Han and Chewie aboard the Falcon in the second trailer and the line “Chewie, we’re home” reinforce the theory that at some point Han lost the Falcon, and he’s only just seeing his beloved ship for the first time in a while.
Rey Is A Solo
Ever since the cast was announced, speculation ran wild that the younger cast members were playing the children of the main characters from the original trilogy. The most popular theory is that Daisy Ridley’s character Rey is the daughter of Han and Leia, although why she was abandoned on a desert planet is unknown. I mean, who does that to a kid? At least Obi-Wan left Luke in the care of his step-uncle and aunt. In the Legends line of books and comics, Han and Leia end up having three children, including the twins Jacen and Jaina. Of the three, only Jaina survived by the end of the books and was a Jedi in her own right. J.J. Abrams’ assertion that revealing Rey’s surname would be a spoiler in itself lends credence to the theory.
Or Finn Is
Next contender for Solo child is John Boyega’s Finn. Marvel’s Star Wars comics recently ran a storyline where a woman named Sana Solo claimed to be Han’s wife. In Legends material, Han and Leia were happily married for near on 40 years; but with the canon reset, all cards are off the table. As a result, there’s no guarantee of Han and Leia even being together. Of course, theories also suggest he’s Lando’s kid. Or even Lando and Leia’s kid. Or Luke’s! He wields his lightsaber, after all. Chewie is probably the only one certain to not be in the running to have sired Finn. As with Rey, Finn’s surname is also going unrevealed — for the time being — to avoid spoilers.
Maybe Kylo Ren, Too
At this point, it’s probably easier to speculate on who isn’t a possible Solo child. Theories suggest Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren is the son of Leia and Han turned to the dark side and with an obsession over his maternal grandfather, Darth Vader. If Rey is also a Solo, riffing on the Legends establishment of twin children for Han and Leia, then they are twins separated at birth and sent to different planets. Wait, haven’t we seen this movie? Other theories suggest he may even be Luke’s son with an obsession over his grandfather, or even a clone of Vader himself. Either way, talking to the melted helmet of your idol is a little stalkery.
Hux Is Not A Skywalker
Like the previous examples, Domhnall Gleeson was initially theorized to be playing Luke Skywalker’s son, again based on previous storylines in the Legends continuity. In the books Luke eventually marries fan favourite character Mara Jade and they have a son called Ben, named after a certain Tatooine renegade. Ben has red hair, taking after his mother. And since Gleeson also has red hair, you can see where this is going. The rumors were seemingly quashed with the reveal that he is the First Order’s General Hux. Of course, this didn’t stop other rumors spawning around the character, including the suggestion that he is secretly working for the Resistance to stop the First Order.
The Mystery Of Luke Skywalker
Much has been made of Luke Skywalker’s absence from promotional materials for the film, with only a voiceover and a possible mechanical arm sighting to tide us over. Obviously, Lucasfilm has decided not to overshadow Mark Hamill’s brilliantly macabre turn as the Trickster on The Flash. Lack of information on Luke has led to several theories. Is he a wizened old Jedi Master like Obi-Wan and Yoda? Or has he turned to the dark side? Other rumors suggest he is even Kylo Ren himself. Whatever the case, it’s clear that Luke is a massive walking spoiler so they’re keeping him out of publicity materials. Either that or he has five minutes of screentime and they’re saving all that for the film. The only thing we know for certain is … [SPOILER] he has a beard.
Did The First Order Learn Nothing About Superweapons?
So the First Order has Starkiller Base, which some people like to think was named after the title character from the similarly named game The Force Unleashed, while others are trying to forget it ever existed. But where did it come from and why did they build another version of a weapon that the Rebels destroyed not once, but twice? Some have posited the theory that it is the ice planet of Ilum, home to lightsaber crystals used by the Jedi, converted into a weapon of war. Other theories draw on Legends storylines, citing the Sun Crusher from the Jedi Academy trilogy of novels or the Star Forge from Knights of the Old Republic as inspirations.
The Return Of Boba Fett
Boba Fett is a fan-favorite character who may or may not be slowly digesting in the belly of the Almighty Sarlacc (if there is not a band with this name I call dibs). A feared bounty hunter who may or may not be a Mandalorian in the new canon, Fett’s Legends adventures extended well beyond the film timeline and made him leader of the Mandalorians. So when Max Von Sydow was announced as part of the cast, theories regarding his character were tossed about. Is he a Jedi Master? Is he a Sith Lord? Those of us old enough to remember him as Ming the Merciless from Flash Gordon wanted him as a hammy, over-the-top despot powered by a rocking soundtrack. Eventually, they settled on him being an elder version of Fett despite the fact that he looks nothing like Temuera Morrison.
Darth Jar Jar
Jar Jar Binks. Polarizing fandom since 1999. Long before The Force Awakens was announced Jar Jar was the source of an ongoing theory that he was a collaborator in Palpatine’s schemes to create the Galactic Empire. Let’s face it, he started the vote to give the Chancellor the Emergency Powers he needed to become Emperor in Revenge of the Sith. Jar Jar Binks created the Empire. Does he now lead the First Order as Snoke? Andy Serkis is playing the role through motion capture, but J.J. Abrams has denied Jar Jar is in the film. But, to be fair, this is not the first time he lied about the identity of a villain in one of his films …
Captain Phasma Is Darth Plagueis Or Something
For some reason, everyone and their mother have speculated that Darth Plagueis is somehow involved in The Force Awakens. You may remember him from his namedrop in Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine’s Sith Master. He’s not seen in any Canon materials but was fleshed out in Legends storylines. First, the rumor was that he was Andy Serkis’s Snoke before the character’s name was revealed. Then Rey’s staff (!) was theorized to have belonged to the dead Sith. And now, there’s the theory that Captain Phasma is a resurrected version of Plagueis because obviously having a badass female stormtrooper Captain isn’t believable, but having her as the reincarnation of Palpatine’s master somehow is.
Vader Lives
Ever since the trailer reveal of Darth Vader’s charred and melted helmet, rumors circulated that the Dark Lord himself would be back on screen in the new film. A Star Wars film without a hint of Vader? Preposterous. Some speculated that there would be flashbacks which included Vader to flesh out the origins of new characters. And others felt that Kylo Ren’s obsession with the dead Sith would lead him to resurrect the fallen villain via cloning. There were even rumors that Hayden Christensen had been spotted on set reprising his role either in the Vader suit or as a Force ghost.
Where The Hell Is Lando?
Seriously, where is the smoothest man in the galaxy? He led the Rebels to victory at Endor (sorry Ackbar, but you were going to retreat) and how does he get rewarded? By not appearing. We can only hope that Lando is living it up on Cloud City and making hay off the story of how he single-handledly won the Battle of Endor. Sure, Billy Dee Williams got to reprise Lando in Star Wars Rebels, but dammit we want him back on the big screen! Secret cameo? Role in Episode VIII? I’ll take any of them.
