As per tradition entailed by every Star Wars fan’s favorite day of the year, May the Fourth, today’s Nerdist News Talks Back will be devoted entirely to the matters at hand in that galaxy far, far away. Joining Jessica Chobot to chat about everything from Alderaan to Yavin 4 (sorry, there are no “Z” planets in Star Wars) are Nerdist producer and Bizarre States cohost Andrew Bowser, writer Joan Ford, and our social media editor Michelle Buchman—all Star Wars geeks worth their salt.
To kick things off, the group will discuss director Rian Johnson’s latest chatter about his upcoming film, The Last Jedi. In conversation with Entertainment Weekly, Johnson dropped a few clues about what (and how much) we should expect to see of Luke Skywalker in the next chapter of the Star Wars saga. Apparently, Johnson had some reservations about Luke coming off as a coward for his decision to high-tail it into exile after things went south with his nephew and would-be Padawan Kylo Ren. Fearing that, Johnson seems to have gone into damage control mode to keep Luke in our good graces. That sounds like a lot to unpack, so keep watch as the team digs deep into the director’s latest comments.
Even more exciting is Johnson’s revelation that he phoned in a favor to his predecessor J.J. Abrams regarding the ending of The Force Awakens: sub out BB-8 for R2-D2 as Rey’s flight companion on her mission to touch base with the long, lost Luke. Not only does this mean that we’ll get more R2 than we did in the 2015 picture, but that Luke will get a chance to reconnect with his old buddy. (And from what we’ve seen of him lately, it seems like Luke could use a familiar face… or dome.)
Next on the docket is everyone’s favorite subject: the prequels. Though they’re treated more often than not as the butt of many the Star Wars fan’s acerbic barb, they do have their defender—namely, our own Michelle Buchman, not to mention the fast-growing Prequel Memes subreddit. With nearly 20 years between us and the release of The Phantom Menace, maybe its time to retire our hostility and focus on the finer points of the Anakin trilogy.
Finally, it wouldn’t be a Star Wars conversation if it didn’t involve a wacky fan theory. Well, we’ve got a doozy for ya! Question one: Ever wonder exactly who Captain Phasma is and where she came from? All right, now—question two: Ever wonder what happened to Cindel Towani, the little girl from the mid-’80s Star Wars TV movies Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor? …No on that one? Well, no matter, because the two might be one and the same! At least that’s what our writer Rosie Knight theorizes, and the Nerdist News Talks Back team is ready to dive headfirst into the speculation.
What do you think about Johnson’s latest comments, the Phasma theory, or those divisive prequels? Let us know!
Featured Image: Lucasfilm
