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Does the STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI Trailer Predict a Dark Turn for Rey?

Vastly different from the slow burn atmosphere of Rian Johnson’s first trailer, the two-and-a-half-minute look we got at Star Wars: The Last Jedi earlier this week was packed with action, suspense, misdirection, and a very ominous voiceover. But what does any of this mean for plucky protagonist Rey and her place within the new Star Wars universe?

This trailer is heavily focused on the idea of duality. The duality of good and evil, light and dark, Jedi and Sith, and most importantly, Rey and Kylo. We already know from the first movie that Leia and Han’s son is torn between the dark side and the light, but what do we know of Rey’s internal conflict? Her parentage is still a mystery, and this newest look at the movie hinted that Luke won’t be the father figure she’s always craved, nor capable of replacing the surrogate she lost when Kylo murdered Han.

We have many questions about what this means for Rey’s place in the Star Wars world, but one thing that this trailer confirms is her raw power. We see her training on Ach-To and cracking the earth beneath her as she does. We already knew that Rey was powerful after she Force-manipulated a Stormtrooper and Kylo Ren himself, then claimed Luke’s old lightsaber in the epic Starkiller battle in the third act of The Force Awakens. But this scene showcased the true breadth of her power. Before, Rey was a lost young girl with no one to teach her, but with an old hand like Luke she’s literally groundbreaking.

Luke’s response is vital to where we’ll find Rey, though. In the trailer he states, “I’ve seen this raw strong strength only once before and it didn’t scare me enough then. It does now.” Rather than being excited by the possibility of his new student, he’s terrified. That makes a lot of sense as his father was a powerful youngling who turned to the dark side and took over the galaxy, and his nephew also went down a brutally dark path after Luke tried to train him in the ways of the Jedi. Basically, Luke has seen this before and in his experience it never ends well, which potentially leaves Rey without a role model and open to darker influences.

That leads us to Supreme Leader Snoke. The newest TV spot showcased an ominous voiceover that seemed to be aimed at Rey, recognizing and celebrating her power. Just maybe, Rey will be looking to the dark side of the Force for guidance. Kylo has already expressed a wish to be Rey’s teacher. In the brief Force flashback in The Force Awakens we glimpsed Kylo slaying someone before Rey. Could it be that he saved her once and now wants her to join him on the dark side for good?

Looking back at the history of Star Wars trilogies, we already know that it’s quite likely that The Last Jedi will showcase a struggle for Rey. But what exactly will that struggle be? Could she really be forced to explore the dark side of the Force? Rian Johnson already confirmed that Luke is definitely the titular “Last Jedi,” which is making us think that Rey probably will turn to the dark side… just not for good. Because if Rey manages to harness both sides of the Force she could become something completely new: a Gray Jedi. A Jedi who can utilize the the dark and light sides of the Force.

Though many have tried, none have ever truly brought balance to the galaxy like the prophecy of the Chosen One foretold. Maybe that’s because the Jedi were wrong all along. Given the way Johnson is playing with the idea of duality here, maybe to truly balance the Force you need to master both sides of it. After all, we do see Rey climbing inside of what looks suspiciously like a Force Tree, which means that she could be about to discover some deep Jedi secrets which might bring her closer to the true balance the galaxy needs.

What do you think? Were you catching all the hints that Rey would be battling with herself? Are you still convinced that Kylo will ultimately be redeemed? Or maybe you have an entirely fresh theory of just where Rey will end up? Let us know in the comments!

Images: Lucasfilm

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