A supposed leak of the plot for Star Wars: The Last Jedi has made its way online, but fans should not look at it to get a better sense of what writer/director Rian Johnson has in store for this December's blockbuster. In the Disney era, Lucasfilm has become famous for their high levels of secrecy, withholding key spoilers from even licensing partners that make tie-in toys for the new films. Because of this, fans are primarily left to their own devices as they try to learn more about the modern movies before they come out. Official trailers and TV spots offer the tiniest tastes, but have largely been constructed around mysteries. Episode VIII was no different, as the footage revealed minimal story details and left viewers wanting more.

As is always the case with Star Wars, the rumor mill is constantly in full effect, and some bits of speculation can be more legitimate than others. A series of high-profile scoops was recently confirmed by leaked LEGO packaging, so whenever something for Last Jedi makes its way online, it's easy to get drawn in and believe it's true. However, a close examination of of the latest batch of rumors suggest that sometimes, fans just go amuck with their wild theories.

Originally appearing on 4chan (which itself is a red flag), this information comes from a person claiming to be an upset Lucasfilm employee who was removed from the marketing department. He or she posted a plethora of spoilers (including a description of the narrative) for fans to chew over, but many of them seem to contradict with what has already been revealed about the film.

The Last Jedi Leak

Rey Luke Skywalker

First, let's start with the leak itself, which can be read in full on Screen Geek. Unsurprisingly, a majority of it deals with Luke Skywalker and Rey, covering their dynamic. When the two first meet, Luke tells Rey she was left on Jakku after her parents became scared of her Force abilities, and she was "born out of necessity" in order to maintain the balance of the Force. Luke agrees to train Rey, but says that once they defeat Supreme Leader Snoke, they will stop. In a meditation scene, Rey is able to walk through a beam of light and "control everything around her" (even changing shapes). Later on, Rey fights against an unknown creature with "evil intent" as Luke tries to realize Rey's full potential quickly so Snoke can be destroyed as soon as possible. When Rey beats this creature, it turns into the Force ghost of Anakin Skywalker.

In another flashback, more of the destruction of Luke's Jedi academy is shown. Skywalker knew someone (presumably Rey) would eventually come to provide a balance to Kylo Ren, and he left after Ben's turn to discover why the Jedi have a long history of failing. It's also said Luke used the Force to place R2-D2 in low power mode until the new light side user (again, possibly Rey) was discovered. During The Last Jedi, viewers will learn the Force can be "literally connected to everything" and a droid "can be aligned to it if it is willed." Rey and Luke have an argument over Skywalker abandoning his friends and Luke has a talk with Yoda. The old Jedi Master confesses the old Order was "hopeful but arrogant" and mentions the dark side can't be the only future for the galaxy.

Star Wars The Last Jedi teaser trailer - Kylo Ren

As far as Kylo Ren is concerned, the leak says he will spend most of Episode VIII alongside Snoke, which plays in line with the way The Force Awakens ended. In this film, the former Ben Solo is thought to be "more unstable" and embarks on a personal journey to essentially retrace Darth Vader's footsteps "in the hopes he will meet his spirit." Snoke is allegedly apathetic to Kylo's mission. Additionally, there's a claim that Force ghosts can be destroyed now, as this is a new ability the Lucasfilm story group wants to implement in upcoming titles. After Episode VII added more Force powers to the mix (see: Kylo freezing a blaster bolt in midair), the filmmakers were keen on continuing that for the sequel.

Details on Finn's subplot are brief, but the stormtrooper-turned-hero is covered as well. Once he wakes up from his coma, the ship they are on is attacked and General Leia sends him on a mission to go to a new planet and meet someone with information on how to defeat Snoke. New character Rose Tico is with Finn "because it's the last escape pod." Poe Dameron leaves with Leia and the two regroup with other members of the Resistance, including Vice Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern). Holdo and Leia are at odds because they do not agree on the best course of action moving forward. Meanwhile, Finn, Rose, and "Zenn" (Benicio del Toro), travel to Snoke's home planet and learn Snoke has "switched bodies" throughout his existence and is popular among various species due to his extreme wealth.

Other minor notes include marketing leading people to believe Luke has turned to the Dark Side, the Millennium Falcon being destroyed, and a rough cut of the film being done for weeks.

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Why the Rumors Are False

Star Wars The Last Jedi teaser trailer - Luke and R2-D2

The person who came up with this is certainly creative, but the "leaked" plot reads as an elaborate fan-fiction and not much more. Several of the details are actually in direct contradiction with previously established Star Wars canon. For instance, the notion of droids being in tune with the Force flies in the face of Obi-Wan Kenobi's description of it in A New Hope - where he called it an energy field created by all living things. R2-D2 certainly has spunk and personality, but he is not an organic being. Additionally, the concept of Force ghosts getting killed is questionable at best. Again, in A New Hope, Obi-Wan told Vader that if he was stuck down in their duel, he would become "more powerful than you can possibly imagine." Kenobi and Yoda are literally one with the Force in the afterlife and have joined it. To defeat them would be to defeat the Force itself.

As for R2's prolonged nap and dues ex machina awakening in Episode VII, that matter was covered by J.J. Abrams shortly after that film's release. The astromech droid came back to normal when he heard BB-8 ask a question about the rest of the map to Luke. It's important to note that at the time, Rey was still a prisoner on Starkiller base, so she had little (if anything) to do with this element of Force Awakens at all. The novelization arguably handles R2 better than the film, implying that he was defragging his hard drive and learning he had the galaxy map because he downloaded it from the original Death Star computers in Episode IV. Granted, Luke may have told his old robot friend to go into low power mode as part of his larger plan (the rescue of Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt showed Luke was always thinking about a bigger picture), but the Force was not part of this. Hopefully Luke's reunion with R2 in Last Jedi clears some of this up, but The Force Awakens does enough to debunk this part of the leak.

This rundown of Episode VIII also ignores many of the revelations that were part of Vanity Fair's massive spread on the film released last month. In the article, Johnson explicitly states del Toro's character goes unnamed in the movie but was referred to as "DJ" on set for reasons we'll see in the picture. If he was actually called "Zenn," Lucasfilm probably would have shared that by now. And considering Johnson also said Supreme Leader Snoke is not a character he covers in great detail, it seems highly unlikely the alien's home planet would factor into the story. Based on the LEGO leaks, the big third act battle could be set on Crait, a mineral planet that housed an old Rebellion base (Rey was included in a set depicting this sequence, which is seen in the trailer). Details about Finn's mission with Rose remain largely under wraps, although it does sound like he'll be going undercover to infiltrate a First Order Star Destroyer.

As for Kylo, his role in The Last Jedi is one of the film's greatest mysteries. The only clues so far are cryptic quotes from Adam Driver about the villain's state of mind following his actions in The Force Awakens. Rumors (from the far more reputable Making Star Wars) indicate he finds his way to Ahch-To in search of Rey and Luke, so it appears as if his quest in Episode VIII is more about finishing what he started in Star Wars 7 (hunting down Skywalker) and not furthering his obsession with his grandfather. Kylo's trademark helmet is seen smashed in the Last Jedi trailer, indicating he's on his way to become his own individual instead of trying to live up to the famous Sith Lord. Seeing the Knights of Ren explore Vader's castle would make for cool imagery, but if Kylo wants to prove himself to Snoke, beating Rey and/or Luke in combat would be a better way of winning the Supreme Leader's approval than taking a detour to the volcanic planet.

Conclusion

There are certain pieces of this leak that line up with what's been previously reported on The Last Jedi. It does look like Holdo and Leia will be rivals of some kind (though both are aligned with the Resistance), and it's safe to say Luke has taken a turn for the worse after failing with Ben Solo. Skywalker is going to be looking for the first Jedi Temple on Ahch-To (complete with a hiking kit), so it appears his mission is more of a Lord of the Rings-esque quest than training Rey specifically for the purpose of destroying Snoke. It's evident he takes the young scavenger under his wing, but he still wants to learn more about the Jedi's history. A showdown with the Supreme Leader is imminent, but could be saved for Episode IX.

Rumors like these pop up periodically (as they did for Force Awakens), and most of them amount to nothing. At first glance, someone proclaiming to know the full breakdown of the most anticipated film of the year and sharing it online as a way of getting back at an employer makes for a good story, but the actual details stretch the realm of credulity. It is possible that one day a Last Jedi plot description could come out, but Lucasfilm always takes great security measures to prevent things like that from happening. Everyone has their own version of how Episode VIII will play out, including this "former Lucasfilm employee."

MORE: Is Snoke From The Unknown Regions?

Source: Screen Geek

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