In the opening crawl for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, viewers read that Luke Skywalker had vanished. By the time that film ended, the old Jedi Master was found by Rey on the planet Ahch-To in apparent self-imposed isolation, being asked to take his old lightsaber and rejoin the fight. The Lucasfilm story group has not revealed much of what Luke has been up to since Return of the Jedi, which makes the character's appearance in the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VIII all the more anticipated. So many questions remain that need answering, and luckily fans don't have that long to wait until the film's December 2017 premiere.
Until then, moviegoers will have to make do with the rumor mill, which has overall been short on Star Wars 8 speculation, but still has provided some tantalizing possibilities for the next chapter in the saga. One of the more compelling bits was a description of an action sequence involving Luke and the Knights of Ren. Skywalker's costume has also been a topic of conversation, with reports indicating that he sports an entirely different outfit when compared to his Force Awakens attire. Now, more details about his new look have surfaced online.
Making Star Wars reached out to Twitter user Lumberjack Nick to do a drawing of Luke's costume based on their previous description. As was indicated back in April, Luke is dressed in all-black, similar to his garb from Jedi. Since Making Star Wars was unable to tell if Skywalker's mechanical hand was covered, the artist's rendition does not include a glove. The picture (which you can see on their site) is a depiction from a scene where Rey has become frustrated with Luke's teachings. The elder Jedi has a stern expression, but that could simply be Lumberjack Nick's interpretation rather than how the sequence was written. It's said that the costume is dirty most of the time and only gets filthier as the movie goes on.
The biggest reveal here is that Luke did not appear to have a lightsaber on him, and the drawing does not include a belt for the weapon. Instead, Luke is holding "either a thin spear, thin walking stick, or a piece of junk" in his hand. This raises questions about whether or not Skywalker will use a lightsaber during Episode VIII, which would be somewhat surprising. Since it's been theorized that Luke will take on the Knights of Ren at some point, it was expected his sword would be required. On the other hand, this would be a refreshing change-of-pace. Having Luke take on his enemies with nothing but the Force could potentially be an amazing way to show how strong the character has grown in his abilities, and illustrate to Rey that there is some virtue to be gained by learning from Skywalker. The Force Awakens showed off some new Force skills (Kylo freezing the blaster bolt), so it would be interesting to see what a fully trained user would be capable of.
While costume descriptions aren't the most compelling updates about a film, this one does include some some tantalizing points of discussion; more items for the growing list of rumors about Luke. Those hoping for some clarity on the matter may remain in the shadows for a bit, since Lucasfilm may be wary to begin Episode VIII promotion until after Rogue One: A Star Wars Story opens. There's always the possibility a teaser makes its way to the public in December, but with the spinoff being the top priority, Disney may not want to overshadow it right now.
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Source: Making Star Wars
