WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: The Last Jedi

-

Star Wars: The Last Jedi may end with an unknown child, but the boy's true identity suggests a connection to the franchise's very beginning. To be clear: we recognize that the identity of the mystery child - whom we'll call 'Broom Boy' for now - seems to be anonymous by design. It directly reinforces the film's closing argument that anyone can change the course of the galaxy, not just those born of 'great' parents. Which makes it so much stranger for the writers of the larger Star Wars canon to give the boy a name - you just won't find it in the movie itself.

Whether or not its the intention of the filmmakers, or even in keeping with the spirit of the film's message, fans can't help but wonder: who is this boy who wields the Force with ease, and looks to the stars as Luke, Anakin, and Rey once did? Is the ending a sign of the next great hero in the Star Wars fiction, or will this boy represent countless others and never reappear himself?

Those questions will be answered in due time. But for now, fans should know the boy's true name... and which other Star Wars character shared it in the original movie.

Related: Star Wars: The Last Jedi's 25 Easter Eggs

The Last Jedi's Force-Using Broom Boy

Finn and Rose Tico on Canto Bight in Star Wars: The Last Jedi

For those who may have missed the first appearance of the boy in The Last Jedi's closing scene, or simply failed to make the connection, here's what we know. When Finn and Rose take their detour to Canto Bight, they discover the cruel reality beneath the galaxy's most opulent resort and casino. The rich enjoy their fun at the cost of everyday people, illustrated with the planet's Fathier races: the wealthy place bets, as the animals are cared for by abandoned children. We know they're abandoned children left behind to cover indebted gamblers thanks to Star Wars: The Last Jedi: The Visual Dictionary. And combined with what Rey discovers about her parents, it fits with the film's overall theme.

In the closing scene of the movie, it's shown just how much world travels in the Star Wars galaxy - and how much a symbol can mean to the downtrodden and abused. The antique Rebellion ring Rose used to convince the stable children they were 'the good guys' now sits upon one boy's finger. Already, the tale of Luke Skywalker's heroic stand against the First Order is being told by the kids, before their cruel stable master shoos them away. Using the Force to pull a broom into his hands, the boy absentmindedly sweeps... before looking to the stars, broom clasped saber-like in his hand, imagining his future role in the galaxy.

The most obvious message: even if the Jedi die, their heroic legend lives on. And as with Rey, the next great savior of the galaxy could be a forgotten, completely unknown child... because the Force is with him. But that boy's identity may not be as mysterious as it appears...

The Broom Boy's Name is Temiri Blagg

Star Wars From a Certain Point of View

The same Visual Dictionary that explains these stable children are "urchins -- children abandoned on Cantonica by losing gamblers" also names the seemingly unnamed Force sensitive young boy. He is 'Temiri Blagg,' and no other details are given. And while the thematic argument is that his name shouldn't matter, it is made official in Star Wars canon. So surely, if the core message isn't this boy's "true identity," or that of his parents, then there's definitely not a character sharing the same name in the Star Wars canon, right? Wrong.

To find it, you'll need to read the recently-released Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View, a collection of short stories retelling key moments of the movie series from perspectives other than the heroes. Specifically, the story by Glen Weldon entitled "Of MSE-6 and Men" which just became a lot more interesting thanks to The Last Jedi's ending. The short story is told from the perspective of MSE-6-G735Y, a Mouse Droid aboard the first Death Star prior to its destruction.

While the story is focused on an Imperial romance, it begins with MSE-6 transporting a "Replacement IT-O Interrogator Droid HypnoHypodermal Injector Needle C-7R" to Cell Block AA-23. Upon arrival, the droid overhears the following exchange between the officer overseeing the detention block and an unnamed, high-ranking officer (who is almost certainly Grand Moff Tarkin):

"Shall we proceed to her cell and begin the interrogation, sir? I just need to install the hypodermic on the torture droid--"

"Interrogator droid, Blagg."

"Yes, of course, sir. Sorry, sir. On the... interrogator droid. And then we can proceed."

"Oh no, Blagg, I shan't be doing the interrogation, and neither shall you. That's Vader's work. He does so... relish it."

For the fans who haven't put the pieces together just yet, this is no ordinary delivery for MSE-6. Because Cell Block AA-23 wound up being an important location not long after. See if it looks familiar:

Yes, the short story tells the tale of the Mouse Droid transporting the hypodermic needle needed for the Interrogator Droid to do its work on Princess Leia (all seen in the original Star Wars). To add some more details, the Mouse Droid was transporting the needle from the Stormtrooper designated TK-421 to a Lieutenant Bragg, presumably the overseer of the detention block holding Princess Leia. The same officer who wound up in a surprise firefight with Luke, Han, and Chewbacca. The previous assumption would probably have been that he and the rest of the guards had been injured, or killed, So why does a boy with his last name wind up an orphaned Force User thirty years in the future?

Was he killed aboard the Death Star, leaving a grandchild to be abandoned on Cantonica? Was he transferred off, leaving him grow older, sink into gambling, and leave a small boy nothing but his name? And most importantly, what does it matter if he did?

The reason it appears relevant is that with all the names to give the boy in the accompanying canon, the Star Wars story group chose a name - "Blagg" - used once before. Perhaps it's just a joke for the fans who spot it: a Blagg unknowingly intersects with cosmic destiny on the wrong side of it, only for a Blagg in the future to do the same - and find hope and power, instead.

-

What do you Star Wars fans make of this cosmic coincidence? Does it seem like sheer dumb luck for two characters to be given the same name in the franchise canon so close together? Or do you, like us, think the Star Wars writers are having some fun - and seeing how many catch on? Leave your thoughts (and theories) in the comments.

More: The Last Jedi’s Final Scene Changes Star Wars Forever (And For The Better)

Key Release Dates