Overnight, we got the new trailer for The Last Jedi and it is PACKED with interesting stuff. We’ve gone over it, and have some theories about what we’re seeing and how the movie will play out. Technically these aren’t spoilers but if you didn’t see the trailer and don’t want our Jack Ryan-esque narrative pattern analysis interrupting your enjoyment of the movie, then don’t scroll past the poster below.

Still here? Great, then let’s talk.

1.  Kylo Ren Isn’t Going To Kill Leia

The hardest part of the movie is going to be how they write General Leia out. The late. great Carrie Fisher is apparently an integral part of The Last Jedi and was all set to be the spotlight original cast member in Episode IX. Her tragic death means that the General’s story ends here and while director Rian Johnson has been coy about how it ends, this trailer sets up one very clear scenario:

In an attack on a Resistance convoy, Kylo Ren finds his mother and her forces completely at his mercy. And, the trailer implies heavily, kills her.

We’re not buying it. Here’s why.

Firstly, look at his face. A lot of The Last Jedi, we suspect, is going to be emotional fallout for Ren after the awful thing he did last time we still are not quite over. To kill his mother as well? The kid’s a tragically misunderstood villain not an out and out monster. Look at this sequence. He doesn’t want to do it. We don’t think he can. We don’t think he will.

2. Kylo Ren’s Troops Will Kill General Leia

Man that even hurts to type. A lot has been mentioned in the run up to this movie about how Leia is training Poe, without him quite realizing, to lead the Resistance when she’s gone. We’ll get to where that ties in in a second. First off though, look at this shot. Something very big has just exploded off screen, Poe is frantic, desperate to see what it is. He’s looking behind the ship he’s on.

The ship, you will notice, that seems very small. Almost like an escape pod.

Here’s what we think is going to happen. The ship Leia and Poe are on is badly damaged. She orders the crew to escape pods as Kylo makes his run. He can’t do it, can’t take the shot. He and Leia share a moment, if not of reconciliation then certainly communication via The Force. He breaks away.

And then his other pilots blow the ship up. As, helpless, Kylo and in the escape pods, Poe and the others, watch.

It gives Leia the heroic sendoff she deserves. It powers Poe up into the upper echelons of command. It  makes Kylo seem like even more of a monster and at the same time it’s the start of his slow journey back towards humanity and compassion. If we’re right, and we’re pretty sure we are on this one, it’s going to work really well. And it’s going to be so, so hard to watch.

3. Poe Rallies The Resistance

Like we said, we’re pretty sure Poe ends up leading The Resistance. This whole sequence plays a lot like it’s come after whatever happens to Leia and he’s getting used to his new role. Notice her aide, Lieutenant Connix, over his right shoulder. Notice how grim he looks. Notice the wording of his speech. It seems like the Resistance have just taken a massive loss, and Poe is rallying the people they have left to retaliate. It’s grim and determined and a world away from the endlessly positive pilot we saw in The Force Awakens. Because, we suspect after the afterburner stunt we get a glimpse of here, Poe isn’t a pilot anymore by the end of this movie.

4. Luke Is Not Okay With Anything That Happens

One of the beats that interests us the most here is how terrified Luke is. He’s still traumatized by Kylo Ren’s actions (We even seemingly see a flashback to the Jedi Academy’s destruction) and is profoundly frightened by Rey being as strong as his former pupil. That leads to some nice thematic crossover with Luke’s sister; Leia is happy training her replacement. Luke is terrified training his.

So, the big question; are we going to see both Skywalker siblings die in one movie?

No.

We think.

We hope.

Yes, you see Rey with Snoke later in the movie and there are reports of a massive fight scene between Luke, Rey and the Knights of Ren being filmed. But we think  that in reality Luke is taken off the board this movie rather than killed. We’re honestly not sure we could take losing them both in one film and it would make a lot of sense to have him return in the third movie, help out and fill the role intended for Leia.

5. They Both Rebel

And that brings us to this sequence. Like the Kylo/Leia confrontation this could be a trick of editing but we’re honestly not sure it is. Instead, we think this shows the start of something truly fascinating. We’re guessing Kylo is so disgusted by the murder of his mother that he begins to turn from the Dark Side. We’re guessing Rey’s training with Luke goes badly and she, desperate to find out who she is, turns to the only person who truly understands her.

No Dark Side. No Light Side. Just the last Jedi (And isn’t it interesting that word can be plural or singular?) making a stand to find their place in the universe. Both immensely powerful, both evenly matched. Both eager for something new. The Jedi will fall. But will Ren and Rey lead what replaces them?

And what about Rose Tico, played by Kelly Marie Tran? Where’s she? Or Finn who we barely see? Or Benicio Del Toro’s character? Or Laura Dern’s Or almost anything on Canto Bight?  While there’s been some grumbling about the trailer revealing too much, we suspect there’s way more we have yet to see. And we hope Rose in particular is a big part of that.

Of course we could be wrong about everything but it’s always fun to speculate. Now, if you’ll excuse us we need to book tickets and watch that trailer again…

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is out on 15 December