The leaked visuals and interpretations of the newest Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer has stirred the fandom and a lot of chatter and speculations are coming up about the expected dramatic turns that we will witness in the film.
There are several theories circulating such as the real parentage of Rey and Finn or the origin story of Snoke. However, the one that is constantly reverberating since the days of The Force Awakens is the possible introduction of a new type of characters called The Gray Jedi in this Star Wars sequel.
This is who Gray Jedi are, and well, they seem to be the right fit for the requirement of modern day’s Star Wars saga.
What Are Gray Jedi?
According to the non-canon Star Wars Legends story, the Gray Jedi are those who use the Force and establish a balance between the light and dark sides and represent any Jedi who ventures out of the typical Jedi hierarchy and the obligations of the Jedi High Council and Jedi Code.
This category of fence sitting Jedi has been known to exist as far back as to the time of the Old Sith Wars when the High Council was trying to concentrate power in a centralized Jedi Order, however, some Jedi split up as they didn’t believe in such power structures and consider them to be impractical and prone to corruption. They swore allegiance only to The Force and were not in agreement with the Council about various important aspects of the Code about developing attachments or limited training of Force powers.
Ultimately the broader meaning of the term included various other Force believers who were non-Jedi, but, not members of the dark side either.
How Are They Relevant To ‘The Last Jedi’
Let’s see how these Gray Jedi are relevant to the narrative of Star Wars: The Last Jedi and the bigger sequel trilogy. This is the fascinating part.
We have already seen that Episode VIII features Rey (Daisy Ridley) as well as Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) as both are keen to find their respective directions and utility of their increasing Force powers. Supreme Leader Snoke has clearly detailed how he wants the power to be used. However, it is Luke Skywalker who will be the differentiating element in this sequel.
We know Luke has faced tough times and is as much confused as Rey is about the powers. The dialogue between the two that was shown in the trailer suggests that the typical Jedi definition might be becoming irrelevant and guided by Luke’s teachings and encouragement, Rey might “find her place in all this” and achieve “the balance” between light and dark sides.
This is the theme that resonates in Kylo Ren’s story as well. As seen in The Force Awakens, Ben Solo wanted to exploit the dark side in his bid to control the irrefutable light side of the Force powers which was unknown to Snoke and his parents. Now, the new Last Jedi trailer suggests that Kylo Ren will kill Leia, but, a lot of fans consider it to be a Red Herring and expect Ren to create some redemptive balance in his usage of The Force.
Why Do We Need The Gray
It will be a bold and well-timed step for the Star Wars franchise if they introduce the Gray Jedi in this film. We have already noticed from the instances of Episodes VII and VIII that the modern day issues of race, gender, sexuality, and politics, etc. are all represented by the sequel trilogy’s characters and narrative.
The Last Jedi, in particular, has a strong influence of the social-political situations with the depiction of a dark character (Finn) fighting a tyrannical suppression (Captain Phasma); the struggle of Rey and Kylo about their female/male takes about power and Snoke is a dictator who is battling a popular uprising. At the same time, Luke is shown to be a senile old white man who used to be an icon of power and is now confused and scared about the world changing around him as well as an uncontrolled generation of Force users.
The traditional good science-fiction style might be Star Wars: The Last Jedi’s attempt to portray the troublesome dark world that we live in and taking things further by proposing the solution. This is a world that is constantly becoming polarized and alienated. Thus, it might be a good thing if we all accept a more reasonable Gray mindset than binding things in light and dark sides.
This is not just a theory, but, a real suggestion put forward by the Star Wars: The Last Jedi cast during a GMA appearance by Daisy Ridley, Kelly Marie Tran, and some others in the summer:
“This is the second of three films,” Ridley said. “So there may be a lot of gray that’s very exciting.”
“We’re all gray,” Tran added.
The interviewer then asked them whether Star Wars: The Last Jedi will be more focused on the Gray side and Ridley replied:
“I would say, yes.”
The on-screen arrival of Gray Jedi would ensure that The Last Jedi is much more than simple entertainment. This is a new challenging and divided the world, and the entertainment that comes with a message can have a substantial backlash. At the same time, it can be good if a Star Wars film gets people discussing the new lightsabers and the Porgs.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi comes out on December 15.
