When Disney announced that Mark Hamill would join the cast for Star Wars Episode 9, it raised eyebrows across the fanboy and nerdy corners of the internet. For those that don’t remember Hamill’s curtain call as Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi, a quick refresher: Luke uses the force to project himself onto another planet to battle Kylo Ren, giving the Resistance enough time to escape. Following the battle, his physical body vanishes, indicating to viewers Luke had departed the land of the living.
So how could Luke return in Episode 9? The most obvious answer is as a Force ghost of sorts, similar to Yoda and Obi Wan Kenobi in previous movies. Or maybe Hamill would provide voice over to a creature of sorts. Or we see him in a flashback.
A new leak reported by Express indicates that none of these could be true. Here’s the leaked scene:
Luke Skywalker in front of Rey on a jungle world. In the background are ancient stone steps that lead to some rooms which appear to be a Jedi Temple of some kind. Luke appears to be in his physical form as if he is not dead, but he may be a Force ghost and more solid this time. No blue hue is described in the sequence. Luke holds his iconic green lightsaber hilt in his hand but not ignited as Rey examines it. This could be one of Luke’s lessons to Rey, teaching her how to develop a lightsaber like his own. Luke’s face has no beard and shorter hair—shorter than his hair on Crait. He wears a brown robe with white sleeves.
Again, we should be cautious in accepting these kind of leaks as fact. But maybe Luke, in his isolated studies, has evolved past death through his force power. After all, this dude projected himself onto another freakin’ planet, and we didn’t know any Jedi or Sith could do that either.
Plus, if Luke wasn’t really dead it would satisfy a whole lot of fanboys, still outraged from the “controversial” ending of The Last Jedi. Never underestimate JJ Abrams and his ability to please fans.
