Theories Why Luke's Role In Star Wars 7 Will Upset You

With Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens poised to be the film event of 2015, a swirling online controversy has raged over Luke Skywalker's mysterious role in the long-awaited sequel. The plot details are notoriously secret, but that hasn't stopped the Internet from wildly speculating on why we didn't see the Jedi Knight in either the trailers or the poster. Was he unable to resist the Dark Side? Is he Kylo Ren, or Kylo Ren's father? Did he become a reclusive, shamanic figure like Yoda or Obi-Wan? Whatever direction Luke's character takes, it's bound to upset someone. Here are some of the prevailing fan theories and why they'll never satisfy every die hard fan in the galaxy. (Warning: Possible spoilers, we guess, though absolutely none of these fan theories are confirmed in any official capacity.)

For the two people on Earth who haven't seen the trailer, Kylo Ren is a bad guy. He wears black and has a red lightsaber, which in the Star Wars universe means trouble. His face isn't shown, but it's clear that the Force is strong in him, and he's extremely powerful. If he turns out to have been Luke the whole time, there's a simple reason why this will make people mad: it's too easy. With Ren clearly set up to be a villain, then revealing that he's Luke would be the most predictable—and therefore disappointing—twist. We will, however, safely say this: no matter how upset this would make certain fans, it would probably be the worst for Ren's actor Adam Driver.

Okay, so maybe he's not Kylo Ren, but another theory asserts that he became some other Sith figure after being seduced by the Dark Side of the Force. At the end of Return of the Jedi, Luke seems melancholy after the defeat of the Empire. Even a party in Bright Tree Village in the forest of Happy Grove with tons of Ewoks dancing all around him doesn't really brighten his mood, so there's been lots of speculation that Luke never got over the loss of his dad. Mark Hamill has talked openly about being contractually obligated to grow a beard—a Jedi hallmark—not to mention the leaked set shot showing him wearing a brown robe. So if you were ready to punch out a theater usher the second Luke brandished a red lightsaber, relax and take deep breaths. You're aware none of this is real, right?

The death of a beloved character is usually treated as a climactic moment, so if some Internet theories are to be believed, and Luke will only appear as a Force Ghost à la Obi-Wan in the original trilogy, some popcorn is getting thrown. Although, the Skywalker family has gotten a pretty raw deal throughout the entire Star Wars saga, from twins being separated at birth to mutilations and gory deaths, so maybe J.J. Abrams felt like giving them a break. But there's no way that would fly. If Luke has died, the fans are going to want to know exactly how much Force lightning he took and who dealt it. Whatever it is, it better have nothing to do with Jar Jar Binks, because riots are ugly enough when half of the mob isn't already comprised of Star Wars nerds.

Depending on the circumstances, even if Luke falls in a valiant, self-sacrificing death, certain fans will be sad to see him go. And it's not out of the realm of possibility since Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, both Jedi masters, fell in battle before him. Luke dying to save either a beloved existing character or even better, one of the new, younger characters, is probably the most palatable way to transition audiences into embracing the new cast. But there will always be fans who aren't willing to let go of their favorites, like those who couldn't accept what happened in Game Of Thrones' Red Wedding. But we'll just say this: the Star Wars galaxy is no Westeros in terms of body count, but go ahead and pack some tissues in your Jedi cloaks for premiere night. If you could deal with Yoda becoming one with the Force, then you can deal with a glowing, blue Luke from here on out.

From guarding a Sith tomb to being badly disfigured and/or mentally unstable, the conjectured reasons for Luke's possible self-imposed exile run the gamut. This would mean we may only get small glimpses of Luke throughout the film, or he may only show up at the end, then have a larger role in the next sequels (there are two sequels in the main storyline currently planned as well as stand-alone spin-offs that will make up the Star Wars Anthology series). Whatever the reason, less Luke is going to stir the pot, like when we waited the entire movie to see the "witch" in The Blair Witch Project only to get nothing but a dude standing in the corner like he was in timeout. We honestly believe J.J. Abrams would never go that route despite his direct involvement with the ambiguous and confusing Lost finale. Luke's either dead or alive, and he's either good or bad, Abrams. Don't give us any of that limbo afterlife garbage.