We haven’t had a lot of time to nerd out about the new Star Wars Trailer or any of the awesome announcements that came out of the Star Wars Celebration last weekend but on his latest episode of the Hollywood Babble-on Podcast, Kevin Smith dropped a theory we just couldn’t stay away from.
While this isn’t his first Star Wars theory, it’s quite possibly one of the most intriguing . Here’s a chunk that says a lot but you can listen to the whole podcast here.
What if the way that Jedi has been used historically in those movies and like including that in the last movie the Jedi, the Jedi must end and all that s***. What if that’s it for the Jedi and perhaps the new religion is the Skywalkers. Didn’t that just give you f****** chills? And I swear, again, f****** I don’t want anybody going ‘he knows’ but I know nothing.”
“Maybe Skywalker supplants the order that existed beforehand,” Garman said. “Wouldn’t that be f****** dope? He was so f****** important to the universe that from then on they named the order after him. They’re all Skywalkers,” Smith added.
Skywalker vs Jedi Theory Breakdown
Fair warning, this is going to get nerdy. There’s a couple of reasons this theory is so compelling and I’m going to dive into them one by one.
Being A Force Ghost Is Against The Jedi Beliefs
We all know “attachment is forbidden” for Jedi but understanding how far that really goes adds some interesting perspective to all of the Star Wars stories to date. If you have watched season 5 of Clone Wars (animated series) you’re likely familiar with the Yoda storyline that ultimately ends with him discovering that Qui Gon Jin is still existing as a force ghost – see episodes “Voices” “Destiny” and “Sacrifice”. During this quest Yoda very obviously steps outside of his comfort zone into a path most would assume would lead to the Dark Side.
Side note: Season 5 also has an storyline that supports the Darth Jar Jar Theory and we’re still holding on to it.
What we learn here is that there is quite a spectrum of grey between the Jedi and the Sith and that by maintaining attachment to one’s self is the first step in becoming “more powerful than you could possibly imagine”
Knowing this, our original perspective of the Jedi was influenced by Jedi who aren;t necessarily following the traditional beliefs and practices of The Jedi. With that in mind, Luke himself has never actually been instructed in “the way of the Jedi” as it’s traditionally known.
Connect this to “The Last Jedi”, Luke’s general failure in reviving The Jedi Order, and Yoda’s classic trolling when Luke hesitates to burn down what’s left of the order and you’ve got a case for this series moving beyond “Jedi” as the title for light side force users.
This New Trilogy Is Staying Away From “The Sith”
Since “The Force Awakens” the cast and crew have been very clear that neither Snoke or Kylo Ren are actually Sith. While the master/apprentice dynamic is there, and they are both dark side force users, there’s no mention of the Sith or even “Darth” in the first two movies of the new trilogy – or as far as I can tell in any of the comics or cartoons related to it.
Side Note: Oddly enough, the traditions of the Sith and the rule of 2 also come up in Yoda’s journey in the episode “Sacrifice” where Mark Hamill voices Darth Bane.
Assuming “Rise of Skywalker” doesn’t also include the transformation of Kylo Ren into a true Sith Lord, then the new trilogy has already laid the groundwork to drop both the Sith and the Jedi from the current trajectory of the storyline.
I could go on about other possibly related details like Ashoka rocking white lightsabers and disassociating herself with The Jedi or Sith throughout Rebels but I think there’s enough meat here to think on for a bit.
Being a “Skywalker” totally works in a weird culty way right?