As the loose-lips of Domhnall Gleeson have confirmed, the Harry Potter actor is playing General Hux in The Force Awakens. Cue fan explosions everywhere, before everyone calms down and starts wondering exactly what that means. And who he actually is... Those answers could be the key to unravelling a critical part of the film's plot. Given that details of Gleeson's role are being kept so secret - even as Simon Pegg's involvement and the re-appearance of characters like Admiral Ackbar and Nien Nunb - his character must be crucial to the plot. The fact that it has been singled out for as much secrecy as Andy Serkis's Supreme Leader Snoke is also hugely conspicuous. The Irishman Gleeson has also remained tight-lipped, revealing only that General Hux is evil and has a British accent. (The accent is not a surprising choice for a villain in a Hollywood blockbuster, although it's likely to make English audiences roll their eyes at the unimaginative stereotyping.) So what else is there to the General - what is so vital to the film's story that it cannot be leaked?
8. He's The Son Of Luke Skywalker
One of the most persistent rumours says that General Hux is the son of Luke Skywalker, born shortly after the events of Return Of The Jedi. If this theory is true, "Hux" must be the General's first name or an alias, which are certainly reasonable options. Having the son of the man who helped topple the Emperor work for the evil First Order would immediately create turmoil between the villains and the Resistance, and the sub-plot would definitely add to the film's emotional depth. But the rumours don't stop there: could it be that the General is actually playing a long game, working undercover as a spy for his father? In this scenario, Hux would have been sent on his mission before Luke went into seclusion. Plot twists of this sort are not unheard of, and J.J. Abram's might be keen to add in a few surprises like this to help elevate the story above that of a straightforward adventure-fantasy yarn. Of course, this theory raises several questions, not least are which are "Who is his mother?" and "What is his real mission?" The answers to those questions could send the trilogy off in all sorts of interesting and thrilling directions.
Mike has lived in the UK, Japan and the USA. Currently, he is based in Iowa with his wife and 2 young children. After working for many years as a writer and editor for a large corporation, he is now a freelancer. He has been fortunate enough to contribute to many books on Doctor Who over the last 20 years and is now concentrating on original sci-fi & fantasy short stories, with recent sales including Flame Tree, Uffda, and The Martian Wave. Also, look for his contribution on Blake's 7 to "You and Who Else", a charity anthology to be released later this year.
You can find him on Tumblr at https://www.tumblr.com/blog/culttvmike
