Star Wars: The Last Jedi - 10 Ways It Sets Up Episode IX

9. Luke As A Force Ghost

Star Wars The Last Jedi Trailer Luke Skywalker
Lucasfilm

While it was sad to see Luke Skywalker fade away after the Battle Of Crait, the fact that the character is now dead doesn't mean it's the last we've seen of him, or that actor Mark Hamill won't reprise his role in Episode IX.

Since Luke was one of the most powerful Jedi that ever lived, it wouldn't be surprising to see him return in the upcoming sequel as a Force ghost.

The manner of his death - fading away and becoming one with the Force - wasn't unlike Obi-Wan's demise in Episode IV, with both characters disappearing into thin air after buying some time for their friends, failing to leave behind a physical body in the process. Obi-Wan would later return as a Force ghost, so why not Luke?

Plus, Rey is now without a teacher and mentor, and considering she didn't receive a whole lot of training in The Last Jedi (certainly not comparable to the amount Luke learned from Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back), Luke returning and giving her one or two more valuable lessons would be great to see.

Oh, and what did Luke say to Leia during their first and only scene together? "No-one’s ever really gone." How fitting.

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Contributor

Danny has been with WhatCulture for over ten years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. In 2022, he took charge of WhoCulture and has grown it into the biggest Doctor Who channel on YouTube, and one of the biggest Doctor Who communities on the web full-stop. He has been writing and video editing since his early teens, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers, off the back of a burning obsession with the Matt Smith era of the show. Like many his age, he first got into Doctor Who with the 2005 revival, but has since gone back and fallen in love with the classic years too. If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order, or to give you a random factoid about the making of Gridlock, Danny is the person to ask!