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‘Star Wars’ Rumors: Yoda May Return, Luke May Die, New ‘Rogue One’ Droid

By Robert Bellach
Published on: 12:06 PST, Sep 1, 2016

Star Wars rumors have been coming in at lightspeed this week. Swirling around the galaxy of intrigue recently: rumors that Yoda may return to the film series, Luke Skywalker may die in Episode VIII, and a new Rogue One droid has been revealed.

The Return of Yoda?

Reporting in Uproxx earlier today, writer Dan Seitz delved into the potential revival of a classic character from the original trilogy. A fan-based animation team may be brought in “to animate everybody’s favorite tiny green grammar-buster.” Yes, if the rumor is true, Yoda could return to the screen in Star Wars Episode VIII (the official title of the film is still unknown). Seitz points out that original Yoda voice actor “Frank Oz has been busy on Star Wars: Rebels lately. Having him record a few lines in the booth wouldn’t be complicated.” Having died in Return of the Jedi, Yoda could return as a Force Ghost much like Obi-Wan Kenobi did. It is only a rumor at this point, but it is certainly an intriguing one.

The Death of Luke Skywalker?

Star Wars has many legendary characters, but fans are still buzzing about Mark Hamill’s return to the series as Luke Skywalker, after over 30 years away from the film franchise. Did Hamill inadvertently reveal his character’s fate via Twitter? Reporting in Time, writer Megan McCluskey points to a recent tweet by Hamill. It shows Hamill shaving his beard, made iconic in the end scene of Star Wars Episode VII:The Force Awakens. If Hamill is getting rid of the beard, is it the end of the character?

McCluskey ponders the Star Wars implications of the humorous clip, and the fact that Hamill mentions in his tweet the next entry in this new trilogy, Episode IX. “Does this mean everyone can rest easy knowing that Luke survives the events of Episode VIII? Not necessarily.”

She speculates that Luke could still die in Episode VIII and later return as a Force Ghost, just as Yoda and Obi-Wan. There is certainly a cinematic legacy to that postmortem form. McCluskey notes it is “a plot device used with characters such as Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker in the past.”

Much has been made of late about the cyclical, repeating nature of the Star Wars films, and even how the often-maligned prequel movies should be seen as part of a larger whole. The potential death of Luke Skywalker could continue this trend of thematic repetition. To die after becoming a mentor to Daisy Ridley’s Rey would be a significant echo of A New Hope‘s death of Obi-Wan.

An R2-D2 For The Dark Side

Star Wars: Rogue One is due out this December, and news continues to leak out about plot and characters. Revealed today was C2-B5, the Empire’s version of an astromech droid, according to reports in SlashFilm. Essentially, it is R2-D2 as the Dark Side of the Force would have it. Writer Jacob Hall notes that it is unclear how large a role this new character will have in the movie “He could be an important player or he could be just another background character.” Even if C2-B5 is not featured in any major way, Hall feels the droid is likely to get more backstory in the always in-depth Star Wars Expanded Universe. He can “get his story fleshed out in future novels and comics…”

There is a possible comparison to Captain Phasma in The Force Awakens. An interesting costume design got fans excited, only for them to be let down by limited screentime for the character. Since the release of the film, there have been hints she may play a larger role in future films. Could there be an R2-D2/C2-B5 faceoff? Don’t discount it just yet. The galaxy is the limit for Star Wars characters. If not Episode VIII, maybe Episode IX.

What else in the world of Star Wars are you excited about? Leave a comment below and tell us. May the force be with you!

[Image via LucasFilm/20th Century Fox]

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