At the recent D23 Expo there was lots of exciting Star Wars: The Last Jedi talk with the release of an incredible behind the scenes featurette that was jam packed with new footage. Though there was much to unpack from the Star Wars segment of the Live-Action Movies panel, one of the things that kept coming up was the “spiritual depth” of the newest part of the beloved franchise. Gwendolyn Christie mentioned it in the video and new cast member Kelly Marie Tran used the same phrase when she was onstage. So what could this new “spiritual depth” mean for the Star Wars galaxy? Well, we’ve got a horticulturally themed guess and it’s something that could have huge ramifications for one of our favorite X-Wing pilots.
Set directly after Return of the Jedi, Marvel Star Wars comic Shattered Empire was part of the Journey to The Force Awakens series and focused heavily on Shara Bey and Kes Dameron. Yes, the parents of Episode VII‘s very own Poe Dameron. Though the book seemed pretty disconnected to The Force Awakens, it introduced Force sensitive trees to Star Wars canon, something that may affect The Last Jedi.
In Shattered Empire we discover that Luke’s in possession of two fragments of a Force tree that grew in the heart of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. The tree was glimpsed in the Clone Wars animated series, and was thought to be destroyed after the Empire converted the temple into an Imperial Palace. Fragments of the tree were hidden away in a secret Imperial base until they were recovered by Luke and Shara.
After leaving the Rebellion, Poe Dameron’s mother–an A-Wing pilot who fought alongside Princess Leia–plants the tree in her family’s garden. Her son Poe grew up around it, often playing on the tree as a child. So what could this mean for the galaxy’s best pilot?
As Force trees are a relatively new addition to the Star Wars canon, we don’t know much about them. But spending so much time around such a powerful Force sensitive being could’ve had an impact on Poe. Could the Jedi referenced in Episode VIII‘s title actually be plural like John Boyega joked about in interviews at D23? Could Rian Johnson and Lucasfilm be playing a classic Hollywood game of bait and switch with their denials? Could there really be a new generation of Jedi and will Poe Dameron be one of them?
In the first teaser for The Last Jedi we saw a huge tree housing several book, which leans into the theory that Force trees may soon be a huge part of the Star Wars legend. Add to this the rumors earlier this year about the plot of Episode VIII, including integral characters like Luke, Kylo and Rey, most of which happened to revolve around a mysterious tree. We don’t want to go too deep into spoiler territory, but if the leaks are anywhere close to true and there actually is a tree which plays an important part in the next Star Wars movie, chances are it’s a Force tree.
So what do you think? Have you ever heard of a Force sensitive tree? Did you believe the rumors? Or are you keeping yourself spoiler free ’til December 15th? Jump into the comments and let us know!
Images: Disney, Marvel, Lucasfilm