The most awaited film "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" premiered a few days ago and it has already smashed the record for the biggest box office first weekend screening globally, with ticket sales that amounted to $529m (£355m). It has now surpassed the previous record, $525m (£352m), which was set by Jurassic World in June. It also opened with a record-breaking $248m (£167m) in the US and Canada.
Now that most of the Star Wars fans, it seems, have watched the seventh installment, people are now eagerly making predictions for "Star Wars Episode VIII."
What they can't stop talking about is the highly-charged ending: the meeting between Rey and Luke Skywalker and what it means for the next film.
In "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," the film centers on the search for the last Jedi, Luke Skywalker, and the droids BB-8 and R2-D2 played a huge part in locating him. BB-8 was the one who carried the missing bit of the map that leads to Luke's hideout and R2-D2 had the rest of the hologram, which BB-8's piece fit into. Although R2-D2 was dormant in the first part of the movie, he comes alive all of a sudden after the destruction of the Starkiller Base.
When the droids' puzzle pieces fit, the Resistance rejoiced when they finally learned where Luke Skywalker's location is. The higher-ups of the resistance elected for Rey to go find Luke. It was clear that they were aware Rey is sensitive to the Force and Luke's blue lightsaber responded to her. Before she left on her quest, General Leia Organa delivered the final dialogue of the movie: "May the Force be with you."
Leia's interaction with Rey is indicative that she is not or has never been aware of Rey's existence. If Rey was Leia's daughter, as many thought she was, then Leia would have recognized her as Rey was already 5 years old when she was left in Jakku. But on their first meeting, there was no recognition on her face whatsoever.
So General Leia sends Rey off where she flew to a blue planet that is mostly covered in water. Rey lands on one of the landmasses and started climbing up some stairs. When she reached the top, she met the hooded figure that turned out to be Luke Skywalker, with a gray beard and a metal hand. Rey removed the blue lightsaber from her belt, the lightsaber which she found herself drawn to in Maz Kanata's castle, and extended her arm and offered it to Luke, the rightful owner of the weapon. Luke didn't move but was locked in a stare with Rey, and that is where the seventh installment ended.
"The Force is strong in my family" indicates that the Force is mostly handed down from one family member to another -- genetics, to be more specific. Rey's gifts could have been inherited from a family member or maybe she was just plain special.
One thing is certain, the entire Star Wars saga revolves around the Skywalker family, so Rey could be a descendant of another Skywalker branch of the family or she could be Luke's daughter.Tell us what you think? Could Rey be Luke's daughter? Will Luke take her to be his next Padawan when he failed with Ben Solo, a.k.a. Kylo Ren?
J.J. Abrams, the Force Awakens' director, has clearly achieved what he wanted, which is to surprise the audience and get them talking about the movie.
"Analysts say the space saga could become the biggest-selling movie of all time," the article on BBC stated.
"Our sole focus has been creating a film that delivers that one-of-a-kind Star Wars experience, and director JJ Abrams, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and the Lucasfilm team have outdone themselves," Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn said.
The "Star Wars Episode VIII" film is slated for release on May 26, 2017.
