Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Everything you really need to know

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is almost here.

With one trailer in the bank, interviews from the cast and director Rian Johnson’s comments on what The Last Jedi will look like, we have some idea of what to expect going into the the newest episode.

We know that The Last Jedi will mark Luke Skywalker’s return to the forefront of Star Wars. Star Wars: The Force Awakens ended with Rey holding out Luke’s lightsaber on the planet of Ahch-To, home of the first Jedi Temple. The movie, whose name could refer to Luke as the last Jedi, will explore everything that’s happened to Luke since we last saw him in action in Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi. Actor Mark Hamill has said that a backstory for the time between his role as a mentor to young Jedi and his disappearance before The Last Jedi is something that will be explored.

But what about other facets regarding The Last Jedi? What’s going on with Finn and Poe Dameron? How is the Resistance faring in their battle against the First Order? How is General Leia Organa dealing with leading an army while coping with the loss of her true love and their son turning to the dark side?

The Last Jedi should answer all of these questions, but we’ll have to wait until December to find out for certain.

In the meantime, here’s everything we know about Star Wars: The Last Jedi so far...

When is it out?

Dec. 15!

Is there a trailer?

Yep! You can see it below!

What about new trailers?

We have you covered. There have been a number of TV spots and featurettes released over the past few weeks, but there are only two official trailers. The first trailer, seen above, and the second trailer, below.

Where does it take place?

Johnson has said that The Last Jedi will pick up where The Force Awakens left off on Ahch-To. That means the first scene will center around that stunning, if slightly awkward moment where Rey finds Luke perched on the edge of a cliff and holds his old lightsaber out to him. Johnson has also said that the big question The Last Jedi will focus on is “what’s going on with Luke Skywalker?” Expect a portion of the film to take place on Ahch-To, where Rey and Luke can discuss what’s been going on since he was last seen.

Of course, Luke and Rey aren’t the only characters in Star Wars. Finn, Poe Dameron, Kylo Ren, General Leia Oregana, Snoke and BB-8 are still out there, trying their best to kill one another.

To condense all of the information out there, let’s break it down character by character.

Rey

The Skywalker family dynamic has always been an important part of the Star Wars universe, but The Force Awakens changed things up by introducing Rey, a character whose family remains a mystery. When The Last Jedi begins, Rey’s connection to her family will be brought up. That doesn’t mean it will ever be addressed in-depth, though. Johnson told Entertainment Weekly that he cares about Rey’s family in the same way anyone would care about knowing where they came from. That connection, he added, wasn’t crucial to the movie’s storyline.

“To me, it’s important insofar as it’s important to her,” Johnson said. “And I think it’s important to her in terms of what is her place in all of this? What’s going to define her in this story?”

Still, The Last Jedi will reportedly “resolve the question that fans have been debating for two years” regarding Rey’s family. Prepare to get some answers.

Finn

Finn is in an ethical limbo right now. When he first helped the Resistance in their battle against the First Order in The Force Awakens, Finn wasn’t a member of the Resistance. He was trying to get away from the First Order and just so happened to embed himself in battle. Now, however, Finn is seen as a hero to many. He still wants to get to the Outer Rim of the galaxy to escape the clutches of the First Order, but he also feels obligated to help out the Resistance any way he can.

The Last Jedi will explore this conundrum he has found himself in by introducing a new character — a Resistance mechanic named Rose Tico. Tico worships Finn and, when she meets him, is a little disappointed to find out he’s not the hero she thought he was. Their relationship will be one of the most formative for Finn as he tries to decide whether to stay and fight or run away as planned.

Leia

Carrie Fisher’s final Star Wars role will also be one of the most important. The New Republic, the main government system in place, has taken a large hit. Leia is trying to run the Resistance while dealing with the fallout from The Force Awakens. In The Last Jedi, she’ll rely heavily on Poe Dameron, according to Entertainment Weekly, with actor Oscar Isaac confirming Dameron has become a surrogate son for the general.

“I think Leia knows she won’t be around forever and she, with tough love, wants to push Poe to be more than the badass pilot, to temper his heroic impulses with wisdom and clarity,” Isaac said.

Johson has also confirmed that this will be an emotional arc for Leia that will be difficult to watch for fans of Fisher’s acting.

BB-8

BB-8 is still around and kicking! We don’t know too much about what’s going on with BB-8, but he’s still here. BB-8 does have an evil twin brother, known as BB-9E, but it’s unclear if the two soccer ball-looking droids will meet up with each other.

Kylo Ren

Kylo Ren is recovering from the humiliation he suffered at the hands of Rey in The Force Awakens. When we see him in The Last Jedi, he’ll be reeling from that loss and trying to figure out what’s next. He still has ambitions to be the most feared figure within the First Order and now he wants to destroy Rey in the process.

“The defeat that he had at the end of The Force Awakens, but even bigger than that, his huge defining act which, spoiler alert, is the murder of his father… that’s the more interesting thing to dive into,” Johnson told Entertainment Weekly. “How has he dealt with that in his head? Where is he at in terms of that act and what does that mean for him?”

Snoke

As far as villains go in The Last Jedi, Snoke has become the most interesting. We’ve seen glimpses of Snoke’s Praetorian Guard — a group of samurai-like warriors who will protect the Supreme Leader by any means — which means we’re going to get a chance to meet Snoke in person. New toy models unveiled as part of Force Friday seem to confirm this fact.

Don’t expect much from Snoke, though. Johnson told Entertainment Weekly that Snoke is there to serve a purpose and move the story forward, but The Last Jedi won’t act as a Wikipedia article for the character.

Captain Phasma

Captain Phasma won’t be getting a backstory in The Last Jedi, but she’ll have a much bigger role in the movie. Actor John Boyega has confirmed that Finn and Phasma will have a one-on-one battle in The Last Jedi and, in the trailer, we saw the menacing character leading an assault on what could be the Resistance base.

Rose Tico

Rose Tico is one of The Last Jedi’s newcomers. She plays a maintenance worker who serves for the Resistance during their war with the First Order. We don’t know much about her character, but she plays an important role in helping Finn make a decision about his role in the war.

What about new vehicles?

Oh, yes, The Last Jedi will be introducing new ships, weapons and vehicles.

We know Kylo Ren is going to pilot his own TIE fighter for the first time in The Last Jedi. The TIE Silencer is a menacing, sleek black fighter equipped with cannons and missile launchers. His master, Supreme Leader Snoke, will have something a little larger to cruise around in: the massive 60 kilometer-long Mega Star Destroyer, Supremacy.

The Last Jedi will also introduce a new AT-AT walker. Unlike the more traditional elephant-like transporters, the AT-M6 will walk like a gorilla, using its knuckles as a way to balance itself while shooting. The AT-M6 will be deployed by the First Order to take on the Resistance.

New creatures?

There are two new creatures that we know of entering the fold for The Last Jedi: Porgs and Caretakers. Porgs, which you’ve probably seen by now, are “fluttering critters that look like a cross between a penguin, an otter and a pug.” These creatures have the ability to fly and are quite intelligent. Most importantly, they’re downright adorable.

The Caretakers are a group of all-female sentient, intelligent beings who reside on Ahch-To. The Caretakers speak in their own language, which Johnson has described as “a blubbery sort of Scottish fish talk.” Although they tolerate Luke Skywalker on the planet, he is not an endearing figure to them. They’d much rather him leave and let them live in peace. We get that.

What about new planets?

Crait is a mineral planet that exists in an uncharted area of the galaxy. The planet, which many may remember from the trailer, is red but covered in a white salt. It used to be a Rebel Alliance post in the heyday of war. It will serve as a battleground between the Resistance and the First Order in The Last Jedi.

When can I read a review?

As of Dec. 12 at 12 p.m. ET!