Who The Heck Is The Last Jedi? Here's What You Need To Know

I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that diehard fans of the beloved franchise have already watched Star Wars: The Last Jedi at least once. That's because the highly-anticipated second installment of the newest trilogy, set "in a galaxy far, far away," hit theaters Thursday at midnight. However, for the rest of us who had to work — or have other obligations keeping us away from the movie theater for the time being (*cough* children) — and are dying to know what happens, there's probably just one question on our minds: Is there a last Jedi? Star Wars fans probably won't be surprised by who it is.

Ever since the title for the sequel to Star Wars: The Force Awakens was announced, the world has speculated about who the last Jedi would really be, according to Esquire. Is it Luke? Is it Rey? Could it be Kylo Ren? Someone else entirely? Or, is the answer really multiple people — as in Jedi, plural: Who are the last Jedi? In an interview with The New York Times back in September, director of Star Wars: The Last Jedi , Rian Johnson, offered a clever answer to this question. "It’s in the opening crawl of The Force Awakens. Luke Skywalker, right now, is the last Jedi," Johnson told the publication. "There’s always wiggle room in these movies—everything is from a certain point of view — but coming into our story, he is the actual last of the Jedi. And he’s removed himself and is alone on this island, for reasons unknown."

Still stumped? Full disclosure: I haven't had the chance to watch The Last Jedi for myself yet. (But I have a feeling I will either in the next few weeks, or when it eventually comes out on DVD; my husband grew up a huge fan of the original series, so I won't really have the choice.) However, after reading a review from Nerdist.com, the answer is clear. SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't yet watch the newly-released Star Wars film and wish to remain in the dark, stop reading now. "It was pretty roundly accepted that the title The Last Jedi referred to Luke but we now know it simply referred to the last Jedi specifically taught via the Jedi Order," Nerdist.com explains. The article continues:

As Yoda appears to Luke as he almost brings himself to burn the first Jedi temple, the pint-sized Force Ghost says it is in fact time to let the Jedi end, but only the Jedi as we’ve known them so far. When Luke has his final, super badass confrontation with Kylo, he says he is not indeed the last hero to use the Jedi teachings, but he might be the last official Jedi.

So there we have it, folks! (And my husband, who did watch the movie in a theater today, has confirmed it to me.) The last person to be taught by the Jedi Order was technically Juke Skywalker — but he's not the last Jedi ever. The force lives strongly in Rey, as fans found out in The Force Awakens — and as they continue to see in The Last Jedi. (Plus, it seems as if other characters can also use the force.) Honestly, this plot twist doesn't surprise me all that much. However, if you really want to avoid the spoilers, I would advise you to stop reading right now.

Still here? Okay fine. You can't say you weren't warned. I'm probably a terrible fan for doing this, but I already looked up some of the most surprising events that go down in The Last Jedi, and if you don't mind me ruining it for you, I'd like to lay them all out there nicely for you in one, quick burst: Yoda returns in ghost form, Snoke gets offed by Kylo Ren, Rey is a nobody whose parentage isn't important and Luke dies. Got it? Now go watch it all unfold for yourself! Just don't be a jerk and shout out what happens at theater, or you'll have some seriously pissed Star Wars fans to answer to. May the force be with you!