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Star Wars 9 report hints at game-changing Luke Skywalker twist

Could this be one of the new film's biggest twists?

Jacob Stolworthy
Thursday 08 August 2019 10:08 EDT
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Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker - Teaser Trailer

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An enticing Star Wars theory is doing the rounds relating to a brand new character played by Keri Russell.

Back in May, it was revealed that The Americans star Russell had joined the Episode IX cast as the mysterious Zorri Bliss.

While nothing more was known about her character, it’s now been reported that the actor has been filming scenes with Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill.

The development comes from the Making Star Wars podcast, which is a weekly show filled with reports from trusted sources relating to the franchise

Now, on the surface, this nugget of information doesn’t seem that big – Russell and Hamill are two actors in the same film, so they’re bound to share scenes, right?

Watch the brand-new teaser for Star Wars: Episode IX

Wrong. Following the events of The Last Jedi, which was released in 2017, Skywalker essentially became a Force ghost meaning the fact that Bliss can interact with him says huge things about her character – namely that she’s force sensitive.

Inverse have taken this news and gone one further with it. Could Zorri Bliss be Luke’s daughter? In the Star Wars Expanded Universe, Luke married a Jedi Master named Mara, so it’s not outside the realms of possibility that he had a secret child. Inverse also points out that the actors’ ages (Hamill is 67; Russell is 42) corroborate this theory.

Another theory that’s been highlighted by Inverse suggests Zorri was the one who brought Rey to Jakku ahead of events seen in The Force Awakens. Why? Because she was in danger because of something associated with Emperor Palpatine, who we know is returning in JJ Abrams film The Rise of Skywalker.

Going by Bliss’ outfit, she’s assumed the role of a Boba Fett-style bounty hunter – and maybe she was sent to become Rey’s secret protector by Luke (who may or may not be her father).

This particular scene could unlock several clues of what to expect in The Rise of Skywalker, a film whose final shot is so huge that Abrams prevented filmmaker Kevin Smith from looking at it when he recently visited the set.

Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker is released 16 December.

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