As well as analyzing the new trailer for any clues it might hold, Star Wars fans are also studying the latest poster for The Last Jedi in an attempt to glean anything about the upcoming movie from it – and it seems they might’ve hit on something. According to a few eagle eyed folks, the layout of the poster deliberately evokes the image of Darth Vader.
The thinking goes that Luke Skywalker at the top is the dome of his helmet, with Rey and Kylo Ren as his eyes. Leia is then the top of Vader’s mouth grill which is filled out with the Star Wars logo. Finally, Finn and Poe form the cheekbones. Note that the red backdrop also seems to be painted in the shape of the bottom half of Vader’s face.
Of course, this could just be fans imagining seeing the iconic character in places he isn’t, just like how some religious people see the shape of Jesus in toast slices and whatnot. However, it could also be a deliberate move by the studio. Though Vader won’t appear in The Last Jedi – well, that we know of – the Dark Lord’s shadow certainly hangs over the movie. His two children, Luke and Leia, are still fighting the good fight and his grandson, Ben Solo, is attempting to live up to his evil name as Kylo Ren.
Another theory about this poster is that it hints at the oft-discussed development of Luke turning to the Dark Side. Some think that his presence at the top of the one-sheet is deliberately evoking the Special Edition poster for The Empire Strikes Back, the film that The Last Jedi seems to be mirroring in many ways. There, Darth Vader’s in Luke’s position. So is Luke going to follow in his pa’s footsteps?
All answers will finally be revealed when Star Wars: The Last Jedi lands in theaters on December 15th.