Though The Last Jedi certainly left Star Wars: Episode IX with bigger plot threads to resolve, the unfortunate state of the Skywalker lightsaber is still an issue that J.J. Abrams’ upcoming trilogy-closer will have to find some way of dealing with. A prop photo that emerged last year, for instance, seems to imply that not only did the hilt of Rey’s weapon break in the events of Rian Johnson’s film, but its all-important kyber crystal is in a bad state as well.
There’ve been a few theories on how Daisy Ridley’s character might fix this problem, be it acquiring a new kyber crystal or simply mending the one she has, but in a recently shared merchandise photo, some fans think they may have found an answer. The pic comes to us from Reddit user Paxtoncrawford, and has been getting a fair amount of attention for the way Rey’s saber crackles. Based on this image, some fans are suggesting that the heroine might repair the crystal in her lightsaber, albeit crudely, causing it to behave a little more erratically than your average laser sword.
But is this T-shirt really the proof we need that Rey will be fixing her lightsaber in Episode IX? Honestly, we highly doubt it. For one thing, as Reddit user Clara-Alm rightly points out, the illustration is actually modeled on a promotional image for The Last Jedi. As for that crackle you see around the blade, other fans have observed that previous Star Wars Sequel Trilogy merchandise has often shown something similar.
All in all, we wouldn’t stare too hard at this T-shirt looking for clues, but either way, we’ll find out how Rey solves her saber problem when Star Wars: Episode IX hits theaters on December 20th, 2019.