The sure highlight of this year’s Star Wars Celebration – held in Orlando, Florida – was, of course, The Last Jedi panel. A star-studded event that all culminated in the release of the very first trailer for the film, teasing the start of Rey’s journey towards destiny.

Hosted by Josh Gad, whose hounding of Daisy Ridley for spoilers made him a perfect candidate for the job, the panel welcomed in Ridley herself, Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy, director Rian Johnson, John Boyega, Mark Hamill, and new cast member Kelly Marie Tran.

Johnson unveiled that the film was currently in post-production, in the depths of editing, though it was “coming very far along”. His colleagues, certainly, had nothing but effusive praise for the director, with Kennedy stating: “He is along his way to standing alongside many of the great filmmakers I’ve had the opportunity to work with.”

As is so apparent from the trailer, The Last Jedi is really Rey’s story, and it seems that we’ll be watching her grow, develop, and train within Luke’s mysterious hideout – the one that we first caught sight of at the end of The Force Awakens.

“We go deeper into Rey’s story,” Ridley carefully described. “And what is very apparent from The Force Awakens is that Rey has certain expectations as to what she might be getting from Luke. And, as a lot of people know, it’s difficult when you meet your heroes, because it might not be what you expect.”

Star Wars the 'Last Jedi' trailer released to international attention

Johnson also paid tribute to Ridley herself, and how she so contributed to the Rey that’s inspired so many women around the world, just as Carrie Fisher did with Leia. “So much of the stuff that people respond to in that character, the tenacity and the bravery and the humour and the depth – so many of the things that make people want to be Rey – those things are from Daisy,” he enthused.

Hamill himself, an expert by now at keeping spoilers, revealed little; instead joking that he’s an asset to Star Wars as “thanks to my short term memory loss, I don’t remember what I had for breakfast”.



He did, however, hint that a veil of mystery continues to wrap itself around Luke even throughout the duration of The Last Jedi. “In VII, you discovered Luke as a hermit on this island and there’s so much unsaid about where he’s been or what he’s done.”

“It’s not Luke’s story anymore, but I think he’s an important part of the overall arch of the saga,” he added; though Kennedy swiftly clarified that Luke was still a highly significant character in The Last Jedi.