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The 5 Best Star Wars Conspiracy Theories

Posted by Maggie May on 6th Nov 2019

In honor of the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, we scoured the Interwebs for some of the best conspiracy theories about the series, our favorite characters, and the ending of the Skywalker Saga.

**SPOILER ALERT** Many of these conspiracy theories contain spoilers for Star Wars episodes, including the more recent movies. So, if you’re not up to date, beware! It might be best to hop on your Neimoidian shuttle and head over to Alderaan until this whole thing blows over. (Because nothing bad ever happens there, right?)

Some of the most popular wonder if Kylo Ren is truly “the bad guy,” (let alone, if Reylo will ever happen), if Luke’s going to show up as a Force Ghost, and if Jar Jar Binks will make a completely unexplained and totally unnecessary appearance (because why not, right?).

What do you think? What’s your favorite Star Wars conspiracy theory? Take our short survey to share your favorites, and we might feature you in our next newsletter!

Here are some of our favorite fan theories we found in the wake of the The Rise of Skywalker trailer release:

  1. Storm Troopers can’t shoot because of the Force. When you think about it, this one actually makes a lot of sense. Storm Troopers catch a lot of flak for being completely unable to land a blaster shot at a single plot-important character (until it’s plot-important that they die, of course). However, Rogue One’s blind battalion, Chirrut Imwe, might shed some light on the situation. In one of the best scenes of the film, Chirrut walks unharmed through a slew of blaster fire while chanting, “I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me.” A few moments after, his partner-in-crime Baze Malbus does get shot. This suggests that Chirrut’s sensitivity to the Force affords him some kind of protection against blaster fire--and would explain why other Force-sensitive (*cough cough* plot-important *cough*) characters, like Leia, Luke, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, are able to avoid blaster fire at the ridicule of the Storm Troopers.
  2. Rey will end up the true villain of the saga.We’ve all got to admit that Star Wars is a series built on convenience. Yelling, “I guess I was wrong, there was no danger at all!” is a surefire way to get your starship and the Senator you’re supposed to be protecting blown up, and pairing three goody two-shoes characters together over the course of a saga implies at least one of them is going to go to the dark side. In the new series, a number of fans have pointed out the possibility that Rey not only goes to the Dark Side--but ends up the true villain of the series in its final installment. One Redditor pointed out a possible ending to The Rise of Skywalker, where Rey is tortured and turned to the Dark Side after it’s revealed that her birth was just one of Darth Sidious’s nefarious experiments. “Now, wielding a double bladed lightsaber, [Rey will] fight Kylo,” writes Redditor u/MarkStevenson909. “Kylo will toss the red crossguard for Anakin's lightsaber and fights Rey in the Star Destroyer.”
  3. Luke Skywalker died a long, long time ago. But not in a galaxy far, far away. According to this Reddit fan theory, Luke Skywalker died way back when Kylo Ren attacked the Jedi Academy. Since then, Luke’s been lost in “some magical force plain of existence,” unable to materialize in front of people as a proper Force Ghost (like Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi did). What we see in The Last Jedi is all from Rey’s point of view, so it stands to reason that we’re only seeing her visions of Luke. This also explains why Luke doesn’t speak to Chewie, since Chewie can’t see him. (Maybe you need a medal for that? Burn.)
  4. E.T. and Star Wars take place in the same universe. The evidence suggests that these may just be some well-placed Easter Eggs from Stephen Spielberg and George Lucas, but there are subtle plot points in the E.T. movie and the Star Wars series that suggest our favorite extra-terrestrial might come from a familiar galaxy far, far away. For example, when Elliot and his crew dress up for Halloween, E.T. comes across a kid dressed up as Master Yoda--and recognizes him! And in Episode I, there’s a short scene featuring E.T.-like representatives making an appearance in the Senate. So, is E.T. secretly a Jedi? Is Yoda living out a quiet life on Earth in Area 51? The world may never know. (Photo credit: THEMETAPICTURE.com)
  5. And finally, by far my favorite… Jar Jar Binks is a Sith Lord. I couldn’t get through the research on this without laughing hysterically, because the idea of Jar Jar Binks as anything other than a noisy waste of screen time just cracks me up. But the actual possibility of this theory is what makes it so fun--and in re-watching the prequels, there are enough tidbits of information to suggest that, maybe, everyone’s least favorite Gungan is the most fearsome Sith lord in the universe. About four years ago, Reddit user u/Lumpawarroo posted a long, detailed diatribe about Jar Jar’s connection to the Sith. By analyzing Jar Jar’s mouth movements (gross), surprising martial ability (Jar-kour), and Force-like hand motions (suspicious), Lumpawarroo makes a compelling case that Jar Jar Binks is not only Force-trained, but leans to the Dark Side.Take it a few steps further and put on your tinfoil hat to rewatch the scene from the prequels where the Senate gives full power to Palpatine. Whose idea is it? Darth Freaking Jar Jar. The suggestion here is that Palpatine is actually some subordinate of Jar Jar’s (because why else would he be in the Senate? Who gave him voting power? Why is he basically the Speaker of the House? TELL US, GEORGE!). It would be too suspicious (and annoying) for the Senate to give power to Jar Jar, but works out perfectly well to elect Palpatine and let Jar Jar work his evil ways from the shadows.

So, what do you think? What are your favorite fan theories about Star Wars? We want to hear from you! Share your favorite Star Wars conspiracy theories in our survey, and we’ll feature some of our favorites in our next newsletter!

Until then, may the Force be with you! 

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