Star Wars: Episode VII’s Villains Step Out Of The Shadows
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The last day or so has been big for news on the Star Wars: Episode VII front. We get a look at a redesigned stormtrooper helmet, as well as an idea of what Han Solo might wear on his adventures come December 18, 2015. And now we’ve got some potential details about the villains of the upcoming return to that far, far away galaxy, which also confirm, or at least coincide with, some earlier reports we’ve come across.
Potential SPOILERS follow for Episode VII, and, as always, these reports are unconfirmed, so take them with the proverbial grain of salt. Odds are we won’t know if any of these are real until we actually see the movie.
The fine folks over at Latino-Review have a nose for this sort of news, and they have a fresh report with a bunch of information. We’ve heard that a lightsaber, and possibly his hand, falls down to the surface of a planet where is discovered by John Boyega and Daisy Ridley. This sets them off on a quest to find the owner of the weapon and limb—presumably belonging to Luke Skywalker. Along the way they encounter Han Solo and Chewbaccca, who haven’t seen their friend for 30 years, not since the Battle of Endor at the end of Return of the Jedi.
We’ve heard that before. What this report adds is that the villains of Episode VII are Inquisitors, like the one we know will figure prominently in the animated series Star Wars: Rebels. Apparently the term “Inquisitor” hasn’t been used on set, nor has “Jedi hunter” which we’ve also heard thrown around, but that’s reportedly who they are. This would certainly be the “strong link” between the show and the new movie that we’ve heard tell about, and they are reportedly the defenders of the Sith Order.
The presence of the Inquisitors also ties directly to another rumor we’ve heard. They will also apparently appear in a flashback scene serving none other than Darth Vader, who will, according to reports, be played by professional wrestler Sheamus. It’ll be interesting to see who among the new additions play these villainous hunters. We can easily imagine the likes of Gwendoline Christie, Max Von Sydow, and others filling out these slots quite nicely.
Another report over at BAD has a description of the main Inquisitor, though they don’t know his name, and he sounds like a nasty piece of work. Of course he wears a long black robe and has deep red eyes, but part of his face is metal and he’s a cyborg. It’s easy to imagine that he’s something like Vader in the original trilogy, a man who, over time, has become more machine than flesh. According to their sources, it is his mechanical hand that we see in that photo director J.J. Abrams showed off in that Force for Change photo that dropped last week.
That’s quite a bit, but there’s even more.
A while back, there we got word that Carrie Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd, might make and appearance in Episode VII. Many speculated that she could play Han and Leia’s kid, while others speculated that she could play a young Leia, perhaps in a flashback. And, according to LR’s report, it’s the latter that is the truth of the matter. They say:
When our hero(es) find Luke and the Inquisitors are revealed, Luke’s explanation on the history of this order is going to trigger a flashback to explain that the Inquisitors have been tied into the Sith all along.
Remember when we broke Billie Lourd’s casting (Lourd is the biological daughter of Carrie Fisher)? That’s not so she can play a Solo kid, it’s so she can play a much younger Princess Leia than we’ve ever seen before in this flashback.
It will be interesting to see how Vader and Leia wind up in the same flashback. I guess if Luke is telling a story it could feature numerous threads that are related but don’t necessarily connect on the surface.
However all of this shakes out, whether or not any of these bits of information are legitimate, remains to be see, but it is something to chew on and mull over while we wait until such a time as we can actually see this for ourselves.
What do you think of these rumors? Do you like where the Star Wars universe may be headed, or would you like them to put on the breaks and go in a different direction?
