Everything We Know About Star Wars: Episode 8, aka 'The Last Jedi'

The Resistance will continue its struggle against the First Order in the upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Meanwhile, in the real world, we’re all struggling to remain patient for the second installment of the latest Star Wars trilogy. J.J. Abrams’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens introduced a new cast of characters that The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson is looking to expand upon, and pit against one another. Now, after a head and a half, we are finally getting more than a trickle of The Last Jedi information, so here’s a roundup to help you keep it straight.

A lot of this comes from Vanity Fair’s expansive cover story on The Last Jedi that was published on Wednesday. It provided first looks at new characters, as well as a few new plot details to chew over, and some exclusive photos from lauded photographer Annie Leibovitz.

Canto Bight Is a Glitzy Casino Planet (or Maybe Just a City)

Rumors about a casino-esque planet called Canto Bight were circling about in the Star Wars fandom for a while before they were confirmed by VF. The feature referred to the action taking place in a “city” rather than on a planet, which could mean The Last Jedi is squashing the Star Wars pattern of entire planets dedicated to a singular thing. Either way, Finn (John Boyega) and newcomer Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) will sneak their way through this casino city while interacting with a host of gaudily dressed aliens with too much money. And they’ll possibly ride a space horse.

Benicio del Toro’s Character Is Still Unnamed, But Referred to as “DJ”

Benicio del Toro’s mysterious character is still under wraps, but Leibovitz’s photoshoot for VF gave Star Wars fans a look at him in character. Meanwhile, director Rian Johnson was a tease, saying only, “You’ll see — there’s a reason why we call him DJ.” He’s a “shady character” with unclear allegiances, a perrole fect role for del Toro.

Meanwhile, Laura Dern’s Character Is Named Admiral Holdo

And Admiral Holdo has the coolest hair, sporting a flapper-esque look. Rumors about Dern’s character correctly pinpointed her as Admiral Holdo back in April, but confirmation is always nice. The rumors have also indicated that Holdo will serve as a proxy for General Leia Organa moving forward, proving that the women of Star Wars will continue to run things, just as they always have.

The Other Huge Addition to the Star Wars Fam Is Rose Tico

Kelly Marie Tran will portray Rose Tico in The Last Jedi, and it seems she’ll be spending most of her time with Finn and the rest of the Resistance gang. She’s a maintenance worker in the Resistance,, and it was recently confirmed that she has a sister (portrayed by Veronica Ngo).

Kylo Ren Was Made Even More Emo by Killing His Dad

Kylo Ren might not have flinched too much when he ran a lightsaber through his father, Han Solo, but as Kylo actor Adam Driver said, “I don’t think that patricide is all that it’s cracked up to be.” Kylo was more affected by Han’s death than you think. It also turns out that Driver stays in-character at all times on set, with Mark Hamill (Luke) and Boyega (Finn) attempting to break him through lunch dates and random hug attacks.

Luke’s Been Busy

It turns out our hero Luke Skywalker had been kicking it with the caretakers of the original Jedi temple on Ach-To for a while before Rey found him him standing dramatically at the edge of a cliff. Luke’s new friends are an original creation for The Last Jedi, and though director Rian Johnson wouldn’t give up any more details about these indigenous caretakers, he did describe them as “not Ewoks.” So … that’s something, right?

And the Blue Lightsaber Doesn’t Belong to Luke Anymore

Something incredibly rare happened in the Star Wars universe to Anakin Skywalker’s blue lightsaber. The powers that be over at Lucasfilm think of the blue lightsaber as “Rey’s lightsaber” now, the Jedi weapon having chosen Rey over its former owner, Luke. While a lot of fans seem to take this as more of a confirmation that Luke is, in fact, Rey’s biological father, there’s still no real evidence to support that theory.

In Fact, We Still Don’t Know Who Rey’s Parents Are

So stop asking and accept that we might find out during The Last Jedi or Episode IX — or we might not.

And there’s a hell of a lot more stuff, too, most of which is rumor but some of which is legit. The legit things include Kylo Ren’s scar being changed for The Last Jedi, the identity of a new planet, and updated looks for several characters.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi premieres in theaters on December 15.