Star Wars Episode 9 title: What Rise of Skywalker could REALLY mean – it's NOT about Luke

Star Wars Episode 9 had its official title released on Friday, April 12 at the Star Wars Celebration. With months to go before Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is in cinemas, fans have plenty of time to theorise. The title has given fodder to the Kylo Ren redemption storyline, but there is another meaning Rise of Skywalker could have.

What could The Rise of Skywalker mean?

When Rise of Skywalker was first announced, fans instantly thought of Luke Skywalker.

But some others believed the title alluded to a redemption arc for Kylo Ren, who is a Skywalker by blood.

But one predominant theory about the title Rise of Skywalker has nothing to do with Luke nor Kylo Ren.

Skywalker is not, in fact, a family name but a title given to those who use the light side of the Force.

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Rise of Skywalker simply means there will be an ascension of people who use the Force for good.

This theory makes sense, especially when one considers Leia’s use of the Force during The Last Jedi to float through space – or sky walk.

Skywalker would be parallel to the use of ‘Darth’ to indicate one is a Sith, like Darth Sidious and Darth Vader.

The theory posits that Skywalker will evolve from a familiar name to a moniker.

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If so, Rey could become a Skywalker without JJ Abrams having to ‘retcon’ Rey’s parentage as established in The Last Jedi.

Though Rian Johnson has previously stated he wanted to be: “Surprised. I want to be thrilled.”

Johnson added: “I want him to do stuff that I wasn’t expecting him to do and just go along for the ride.

“For me, that’s why I go to the movies, you know?”

However, manipulating Skywalker from name to concept would be a perfect way of pleasing many fans, those who want Rey to be connected to the Skywalker name and those who revel in her distance from the exclusivity of a bloodline.

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After all, Star Wars celebrates species from around the galaxies banding together to fight for good.

If Rey has to be part of a bloodline to be a hero, it undermines what Star Wars stands for.

And for fans who feel the idea of Star Wars standing for something more than just a fun space adventure, the Skywalker evolution would simply be a wonderful bow on the end of four decades of storytelling.

The Rise of Skywalker takes place approximately a year after the events of The Last Jedi.

The remnants of the Resistance face the First Order once again – while reckoning with the past and their own inner turmoil – altogether bringing the Skywalker saga to a definitive end.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is out in UK cinemas on December 19, 2019.