SPECULATION Luke, Yoda and the Gray Jedi of the Old Republic!

Great post and very intriguing....I admit I have not read any SW novels (outside of the ANH novel) so I have nowhere near the depth of knowledge on this topic. Can you explain @techsteveo the concept of the Whills? I pulled up the below quote from Lucas, it is interesting:

"Originally, I was trying to have the story be told by somebody else (an immortal being known as a Whill); there was somebody watching this whole story and recording it, somebody probably wiser than the mortal players in the actual events. I eventually dropped this idea, and the concepts behind the Whills turned into the Force. But the Whills became part of this massive amount of notes, quotes, background information that I used for the scripts; the stories were actually taken from the Journal of the Whills."
―George Lucas

How did the Jedi order over the centuries go away from the central concept(s) of the Whills?

 

I guess Rey may be the Ray of Light. Whatever it means.
If you watch the scene with the books on the shelf (which to me it's not a "real" image, but a vision, because it doesn't look real at all)
you will see a ray of light radiating them.

I don't think there are books on Ahch to.
Whoever finds the burned book (the one in the other scene, with the hand and the glove)
will probably do it in the Jedy Temple that Kylo burned when he betrayed Luke.

Conneting the dots, I'd say "quite" the contrary: it's Rey's arrival that makes clear what the Journal speaks about.
She, Luke or the both of them will get a kind of epiphany.

Whatever Luke is thinking (or fearing) when he says those words,
the Light will show him a way, the answer, the evidence, the "illumination/revelation" he's missing.
Rey will give him a new sight to resolve the grey.

 

The Light side in the prequels is attached to a result and is fighting for something. Even if their motives were apparently for a better good, this might not be the will of a bigger harmony. The Bendu expresses it. Grey is not a good word in my opinion. It is about being beyond duality and it doesn't me do anything at all, it means to be at the service of the harmony of the whole independently what shape an action might take. There is no other rule then being at the listening of the force.
This makes total sense it is in accordance to the truth also for us here on earth, so I love that the sequel trilogy is going this transcendence path.

 

You folks have nailed it (great posts by all of you thanks!)....and give me so much hope and positive vibes for The Last Jedi.....I did not think of it this way. Remember the fateful scene at the end of TFA with Kylo (Ben) and his father. It really strikes me that this scene starts out partially illuminated by the light of the dying star as they charge the Starkiller Base weapon. (see video below at the 47 second mark).....then at the 3:12 mark the light is extinguished, plunging Kylo into darkness....and the dark side. This scene has so much more meaning now, thanks!

 

They're making us think that it's about the end of the Jedi. But for me it will turn out to simply be about the journey of the last remaining Jedi. It was clear from the way TFA ended that this would be about Rey trying to persuade Luke to do it all over again. Luke is clearly haunted and doesn't feel that he can resurrect the Jedi so thinks they're best of extinct (only Luke can keep them going after all). But I truly believe that the clip from the trailer will be at the start of the film and over time he will change his mind and train Rey. They're not going to give away the ending of the film now but they can show us how it will start.

 

Last doesn't just mean "final ever" though. You can be the last of something left and then others can follow. For me, as explained in TFA, Luke is simply the last Jedi left. Heck, even Yoda called him that and said he should pass on what he has learned.

 

@master_shaitan I agree with your theory.....everyone initially got so wrapped around "The LAST Jedi" along with the "...time for the Jedi to end" quote thinking the title signified the situation at the end of the movie. I think it signifies the situation at the beginning....Luke is the Last Jedi.....and initially is against training Rey but then has an epiphany of some sort. It will be a very powerful moment when he agrees to train her, for me at least....very emotional.

 

In the trailer Luke says "so much bigger", it means that the Jedi view was limited and that by embracing his own shadow (check out this clone wars episode where Yoda has to confront his dark self as a necessary step to receive the teaching of the priestess of the whills and listen carefully the dialogue between yoda and his shadow) you transcend both the dark and the light but it doesn't mean that the jedi is no good and that probably his passage being a Jedi was a necessary step to have been able to reach this higher state....

 

Yep. She'll arrive. They'll go into the tree cave. Introduce one another. And Luke won't turn out to be the person she imagined. Defeated. Haunted. Insecure.
But something will happen that will turn this around - be it something to do with Rey's origins, Leia being in danger or something involving the old Jedi ghosts. I mean, if she did turn out to be a Kenobi or even a Palpatine, Luke might feel compelled to train her. Those are unlikely scenarios, but I'm just using them as an example. I think something will change Luke's POV and the film will become about The Last Jedi imparting his wisdom rather than him ending the Jedi...

--- Double Post Merged, Apr 22, 2017, Original Post Date: Apr 22, 2017 ---

I just think that means there is more at stake in terms of balance than just the current battle between the forces of light and dark. What I mean by that is the balance reflects the past and the future as well - not just the present. This is why I think it important to understand that it was the COSMIC FORCE that was awoken by Rey. This part of the Force deals with destiny. It is the more mystical side of the Force. And so for me, Rey's destiny is to not only end the current conflict but to end the cycle of conflict that started with Vader and echo's on to this day. And that will mean stopping it from being repeated again (as we see has happened in TFA with Kylo and the FO). I don't personally think it reflects Luke's inner journey (as I believe the Jedi have for a long time understood this) but simply the larger role the Jedi have in maintaining balance. Fighting and winning the current war isn't enough - it's ensuring that all loose ends are tied up. It's about ensuring the mistakes of the past are not repeated.

 

I don't think it is misleading. What's more, Yoda and Snoke refer to Luke as the last Jedi without meaning he is the last one that will ever exist.

No way are we done with the Jedi and I don't see how they were grey at all. Sure thy made mistakes in the past but their general precepts were right and the only way to defeat those who seek to spread evil everywhere.

I simply think the title refers first to Luke's mindset but then to the simply fact that he is the last of the Jedi for now.

 

Not ending the Jedi completely doesn't mean a return to many Jedi in an ivory tower.

 

You're jumping to a lot of conclusions there my friend. I don't necessarily think we will return to a PT style Jedi Order at all. And wouldn't the end of the Jedi in the ST more closely follow the PT than say depicting the struggle in resurrecting them?

For me the PT was about the fall of the Republic and Jedi. The OT was about overcoming the tyranny of the Empire and Sith. And the ST is about the struggle in rebuilding the Republic and Jedi. I imagine we will see politicians saying similar things about the Republic as Luke does about the Jedi - there is no hope for it, it has to end etc. But Rey and co will show there is another way and the dream can come true.

 

Don't forget that from translations of the non-English titles that Jedi is used as a plural.