Star Wars: The Last Jedi sees Luke's lightsaber change hands: it's now officially Rey's

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There's one lightsaber that has been ever-present in the Star Wars saga: Anakin's. Originally passed on to Luke in A New Hope, then lost in Empire (along with Luke hand) and later a catalyst for that vision in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Officially, it now has a new owner in Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Rey.

The Star Wars Show mentioned this small, but significant, detail from the Vanity Fair reveal in their latest video (skip to 3:00). What does it mean? Well, for one thing, it’s a metaphorical passing of the torch (despite Rey trying to hand it to Luke in the wordless Force Awakens ending).

Another reason is more interesting and could have far-reaching consequences. Why isn’t Luke taking his lightsaber back? I mean, he probably called space dibs on it a while back even though he made a new one in Return of the Jedi. Maybe he’s completely rejecting the lightsaber as his weapon of choice - there's been a lot of rumour about him just having a stick or some kind of staff now. 

Also: we’ll definitely be getting Rey as a kickass, saber-swinging (possible) Jedi. As long as Luke doesn’t want it back anyway. You’ve got to hand it to him, he’s good at not getting too attached to things.

Image: Lucasfilm/Vanity Fair

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.