Rian Johnson Explains Who 'The Last Jedi' Is

Just like that, a major Star Wars mystery is solved. 

One of the biggest unknowns surrounding the title of the next Star Wars flick regarded the titular "last Jedi" and who exactly that might be. The two tiny words sent fans into a flurry of speculation, wondering if the "Jedi" used was singular or plural, and even pondering about a never-before-seen character entering the picture as the true final Force-sensitive fighter. 

The secrecy was shattered when The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson straight-up revealed who the title refers to, pointing out that we've known the answer all along. 

"It's in the opening crawl of The Force Awakens," Johnson explained to The New York Times. "Luke Skywalker, right now, is the last Jedi. There's always wiggle room in these movies—everything is from a certain point of view—but coming into our story, he is the actual last of the Jedi. And he's removed himself and is alone on this island, for reasons unknown."

And Johnson isn't wrong here. The opening crawl for 2015's The Force Awakens blatantly calls Skywalker the last Jedi at the end of the opening paragraph. "Luke Skywalker has vanished. In his absence, the sinister First Order has risen from the ashes of the Empire and will not rest until Skywalker, the last Jedi, has been destroyed," the crawl reads. "With the support of the Republic, General Leia Organa leads a brave Resistance. She is desperate to find her brother Luke and gain his help in restoring peace and justice to the galaxy. Leia has sent her most daring pilot on a secret mission to Jakku, where an old ally has discovered a clue to Luke's whereabouts..."

Johnson also stated that it's definitely Luke who says that it's "time for the Jedi to end" in the film's trailer, a remark that the film will explain and explore. "That's him. It sounds pretty dire. That's something that we're definitely going to dig into. The heart of the movie is Luke and Rey. It follows all the other characters, but its real essence is the development of the two of them. And it's absolutely tied up in that question of, 'What is Luke's attitude toward the Jedi?'" said Johnson.

The director then shared that the "first thing" he did when working on the movie's story was establishing why Luke went into seclusion all those years ago. "I didn't have any answers," Johnson admitted. "But it's not like you can just pick anything you want out of the air. I grew up having a sense of who Luke Skywalker is. It guides you to a very specific path. I know he's not hiding on the island. I know he's not a coward. He must be there for a reason that he believes in. You're finding a path forward, but there end up being fewer choices than you think."

The remaining Last Jedi mysteries will be addressed when the film opens in theaters on December 15. For now, find out why the movie will be better than you think.