So… what do we know about Star Wars Episode VIII? Not a lot. Disney and Lucasfilm have been extremely tight-lipped and even the cast have been methodical about how they discuss the future Star Wars feature. However, the post-Rogue One hype is slowly turning into Episode VIII chatter, which includes how the movie could connect to other Star Wars animated productions.
Director Rian Johnson gave fans a sampling of what’s to come in a discussion with USA Today. He let fans know that his movie will pick up right where J.J. Abrams left off. Like, literally, right at the ending — when Rey is left hanging by the reclusive Luke Skywalker, we’ll see the Jedi Master take back his lightsaber. Immediately afterwards, the story will begin with Rey as a central focus of the movie.
“I want to see the very next moment of what happens,” says Johnson. “She’s taking her first step to coming to terms with this thing inside her that she never knew was there and is just starting to reveal its potential.”
But before we get into any action, there’s the mysterious, water-logged planet where Rey encounters Luke: Ahch-To. Johnson said the planet will be important to the beginning of the movie. Exactly what significance it holds remains to be seen, but new reports suggest that Luke won’t be alone on the planet.
Making Star Wars has been as close to the production of the movie as anyone else, and they have it on good authority that the bird-like Convorees will show up in Episode VIII.
Not familiar with Convorees? Well, you’re probably not alone. They are best described as a puffin mixed with an owl… with a long tail. They first showed up in a few episodes of The Clone Wars and have since had a more prevalent role in Star Wars Rebels. What’s interesting is when the birds show up, they don’t just congregate like pigeons, but instead seem to appear during pivotal moments. Now, the creatures will allegedly make their big screen debut in Episode VIII (in puppet form, no less).
So, the new question is this: does it even matter that birds are showing up in Episode VIII? It could. Star Wars has been focusing on the fact that the Force isn’t only for Jedi and Sith. We have encountered plenty of Force useres that don’t wield lightsabers, including Maz Kanata (The Force Awakens), Chirrut Imwe (Rogue One) and even The Bendu (Rebels). The Clone Wars even introduced Force-sensitive trees, so it shouldn’t be a shock if Convorees are animals with a connection to the Force, proving vital to Skywalker’s training.
The report does hint at the fact that the Convorees could be vessels for former Jedi, or other Force users. Perhaps they could allow Luke to talk with former Jedi masters like Obi- Wan, Yoda… or even Anakin Skywalker. Nothing can be sure until the movie is released this December, but you can’t rule anything out yet.
Perhaps they’re just an Easter Egg for fans to lose their minds over. Still, Star Wars has been creating deep connections between the movies, shows, books, comics and everything in between. So, if The Convorees are set to show up, they most likely will have some purpose. I guess we’ll get to know what that purpose is on December 15th when Episode VIII is finally released.
