Warning, I may know Star Wars too well for my own good and end up spoiling some things from the new film. That being said, I haven't read any spoilers and I've been trying to avoid hints and such as much as possible. So I have no secret knowledge no one else does, I am merely analyzing the details I know and making predictions. I could be completely wrong, so take what I say with a grain of salt.
There have been a string of theories surrounding The Force Awakens in recent months. People analyzing each trailer frame by frame, dissecting interviews with J.J. Abrams and the cast. Just to preface this: no, I will not be discussing about the Jar Jar theory. The points made in that theory are actually a fair guess at what might actually have been going on, in fact the very rise of the Empire has been attributed to Jar Jar on some occasions. Unfortunately, I cannot come up with a good enough response as to why it doesn't hold water. The theory I wish to dissect is the blatant absence of Luke Skywalker from any of the new Force Awakens trailers.
Obviously, something is up, J.J Himself even stated that it was no accident Luke was left out. The most popular theory floating around is that Luke has in fact turned to the dark side. This could certainly be a possibility. It would easily explain why the Rebel Alliance still seems so poorly equipped and on the run, just like in Episode's 4,5, and 6. It would make the story of the older characters more dynamic and painful (as seen when Han and Leia are embracing each other in the newest trailer). But if this is in fact the case then we are merely recycling the Original Trilogy, and not in a good way. "Rebels on the run from the Empire, Empire have a giant super-weapon and three or so heroes will unite to bring them down." It basically means Han, Luke, and Leia failed their mission and now have to start over with new younger faces. Star Wars as a universe and a series is good because its has depth, depth unlike any science fiction universe of its kind. Don't worry, I'm getting to the part about Luke.
I will spare you a full summary of the franchise, but there are aspects of it that are very important to understand in order to fully grasp why Luke is missing. But first off I'd like to start off with what the other theories are forgetting when making their guesses. From my experience browsing theories about the new film, I have seen a lack of focus on two things. Number one, the title of the film. And with the exception of the Jar Jar theory, the prequels.
The title of the film is no accident and it offers us the biggest clue into why might be going on in the next movie. In fact all we could know is the title and that Luke is missing from the trailers to formulate this theory. But I won't limit myself to it. The trailers offer more insight into the theory though not as much as the title. Anyways enough smoke and mirrors, most people seemed content to think that the force is awakening. . . Whatever... Oh look! A stormtrooper!!! The Force Awakens kind of implies that the force was once asleep. J.J. has been dropping clues to the force through the trailers. The assumed voice of Kylo Ren says: "There has been an awakening, have you felt it? The dark side. . . and the light." In the second teaser, Luke spends the whole time talking about how the force is strong in his family. The fact that the force is awakening isn't like some freak weather incident, it has been brought about by a very important event. That event was the fulfillment of the prophecy. It's important to understand at this point what is cannon. According to the prequel films, Anakin Skywalker is the chosen one, who was prophesied to destroy the Sith and bring balance to the force. Now I won't pretend to understand the mystical properties of the force, and why destroying the Sith somehow brings balance to it. But if we are to take the films as cannon then this is a very important thing to grasp. Before the EU was declared Non-Cannon, a popular argument against why the prophecy is dumb and doesn't make sense was that many Sith lords sprang up after the prophecy was supposedly fulfilled. However, since those Sith lords no longer exist, we are now left with the possibility that perhaps Anakin did fulfill the prophecy and that event meant something. George Lucas himself confirms this in an interview, saying (paraphrased) "At the end of Return of the Jedi, Vader does redeem himself, he does destroy the emperor, thus fulfilling the prophecy and bringing balance to the force." THAT RIGHT THERE IS CANNON! And whom may I ask is the only living trained force user at the end of Return of the Jedi??? That person is Luke Skywalker. Leia is force sensitive, but she was untrained at this time. That means that when the prophecy was fulfilled, the only person trained to sense it was Luke.
When the force was balanced it's very nature has been changed. We don't know how long ago the prophecy was made, but it could have very well been made when the Jedi order was first established. Prophecy can take awhile to unfold, if that is the case, then all the conflicts between the Jedi and Sith over the eons have been a struggle on the Jedi Order's part to balance the force. I'm dabbling a bit into the EU here, but I'm guessing that the existence of the Sith created a sort of imbalance. So all the books and video games and movies gave us a picture of the force unbalanced. Now as the force begins to awaken, we are being introduced to a new trilogy that will elaborate on it. This adds so much depth to the story. It makes the struggle something larger. It makes Kylo Ren's mission all the more mysterious. (Mystery does not mean we know nothing. It means we know a little bit and we have no idea how that little bit fits in). Does Kylo worship Vader because Vader is the chosen one who balanced the force? As a Sith wannabe it would almost make more sense to worship the Emperor right. I mean, he's the guy who destroyed the Jedi order, and basically achieved what the Sith have been trying to do for millennia. It makes more sense to me, especially since he is in no way ignorant to the changing of the force. Remember what I mentioned about the first teaser?
I kind of feel like I'm writing fan fiction now, because if I'm wrong, that's basically what this becomes. Regardless, that doesn't answer the question of what happened to Luke. Since Luke was the only trained force user at the time, he sensed the beginning of the changes in the nature of the force. While the Rebellion's struggle with the empire is important, I believe he realized that this change in the force was bigger than all of that. Remember, the force, the Jedi, and the Sith, it's all basically a religion. The conflicts we see between Jedi and Sith are simply a byproduct of that difference in beliefs. That is why Luke has made it his mission to learn, study, and master all there is to know about the awakening of the force. This transcends the struggle between Rebel and Empire, and it might explain why the Rebels are still lacking in resources. Luke became so caught up in his mission that he left the Rebellion to fight against the still very well equipped Empire.
After the events of Return of the Jedi, the Alliance fought hard against the Empire, as is seen with the battle of Jakku. However, despite their victory over Endor, a brilliant military commander (Grand Master Snoke) reminiscent of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Rose to power and forced the alliance back crippling them. I do not know all of what Luke is doing on his mission, but I believe he will be absent for much of the trilogy. Like a Gandalf character working behind the scenes for the good of everyone.
I now realize this has turned into more than just an answer to where Luke went. Since I'm already down this road I might as well throw out my most ridiculous theory. This one is about Daisy Ridley's character. the common accepted theory is that she is the daughter of Han and Leia or something like that. However, I would venture to say she has no relation to anyone from the previous films. This may get kind of weird and mystical for some people so try and keep up. I actually had this thought while writing the portion about Kylo Ren.
In the third trailer Daisy's character says she's a nobody. We see her stripping star destroyers for scrap on a planet more backwater that Tatooine. If she was in fact related to on of the original heroes, then why did they abandon her on such a terrible planet? This is because her character is the force incarnate. The awakening that everyone is feeling is it awakening in a person. Perhaps this is what Luke is searching for. It has been said that the protagonist is going to be Daisy's character, and this would add an entirely new depth to her as a character. We've already seen this sort of thing with Anakin being conceived through the force. So it isn't too outlandish to theorize that this might be a possibility. I believe Abram's want's to challenge our view of the force and what Star Wars is and can be. Part of me hopes this isn't true, because it would be the biggest plot twist spoiler ever and I've basically ruined the entire new trilogy for myself and everyone else.
All that being said, I hope you enjoyed my theories. If by some chance I happen to be right about this, then I get bragging rights.This is kind of like predicting the Super Bowl, "experts" can talk and talk, but in the end we just all need to watch the game. I hope everyone enjoys the movie! Only Six more weeks guys!!!
Andrew
