Star Warsis introducing a shockingLuke Skywalkerrival in the Mandalorian Era, raising serious questions about this period intheStar Warstimelineand beyond. Luke Skywalker has been a key hero inStar Warsmovies and TV showsfrom the beginning, and he continues to be critical even after every member ofthe Skywalker family treehas died.
Indeed, his more recent appearances in shows likeThe MandalorianandThe Book of Boba Fettconfirm that an exploration of Luke’s story likely isn’t over yet. However, one of the most importantupcomingStar Warsshowsand a mysteriousStar Warsmovie are evidentlyintroducing a major Jedi rival for Luke, and it has fascinating story implications.
Ezra Bridger Will Reportedly Be The Main Character Of Ahsoka (& A Movie)
Several months ago, it was being reported that live-actionEzra Bridger actor Eman Esfandi leaked story details about his role inAhsokaseason 2in an Instagram video showing Esfandi and a friend playing tennis. PerStar Wars Meg, in the now-deleted video (or perhaps an Instagram story that was only available for a limited time), Esfandi said:
“Dave [Filoni] was saying the movie is mostly me. Season 2, they are starting it with me, and I have two big fight scenes. I go to London and have like three months of stunt training, so they are going to give it all to me as opposed to the three weeks that I had last time.”
Also according to Star Wars Meg, there’s been some discourse regarding whether Esfandi could be intentionally teasing/misleading fans, although there’s no concrete reason to believe so. After all,theAhsokaendingset Ezra up as critically important, and it’s clear that Esfandi was referencingAhsokaseason 2.
The mention of a movie is particularly interesting. OfStar Wars’new movies, such asThe Mandalorian and GroguandStar Wars: Starfighter, there isn’t a clear place for Ezra to fit in as a leading character. This has led to speculation thatEsfandi’s comments could be referencing Dave Filoni’sStar Warsmovie, about which very little is known.
If that is indeed what Esfandi was discussing, and his comments were genuine, then Ezra could very well be the franchise’s leading Jedi in the Mandalorian Era. Yet, that raises major questions about the role of Luke Skywalker and seemingly pits these two Jedi against one another as rivals, in a way.
Ezra Is Star Wars' Newest Jedi Hero
One of the most perplexing aspects of this is thatLuke and Ezra will be major Jedi in the galaxy at the same time, and notably, at a time when there are next to no remaining Jedi otherwise. This is particularly interesting because we know that, concurrent with these events, Luke Skywalker is attempting to establish his Jedi temple.
Where Ezra would be stepping on Luke’s toes is if he took on a Padawan, which many are expecting to be the case with Jacen Syndulla. As the son of Ezra’s late Jedi Master Kanan Jarrus, Jacen being trained by Ezra would be a beautiful full-circle moment, yet it would also open up a can of worms.
That is,Ezra could be seen as undermining Luke’s efforts to rebuild the Jedi if, rather than becoming part of Luke’s temple, he strikes off on his own as a Jedi Master. Given his apparent prominence in bothAhsokaseason 2 and an upcoming movie,Star Warsmay be setting up exactly that.
While it likely wouldn’t actually mean Luke and Ezra going head-to-head or having a direct conflict in any way, this does set up a potentially significantLuke Skywalkerrival inStar Wars.
