It's a great time to be a Star Wars fan, as there's a ton of exciting content coming down the pipeline. With Disney now in charge of Lucasfilm, plenty of new projects have arrived over the past few years, including both standalone films and main installments. It all started with J.J. Abrams' The Force Awakens, which reignited the narrative and brought new heroes together with franchise favorites like Leia and Han.
The current trilogy is wrapping up with Episode IX, with J.J. Abrams returning to the director's chair after Jurassic World's Colin Trevorrow departed the project due to creative differences with the studio. The film's contents are a complete mystery, as nothing besides the cast has been announced. This includes the movie's title, which still hasn't been revealed. At least, until now.
There have been plenty of fan theories floating around regarding Episode IX's mysterious title. But a new possible title has now hit Reddit, with the poster claiming that it's the real thing. That title? Star Wars: Son Of Darkness. Did anyone else just get chills?
This possible title comes to us from redditor TheGarrettThomas, who claims to have been told the title of Episode IX before the general public. While they don't cite who the original source was, the title is ominous enough to get serious attention from the Star Wars fandom. Son of Darkness is a title that can be applied to a variety of characters throughout the Star Wars franchise, making it an appropriate title to end the Skywalker Saga forever.
Of course, Star Wars: Son Of Darkness hasn't been confirmed by Disney or Lucasfilm, and it's more than possible that this is just another rumor that won't come to fruition. But with so little information currently known about Episode IX, the generations of Star Wars fans are eager for any and all information about J.J. Abrams' upcoming blockbuster. Including a title as bold as Son of Darkness.
Giving Episode IX the name Son of Darkness would be a bit of a departure from how Star Wars franchises usually function. The space opera's titles typically describe a major event in the franchise's canon. The Empire Strikes Back and Revenge of the Sith both describe the dark forces of the franchise rising up after an embarrassing defeat. Meanwhile, A New Hope and The Force Awakens tease a resistance against the all powerful forces controlling The Empire-- The Empire and The First Order.
In contrast, Star Wars: Son Of Darkness would seemingly describe one specific character-- most likely Adam Driver's Kylo Ren. Kylo's morality has been at the center of the current trilogy, so naming Episode IX after him would make a great deal of sense. That potential title bears a closer resemblance to Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi.
Before its release, there was a ton of theorizing about who might be the titular Last Jedi. Rey and Luke were both tossed around as possibilities, although the meaning of the title became clear when the film hit theaters. There was no Last Jedi, as Rey helped to inspire a new generation of Light Side heroes.
The title of Episode IX is just one of the many mysterious surrounding the upcoming Star Wars sequel. The pressure is on for J.J. Abrams to deliver a satisfying conclusion to not only the current trilogy, but the Skywalker Saga in general. The Star Wars franchise is one that has been passed down across the generations, so there's a massive group of fans looking to see how the the galaxy far, far away ends up.
While Son of Darkness seems like it is referencing the villainous Kylo Ren, its a title that could reference quite a few characters in the Star Wars franchise. The most literal interpretation of the title would be about be about Luke Skywalker, who is a son of the galaxy's most evil. Darth Vader is the big villain and mascot of the property, and Empire Strikes Back's twist revealed that he was the son of the Sith Lord.
There's also an argument to be made that Darth Vader himself was the son of darkness, considering his fate as one of the galaxy's most evil villains. Anakin Skywalker was born via immaculate conception, with Shmi lacking a partner and reason for becoming pregnant with the young villain. While he was prophesied to bring balance to The Force, he ultimately took the Jedi Order down, and murdered even the youngest of force sensitive figures in the galaxy.
Of course, it's more than possible that Episode IX won't actually be named Son of Darkness. We're still a year away from the blockbuster's release, so there's a long time to wait until Disney and Lucasfilm begin announcing updates about the upcoming Star Wars sequel. Rumors and fan theories for popular blockbusters are very common, so it's probably best we don't put too much stock in the potential title until it's officially announced.
Narratively, it seems like Episode IX could take the Star Wars franchise seemingly anywhere. While The Force Awakens was a traditional Star Wars flick similar to A New Hope, The Last Jedi took the property to brand new places. Director Rian Johnson crafted a blockbuster that was purposefully subversive, and went against everything fans were expecting with Episode VIII. As such, fans have no clue as to where the story will go next.
Luckily, J.J. Abrams returning to the director's chair allows him to complete the story he began with Star Wars: The Force Awakens. While Rian Johnson took the character Abrams created to new places with The Last Jedi, Episode IX will give him the reigns once again. As such, he can complete Rey, Poe, and Finn's stories in the way he originally planned. Whether or not this includes Abrams retconning certain plot twists like Rey's parentage remains to be seen.
It's currently unclear when the Star Wars franchise will finally reveal the title for Episode IX. Disney has been very selective about its titles recently, especially when it comes to major blockbusters like the Star Wars or Marvel Cinematic Universe. But if Star Wars: Son of Darkness ends up being the real title, perhaps Lucasfilm will make the reveal sooner rather than later.
All will be revealed when Episode IX arrives in theaters on December 20th, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
