As the release date of the latest installment of the Star Wars saga draws closer, rumors and predictions are flying around as the excitement for the movie mounts higher and higher.

  On October 19, the first glimpse of the new movie was officially released to the public via YouTube. It was followed by a storm of publicity as people watched it and shared it with others. Of the things that was introduced, one of the most controversial was the new lightsaber.

  The classic lightsaber was a single beam, estimated to be about 3 ft. in length, though this is not able to be proven as it can be adjusted by a control on the hilt. It was always straight, and the only variation in the style was the design of the hilt and the color of the blade, both of which are specific to the jedi who owns it, due to the fact that they build their own. Then, in the Phantom Menace, a new saber was introduced.

  Darth Maul’s saber was unlike any we had ever seen before, with it featuring two blades, one on either end, acting as a kind of staff like weapon. This was fairly well received; although, the realistic quality was fairly lost as the danger to the user was far greater than would be accepted  for any conventional weapon. Now, however, we are introduced to a new lightsaber.

  Featured in the first trailer released, we were given a view of the newest saber. The newest saber is wielded by the newest sith of the series, Kylo Ren, and is modeled after a broadsword. This brought in a storm of controversy, though it has admittedly calmed down.

  The diehard fans still have some complaints, though, according to senior Jeff Brady.

  “The thing I don’t like about the new lightsaber is the beam; it looks all staticky,” said Brady.    

  This was a sentiment shared by several others, but the controversy over the hilt, at least, has slowly cooled off, as people have accepted, more or less, the new design.

  Also seen in the first trailer, as well as the second trailer, is an interesting new concept. A storm trooper named Finn is seen defecting from The First Order. This new shift is then furthered by a brief glimpse of Finn igniting a lightsaber, something only a jedi can do, to fight Kylo Ren. This is a brand new concept, and, while not particularly controversial, is going to be a source of interest in the new movie.

  While all of these are proven in the trailers, there is one thing, or more accurately, one person, that has yet to make an appearance. It has been confirmed that this is anything but an accident that the hero of the original 3 movies, episodes IV, V, and VI, Luke Skywalker, has not been seen in the trailers.

  The fate of Luke has been a highly guarded secret, leading to a storm of suspicion, rumors, and predictions, the most drastic of which being my personal favorite: Luke Skywalker has fallen to the Dark Side.

  While this seems, at first glance, to be a disgraceful pot-shot at the much loved hero, it is not an entirely unfounded rumor. The concept of Luke Skywalker falling to the Dark Side was, in fact, the original plan for how the final episode would end. It was only changed due to a falling out between the two directors, and the one who stayed, JJ Abrams, desired a happy ending. The other director eventually came out and said that the original plan was for Luke to fall to the Dark Side, and he left because JJ Abrams was changing the plan throughout the entire movie.

  While this theory is drastic and a far cry from what most would expect, I find it a fantastic idea and would love to see what would happen with Luke falling to the Dark Side. In movies and literature, one of my favorite concepts is the idea of a fallen hero. There is nothing better than the idea of a hero falling into his personal demons, only to be defeated by the new hero. It is not a particularly common plot layout, and so it is always fun to see it play out.

  This theory, however, is not the only one, as sophomore Kee Moss has one of his own.

  “My theory is that Luke has seen himself as too powerful, and he has secluded himself away from the world because he doesn’t want to hurt anybody. Then, he becomes one with the force, and, in doing so, he becomes insane and starts to lose his train of thought, and since he does have Skywalker blood in him, so he would be vulnerable to the Dark Side,” said Moss.

  While this is the most original idea I have heard, it is only one of thousands, and the truth is that no one truly knows what will happen, except for those actively involved with the production.

  Finally, these are the concerns on its quality and reception in general. The original movies, episodes IV, V, and VI, were an enormous success. When the prequels were released, the expectations were equally high, only to fall short as people quickly realized that this was a pathetic kiddie version of the originals. The movie was aimed more for a younger audience, and the original, die-hard fans were disappointed to a crushing degree. Among some fans, there are worries that Disney’s influence will have the same effect on the new movies. Others, however, are not as worried.

  Senior Kathleen Quinn is confident that these will be a fantastic new addition to the saga.

  “He’s [JJ Abrams] probably learned his lesson at this point. At the same time, considering the poor writing quality of the prequels, they still did a pretty good job, and they have some really good actors at this point. I think they will do really well with it to be honest,” said Quinn.

  At any rate, the only way to know who is right and who is wrong is to see the movie, and so until December 18, what will happen is anyone’s guess.