Star Wars’ official Tumblr site has recently posted four, exclusive Vanity Fair covers that features how the Force is still very strong in the Star Wars galaxy, especially that the iconic film franchise is now celebrating its 40th anniversary. The magazine covers highlight a revamped look among the cast of the previous film, The Force Awakens, with some additional characters included.
The first thing that caught my attention is seeing for the first time, the person behind the mask of Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie), while Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) bearing the mark of his perilous encounter with Rey that left him with a very nasty scar. General Hux (Domhall Gleeson) also gets a makeover, with the First Order think-tank sporting a clean and snappy look. For LEGO Star Wars fans, the Vanity Fair covers featuring the Last Jedi cast offer exciting possibilities on how these characters will look in their minifigure forms. Take Captain Phasma for example – though her minifig counterpart is included in the First Order Transport (75103) set, there is noticeably no printed head piece that accompanied her minifigure. Now that the mask has been lifted off from her character, it is interesting to see the human side of the Stormtrooper captain. I hope to see this new minifigure version of Phasma in any of the LEGO Star Wars The Last Jedi sets in the future.
Kylo Ren may likewise have a new minifigure iteration to emphasize the battle scar that he got from his lightsaber duel with Rey. Include that together with the new TIE Fighter LEGO set that we wish to see, then it is fair to say that this LEGO set will surely be a fan favorite.
Other than the characters standing in allegiance with the Dark Side of the Force, we also get to see several of the good guys of The Last Jedi as they grace the cover of Vanity Fair. We already know that Poe, Finn and of course BB-8 will be returning in Episode VIII, and as it turns out, they will be joined by another Resistance recruit named Rose. Very little is known about her character, except for director Rian Johnson’s description that she is an excellent mechanic, and an all-around maintenance troubleshooter that any Resistance pilot will surely love to have around. We also have a closer look at the new costumes of Rey and the legendary Luke Skywalker as they appear on the remote planet of Ahch-To. Other than a few seconds of air time towards the end of The Force Awakens, and a silhouette of his character as seen in The Last Jedi teaser trailer, it is only now that we get to see a full picture of Luke Skywalker. His garb suggests that this particular scene refers to his initial encounter with Rey and his subsequent training of the latter.
Now, experience tells us that if Disney and Lucas Films give that much of attention to a particular Star Wars character, chances are, LEGO has something in the works for that character. It is a no brainer to consider the main characters of Rey, Poe, Finn, and even those who pay allegiance to the Dark Side, being given the LEGO treatment. But what really piques my interest is how LEGO will render them in their minifigure forms. We thought of creating our own versions of the LEGO Star Wars The Last Jedi sets that we think we will most likely have, which includes Rey’s Training MOC and the Resistance Skimmer MOC all courtesy of our resident Master Builder, Tyler.
So to sum it up, here’s our take on the LEGO Star Wars The Last Jedi minifigures that we will probably see later on, probably in August or September.
Captain Phasma – a new version that will show a printed head piece, emphasizing the ‘humanness’ of her character.
Kylo Ren – another version of his character that prominently displays the facial scar that he received from his last battle with Rey, aboard his very own TIE Fighter.
General Hux – we only get to see him once as part of a LEGO set in Kylo Ren’s Command Shuttle (75104), but if his role extends as far as that in The Last Jedi, then we can somehow expect his comeback in a LEGO Star Wars set later on. Perhaps as a part of the contingent of First Order AT-4X Walkers on Crait? We will see.
Poe and BB-8 – the teaser trailer of The Last Jedi has already revealed the fate of Poe’s signature X-Wing. Now that we know that it is utterly destroyed, it leaves us to wonder what starship will this duo be riding on to. Other than the LEGO Star Wars Poe’s X-wing Fighter (75102) and Resistance X-wing Fighter (75149) sets, it will be great to see these two speed their way through the galaxy aboard another brick-built LEGO starship. Perhaps a Resistance A-wing of some kind as hinted by other toy manufacturers?
Finn and Rose – since Rose is described as a handy Resistance mechanic with a technical flare of fixing almost anything, then it will not be a long shot to consider how the pilot-mechanic tag team of Finn and Rose will be a part of a possible Resistance Crait Skimmer/Speeder.
Rey and Luke – as mentioned earlier, it will also be great if LEGO can throw in a kind of training set for Rey as she learns the subtle ways of the Force. It is also mentioned that The Last Jedi will offer a lot of screen time for the iconic Luke Skywalker, which also includes a rumored battle scene with the forces of Kylo Ren otherwise known as the Knights of Ren. It will be cool to see the minifig counterparts of these so called Knights and see how they will pit against the legendary Jedi Master.
Princess Leia – like other characters mentioned above, the late Carrie Fisher’s character of Princess Leia is most likely to be seen again in her minifigure form among the sets dedicated to The Last Jedi. As of to date, LEGO has only released one Star Wars set which includes the post-Imperial version of the famed princess as seen in the Resistance Troop Transporter (75140) set.
It is my best guess that LEGO may have plans of paying tribute to the legacy of Carrie Fisher and the character that she brought to life in the Star Wars saga, specifically including her on future LEGO Star Wars TLJ sets. I would love to see her rendered in minifig form donned in the royal, dark mahogany brown dress that she sports on the cover of Vanity Fair.
I have to admit that these are all speculations at this point. These sets and their accompanying minifigs may, or may not happen regarding the priorities set out by Disney and LEGO. In any case, this is one LEGO Star Wars wishlist that this humble AFOL would like to see happen as an actual LEGO set.
So what do you say about it brick fans? Do you have other The Last Jedi characters that you would like to see in their minifigure forms? Let us know what you think in the comments below. Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi is slated for theatrical release on December 15, 2017.
