Forum: movies.stackexchange.com
Tags: <analysis><star-wars><title><the-last-jedi>
Title: Who is the titular "Last Jedi"?
Question: New  Star Wars  film is titled  Star Wars: The Last Jedi . In this movie we can see "Kylo" has Force powers, "Rey" has Force powers at the end and Princess Leia also has Force abilities. Luke Skywalker is already a Jedi.  So, who is the "Last Jedi" referenced in the movie title? Is it:   Luke Skywalker  Kylo Ren  Rey  Princess Leia

Answers:
sents: text: Though, the title itself is quite ambiguous , but we can go through the movie plot and conclude it.
text: Princess Leia is sensitive to the Force, but she is not a Jedi.
text: She didn't get training as Jedi.
text: Kylo Ren was trained as Jedi, but he was seduced by the dark side of the Force, so he is not a Jedi.
text: Rey was just learning the ways of the Force , but wasn't under actual Jedi training.
text: She might be a Jedi in future, but it's speculation for now.
text: When master Yoda died in Return of the Jedi , Luke was the last Jedi left.
text: Here is the conversation between Yoda and Luke.
text: Yoda: Luke...
text: Luke...
text: Do not...
text: Do not underestimate the powers of the Emperor, or suffer your father's fate, you will.
text: Luke, when gone am I (cough), the last of the Jedi will you be .
text: Luke, the Force runs strong in your family.
text: Pass on what you have learned, Luke... (with great effort) There is...another...
text: Sky
text: ...Sky...walker.
text: When Kylo Ren fights with Luke near the end of
text: The Last Jedi , they have following conversation, Kylo Ren:
text: And when I kill you, I will have killed the last Jedi .
text: Luke Skywalker: Amazing.
text: Every word of what you just said... was wrong.
text: The Rebellion is reborn today.
text: The war... is just beginning.
text: And I will not be the last Jedi .
text: And the opening crawls of The Force Awakens says, Luke Skywalker has vanished.
text: In his absence, the sinister FIRST ORDER has risen from the ashes of the Empire and will not rest until Skywalker, the last Jedi , has been destroyed.
text: So, it is clear that the title is referring to Luke.
answer_details: author: movies.stackexchange.com/users/27264/A J
score: 69
sents: text: Luke Skywalker is referred to as "the last jedi" by the opening crawl of Episode VII:
text: The Force Awakens: Luke Skywalker has vanished.
text: In his absence, the sinister FIRST ORDER has risen from the ashes of the Empire and will not rest until Skywalker, the last Jedi, has been destroyed.
text: The text of the Episode VII opening crawl can be found on this wiki page: "Opening crawl", Star Wars wikia
answer_details: author: movies.stackexchange.com/users/61279/Geekmann
score: 26
sents: text: Rian Johnson, the writer and director, seems to indicate that it is indeed Luke, though he seemed hesitant to do so in April 2017 During a chat with ABC News in April, Johnson wouldn’t confirm the title as a reference to Luke.
text: “Well, if you say so,” he said to the suggestion.
text: “I’m gonna take your word for it.
text: They say in The Force Awakens that he’s going to find the last Jedi temple, and Luke is the last Jedi.”
text: But another interview in September shows more certainty:
text: “It’s in the opening crawl of The Force Awakens,” he clarified.
text: “Luke Skywalker, right now, is the last Jedi..."
answer_details: author: movies.stackexchange.com/users/7969/HorusKol
score: 12
sents: text: At the start of the movie, Luke Skywalker is The Last Jedi.
text: He is the only Jedi-trained individual in the Galaxy who has not fallen to the dark side.
text: At the end of the movie, Rey has everything she needs to become a Jedi and train a new generation.
text: She has the will, the ability to stand up against temptation, and the Jedi tomes stolen before Yoda burned the shrine down (beside the blankets in the Falcon).
text: There are children throughout the galaxy inspired by the tales of Luke and Rey and companions, including one who force-pulls a broom before striking a pose.
text: I suspect the real reason of the movie's title is the paradox it evokes: The Last Jedi has died, but he will not be The Last Jedi.
answer_details: author: movies.stackexchange.com/users/32181/Yakk
score: 8
sents: text: As of the end of The Force Awakens , we believed Luke Skywalker to be the last remaining Jedi in the galaxy.
text: Even the opening crawl of
text: The Last Jedi calls him this: Luke Skywalker has vanished.
text: In his absence, the sinister FIRST ORDER has risen from the ashes of the Empire and will not rest until Skywalker, the last Jedi , has been destroyed.
text: However, the name of the film is a twist, playing into the surprising (?)
text: events of the film's end: Luke dies, and in voiceover indicates that he is not the last Jedi.
text: Camerawork and events happening elsewhere indicate that, instead: Rey is .
text: Whether you believe this is good storytelling and/or actually makes any logical sense is quite another thing. :)
answer_details: author: movies.stackexchange.com/users/4131/Lightness Races in Orbit
score: 2
sents: text: Well.
text: Even though the answers so far make sense, in all foreign translations into languages which differentiate between plural and singular "
text: The Last Jedi" was translated into the plural form, indicating at least two (arguably Luke and Rey).
text: The fact that it happened on every possible instance indicates that this was a deliberate top-down decision, though it could just be miscommunication between writers and marketing.
text: http://www.gamesradar.com/star-wars-the-last-jedi-title-is-plural-according-to-multiple-foreign-language-logos/
answer_details: author: movies.stackexchange.com/users/61281/pedrogfp
score: 0

Summary of the answers:
At the start of the movie, Luke Skywalker is The Last Jedi.  He is the only Jedi-trained individual in the Galaxy who has not fallen to the dark side. At the end of the movie, Rey has everything she needs to become a Jedi and train a new generation.  Perhaps the real reason for the movie's title is the paradox it evokes:  The Last Jedi has died, but he will not be The Last Jedi.
The real reason of the film's title is the paradox it evokes:  The last Jedi has died, but he will not be The LastJedi.