After two painstakingly long years, we’re finally just days away from the release of the eighth chapter in the Star Wars saga, The Last Jedi. And while the promise of seeing things such as Rey progressing in her training and Luke doing more than simply standing there in silence for 30 seconds is tantalizing, we’d be remiss to not mention the exciting new characters that are poised to make their Star Wars debuts.
Thus far, Lucasfilm has done a commendable job keeping the majority of the details surrounding the film’s fresh new faces under wraps. However, there’s still some information the studio’s allowed to slip through the cracks. With that in mind, here’s everything we know about The Last Jedi’s new characters so far:
The Elite Praetorian Guard
While they’re not a “character” in the traditional sense, the members of the Elite Praetorian Guard have appeared quite heavily in The Last Jedi’s recent marketing material. That – along with their eye-catching look – seems like reason enough to earn them a spot on this list.
Inspired by the real-life Praetorian Guard, whose members served as personal bodyguards to the Roman emperors, the Elite Praetorian Guard is a group of eight human warriors responsible for protecting Supreme Leader Snoke. Aesthetically, they take after Emperor Palpatine’s Royal Guard in the sense that they also wear crimson red armor and robes. However, unlike their statuesque predecessors, the Elite Praetorian Guard is more formidable than formal. Trained in martial arts and equipped with high-tech melee weapons, expect to see Snoke’s bodyguards get their hands dirty.
Paige Tico
A lot of eyes are firmly fixated on Kelly Marie Tran’s Rose Tico, who’s set to make a big splash in The Last Jedi by teaming up with Finn. She isn’t the only Tico we’ll see in the film, though.
Played by Veronica Ngo, Paige is a gunner who fights alongside the Resistance in their battle against the First Order. Not much else is known about her character, and most web searches will reveal that there are few clear images of her to be found. Nevertheless, as Rose’s sister, it’s likely that Paige will at least indirectly serve a significant, if not minor role in the film.
Rose Tico
Thanks to films such as Clerks, fans have always wondered about the lives of the independent contractors in the Star Wars universe who take up jobs with the Empire, the First Order, the Rebel Alliance, the Resistance – you name it. In The Last Jedi, we’ll get this in the form of the aforementioned Rose Tico.
Although she’s a simple Resistance maintenance worker, Rose has a deep-seated disdain for the First Order, as well as a strong sense of admiration for the Stormtrooper-turned-hero Finn. In fact, it’s this very same admiration that causes hers and Finn’s stories to become intertwined, resulting in an adventure that leads the pair to the casino city of Canto Bight. It’s here that we can expect to see the tables turn, so to speak, as Rose winds up inspiring Finn to be the best he can be in order to further redeem himself.
Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo
Star Wars received a serious dose of star-power in the form of Laura Dern, who plays Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo in The Last Jedi. However, not everyone in the upcoming film will be as excited about her arrival as fans are.
Despite fighting alongside the Resistance, Holdo will butt heads with the likes of Poe and Leia, although it’s said that the latter still finds the Vice Admiral to be insightful and charming. As a matter of fact, Holdo and Leia’s relationship actually stretches all the way back to the pre-Original Trilogy era.
It was upon joining the Apprentice Legislature in the year 3 BBY that Holdo first meets Leia. The pair spends a great deal of time together, and when Holdo eventually discovers Leia’s involvement in the Rebellion, she helps her find safe passage to the Paucris system in order to warn the Rebel fleet of an impending Imperial attack.
Upon the formation of the Resistance, Holdo joins the military group as both Vice Admiral and commanding officer of the cruiser Ninka. In The Last Jedi, we’ll see her assume full command of the Resistance, with Leia passing the torch to her longtime companion.
‘DJ’
Perhaps the most mysterious of The Last Jedi’s new characters is Benicio Del Toro’s “DJ.” In fact, we still don’t even know his real name (“DJ” is what the character was referred to on-set).
What we do know is that “DJ” has been described as a “shady” individual with “unclear alliances.” We also know that he’s a slice (the Star Wars universe’s equivalent of a hacker), which is what causes Finn and Rose to seek him out in the first place. This is expanded on, albeit slightly, by Disney’s official one-liner for the character, which states that “DJ is an enigmatic figure whose tattered, threadbare clothes and lackadaisical attitude conceal a sharp mind and expert skills.”
It will certainly be interesting to see how much “DJ” factors into the film. Still, even if his role ends up being relatively minor, there are still plenty of other fantastic new characters to look forward to.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits theaters nationwide on December 15.