Star Wars Wednesday: The Last Jedi SPOILER Discussion

The Last Jedi SPOILER Discussion

          So…it’s been an interesting week for Star Wars.

          People are really torn over whether or not they like some of the crazier twists and turns The Last Jedi throws at them. As someone who personally loved the movie I’ll leave the overall discussion of whether or not it’s deserving of all the hate for someone else to tackle, because today I’ll be going over some of the major spoilers and what I thought of the movie’s biggest moments, most shocking surprises, and where I think the Sequel Trilogy will go next.

          If the title wasn’t enough warning for you, I will be going over EVERYTHING here, including the surprising answers to some of the questions Force Awakens posed. If you haven’t seen the movie yet and still wish to do so without knowing the big surprises, I’d skip this article. I’ve got plenty of other Star Wars content you can go check out, like this article on the Star Wars Holiday Special!

          Alright, spoilers will begin after the images.

THE FORCE IS WITH US

          The overall main theme of this movie was interesting to me, especially with the outcry of fans recently. While basically everybody assumed that Luke’s line from the trailers “It’s time for the Jedi to end” would be something he tells Rey at the beginning of the movie before she convinces him to save the day, the actual movie is spent telling us that…yeah, he’s kinda right.

          When Luke finally does agree to train Rey, he decides against doing it the Jedi way, instead demonstrating how the Force exists in all living things, not just those who are Force-sensitive.

          And this idea carries throughout the entire movie, including the long awaited reveal of Rey’s origins and up to the final shot. While Force Awakens felt like a comfortable return to the galaxy we knew and loved, Last Jedi is more concerned with hitting the soft reset button on the main saga. This looks to be the true, final end of the Skywalker story, as the Force will continue to live on in everyone around them.

          It also definitely has some real life parallels, especially with those “fans” who claim the entire franchise belongs to them, and anything they don’t agree with is sacrilege. Last Jedi happily declares that the world of the Original Trilogy is no more, and Star Wars now belongs to the kids of the current generation. And you know what? I’m happy about that. A lack of willingness to change will inevitably end up with movies repeating themselves over and over again, leading to Star Wars feeling less and less special the longer it goes on for.

          Just like how we now have a generation of adults who grew up with the Prequel Trilogy as their favourite part of the saga (which is at both times awesome and kinda hilarious), I have no doubt that in 10 years or so we’ll be seeing people who grew up loving the Sequel Trilogy telling people how great it was to have these movies when they were kids.

          The Force doesn’t belong to a 30-something fat guy living in his mom’s basement who treats Empire Strikes Back like a religious text and has a meltdown at anyone online who likes the Prequel or Sequel movies. It belongs to everybody, from the wide-eyed kids who count down the days until the next movies to the longtime fans ready for something new.

          And even if you hated this movie, the Original Trilogy will always be there, still as great as it ever was. Just don’t go around bothering people who like something you don’t for reasons you don’t get. That’s just not cool.

BACK AGAIN, HE IS

          Easily my favourite scene in the entire film was the surprise return of Yoda. Back when the trailers were coming out I was kinda laughing at people who thought they spotted Yoda sitting on a rock in the background. While they were wrong about the scene he was in, he actually does play a small but significant role in the movie.

          So, uh…sorry.

          Anyways, it was cool to see Yoda again, but even better was seeing him as a puppet again just like he was in Empire Strikes Back. The puppet legitimately looked identical to the one from back in 1980, and made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

          Anyways, his talk with Luke was just plain awesome, however brief it was. It drove home the point that the old world of Star Wars was essentially finished, and it was time for the new generation to make it their own. I also really liked that they nailed Yoda’s sense of humour from the Originals here, instead of making him the super serious General Yoda from the Prequels. Here he’s cracking jokes, laughing at Luke, hitting him with his cane, all that great stuff. Even if this is the last time we’ll be seeing the greatest Jedi of all time onscreen, at least he went out with a bang.

SNOKED

          Speaking of going out with a bang…

          One of the biggest questions to come out of Force Awakens was the identity of Supreme Leader Snoke. We knew he was a super-powerful user of the Dark Side of the Force, he was the one who corrupted Ben Solo into Kylo Ren, and he was the mastermind behind the First Order. A few brief glimpses of him in Force Awakens were enough to send the internet into a tizzy trying to figure out who this guy was, coming up with everything from Darth Plagueis to Boba Fett to Mace Windu (don’t ask).

          So what’s the big answer? Simple: who cares? He’s dead.

          In one of the most stunning twists in the film, Kylo brings Rey to Snoke’s throne room to participate in a scene very reminiscent of Luke confronting Palpatine in Return of the Jedi. Snoke uses this time to boast about how strong he is in the Force and how he’s been manipulating Kylo from the start. Kylo responds by turning the tables on his master, killing him in cold blood.

          I can’t tell you how crazy and awesome this is. The entire movie up to this point builds Snoke up as a proper final boss. You see him demonstrate his terrifying power in the Force, he talks about how he’s been messing with everyone, and any attempt by Rey to strike him down ends in failure. He looks downright unstoppable.

          But nope, one subtle move by Kylo and Snoke is gone for good. I think this is a major point of anger from some of the fans, especially after they speculated for years the identity of this guy only for him to not make it out of Movie 2 and with no backstory whatsoever to boot. Instead he’s just a stepping stool for Kylo’s story, allowing him to venture even further down the path of darkness, taking full control of the First Order.

          I’m sure there’ll be a book or something later on down the line that explains where this guy came from and how he got so powerful in the Force and the Imperial military, or maybe even a scene or two in Episode IX. But for now…yep, he looks pretty dead to me.

EMPEROR KYLO

          Snoke’s death leaves behind a power vacuum, and who better to fill it than Kylo Ren? With the First Order’s fleet in shambles after a successful (and beautiful) attack by the Resistance, Kylo takes Snoke’s spot as Supreme Leader, force choking Hux into submission.

          Kylo’s arc is easily the best one in the entire movie. He starts off the same weak, conflicted little brat we saw in Force Awakens, unable to pull the trigger when given the opportunity to kill his mom the same way he took out his dad. As the movie goes on it looks more and more like he’ll be getting his redemption and joining the Resistance, all culminating in it looking like he killed his master to save Rey.

          But nope! He did it just because he wanted to rule the galaxy with Rey at his side! Of course, Rey isn’t super thrilled with this idea, giving him the cold shoulder. So Kylo makes it to the end of the movie even further down the path of darkness than he was before, poised as the true final boss of the trilogy instead of some withered old alien that has no connection to the main characters.

REY IS REY IS REY IS REY IS REY

          The other big question posed by Force Awakens is Rey’s parents. Who the heck are these guys who left this young girl in the hands of Simon Pegg the junkyard man? The first movie left us with plenty of clues and possibilities that tied to characters from the Original Trilogy, leaving fans to speculate and speculate.

          And the answer? According to Kylo they’re some alcoholic Jakku junkers who sold her off for drinking money and are dead in a ditch somewhere on the planet.

          In layman’s terms, not exactly Obi-Wan Kenobi.

          It’s a bit of a surprise, especially considering her parents were such a big question mark in The Force Awakens, but again it ties into the theme of the movie that the Force is in everybody, not just the Jedi or the Skywalkers. Rey doesn’t need to be a Skywalker or a Solo or a Kenobi to be tied to the Force. She just has it, just like that broom kid at the end. Plus, you have to remember that Anakin, Obi-Wan, Palpatine and so on weren’t from Force-sensitive families. Anakin specifically was born to a slave mom on one of the most backwater planets of the galaxy. Really, the only Force users in the movies that we know were born into Force-sensitive bloodlines were Luke, Leia and Kylo.

          But I’m not 100% certain this is the end of this plotline for one reason: The big reveal came from Kylo Ren, the main villain of the trilogy. Can we really trust what he has to say? It’s important to remember that he dropped this bit of info while he was trying to convince Rey that ruling the galaxy with him was the way to go. Maybe messing with her faith in her parents would bring her closer to the Dark Side?

          Even if there’s still another bait-and-switch waiting for us later on down the line, this was a pretty satisfying way to make Rey a strong character without tying her to the Original Trilogy at all, instead making her the living embodiment of Last Jedi’s message.

SKYWALKER’S LAST STAND

          And here’s the big one. The big game-changing twist that ends off the movie and (at least in my opinion) is the catalyst behind the big Last Jedi controversy currently embroiling the Star Wars fandom: Luke Skywalker’s fate.

          After the First Order finally corners the Resistance on the salt planet of Crait, Luke arrives seemingly out of nowhere to give the heroes a chance to escape, as well as give himself closure on Ben Solo. After attempting and failing to take him out with a bombardment of AT-AT fire, Kylo goes after Luke in person. He’s unable to lay a single hit on his former master, but it quickly turns out this isn’t the real Luke, instead a projection created by the Force conjured to allow the Resistance a chance to make it off planet.

          Unfortunately it seems this “Force projection” is so hard to pull off that just moments after stopping using it, Luke dies back on Ahch-To once and for all while seeing a vision of the twin suns of Tatooine.

          I can definitely tell why there are people upset with this. I remember back when Force Awakens came out there were several fans creating some wild theories about how Han definitely didn’t die on Starkiller Base and we just didn’t see the daring escape/miraculous recovery he made waaaaaay at the bottom of that chasm. But here there’s no doubt whatsoever that Luke Skywalker is dead for real, as he passes the torch onto the next generation of Jedi just like Lucas always intended for him to do in his plans for the Sequel Trilogy.

          But here’s the thing: I have no doubt in my mind that Luke will be back in Episode 9 as a Force ghost. First of all, bringing back Yoda in this movie establishes that the ghosts are still a thing in this universe, and even the ones who died 30 years prior to the current events can still show up. And secondly, Mark Hamill remains the only member of the Original Trilogy they can still use in later installments. Harrison Ford has made it clear him returning to Star Wars was a one-time thing, and even if he wanted to do it again Han Solo wouldn’t be able to return as a Force ghost. And as sad as it is, they can’t exactly use Carrie Fisher anymore, even though she was going to be a central figure in Episode IX. Since Luke can still come back as a Force ghost, he’s still available for use later on down the line.

WHERE TO NEXT?

          As you can see, a lot changes happen before we get from Point A to Point B. Luke, Snoke, Phasma, Ackbar and more all don’t make it out of the movie alive. Kylo is now Supreme Leader, Rey is at peace with her Force powers, and both the Resistance and the First Order have been shattered into a million pieces. So…where do we go from here?

          I imagine there’ll be a time skip between Last Jedi and Episode IX, not unlike the time skips between all the Original Trilogy and Prequel Trilogy movies. Going right from Force Awakens into Last Jedi was definitely the exception instead of the norm. A time skip will give them a chance to rebuild their respective armies, place the characters in new situations (a la Luke being tempted by the Dark Side in Return of the Jedi), as well as give a legitimate reason why Leia isn’t showing up since she survived Last Jedi. Maybe she’s off scouting recruits on Lothal or something and she’s too busy to come help.

          With no Leia and no Holdo, I’m also guessing that Poe is going to take command of the Resistance from here. His entire arc in this movie is learning to be more responsible for his actions and being less hot-shot invincible pilot, so this feels like the proper next step for him.

          The real question here for me is where Rey and Kylo are gonna end up. One has to wonder if Rey will become a Jedi in name only, instead taking Luke’s advice and beginning a new order of Force-users without the hubris of the Old Republic. As for Kylo, it’s hard to say if redemption is still on the board for him. If they really want to go full Vader parallels that might be the route they go, but considering Snoke is gone and Kylo is poised to be the true final boss, they might go a different route. He did successfully kill 2 of the 3 main heroes of the Original Trilogy, albeit indirectly for Luke and just barely missing out on the trifecta because he hesitated at killing Leia. At this point redemption might be a little far-fetched.

          So there you go! For better or for worse this truly was a shocking chapter in the Star Wars saga, and got me very excited for the finale of the trilogy in December 2019 (only 700+ days away!). But until then, I’ll be back here January 3 as Star Wars Wednesday returns to talking about the best, worst, weirdest and most obscure parts of the saga. I’ve got a lot planned for 2018, so have a very excellent holiday season, and may the Force be with you all.