Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi
title: Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi, also known as Star Wars: The Last Jedi in marketing materials, is a 2017 motion picture. Rian Johnson served as both the writer and director. Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman produced the film, with J.J. Abrams acting as an executive producer. It represents the second installment within the Star Wars sequel trilogy. The cast includes returning actors such as Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, and Andy Serkis. Additionally, Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern, and Kelly Marie Tran join the cast as new members.
The Last Jedi's narrative picks up directly where Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens left off. The setting is thirty years after the resolution of the original Star Wars trilogy. The storyline follows Rey as she seeks out the exiled Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, and it continues to depict the war between General Leia Organa's Resistance and the First Order.
The movie premiered in Hong Kong, Mexico, Latin America, and various European nations on December 14, 2017. It was then released in North America on December 15, 2017, followed by a release in China on January 5, 2018. Select theaters in North America held special early screenings on the evening of December 14th, deviating from the traditional midnight showings. At the 90th Academy Awards, The Last Jedi received four nominations, including nods for Best Original Score and Best Visual Effects. The subsequent and concluding film in the sequel trilogy, Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, was launched on December 20, 2019.
Opening crawl
Plot summary
Evacuating D'Qar
After their successful operation to destroy Starkiller Base, Resistance combatants are in the process of evacuating their primary headquarters located on the planet D'Qar and moving it to their fleet. However, before the evacuation can be completed, a First Order fleet consisting of Resurgent-class Star Destroyers commanded by General Armitage Hux arrives. Intent on eliminating the Resistance, Hux instructs Captain Moden Canady to use his Mandator IV-class Siege Dreadnought, the Fulminatrix, to obliterate the Resistance fleet and base.
As the Fulminatrix emerges from hyperspace, one of General Hux's officers reports the presence of a lone fighter approaching them. Accompanied by his BB-series astromech droid, BB-8, Poe Dameron confronts the Fulminatrix in his X-wing, the Black One. General Leia Organa, now a widow due to the murder of Han Solo at the hands of their son Ben, known as Kylo Ren, reluctantly approves Poe's risky strategy. Poe taunts Hux over the intercom, feigning indifference to the threat of the Resistance's annihilation. However, this exchange serves as a diversion for Poe to charge his X-wing's cannons in preparation for an assault on the dreadnought.
Poe's X-wing swiftly disables the dreadnought's point-defense cannons. When General Hux demands an explanation from Captain Canady as to why the enemy fighter hasn't been shot down, Canady explains that the ship is too small and at an unsuitably close range. He urgently orders the scrambling of fighters, realizing Poe's intention to destroy his cannons. Despite facing attacks from TIE/fo fighters and TIE/sf fighters, Poe enlists BB-8's assistance to repair the ship's cannons so they can destroy the dreadnought's final cannon.
Canady's dreadnought succeeds in destroying the Resistance base from orbit, but not before the last transport, led by Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix, manages to escape into space. With the evacuation now complete, General Organa aims to evacuate the Resistance forces, but Poe is determined to destroy the dreadnought. Defying General Organa's orders to disengage, Poe presses on with the assault. BB-8 completes the repairs, and Poe destroys the last cannon before shooting down the two pursuing TIE fighters.
Bomber run
With the Dreadnought's cannons disabled, Resistance bombers move in on the Fulminatrix. Despite being escorted by starfighters led by Blue Leader Tallissan Lintra, numerous slow-moving bombers are destroyed by TIE fighters. Captain Canady gives the order to recharge the dreadnought's auto cannons to target the Resistance cruisers. Several Resistance bombers are destroyed after a TIE fighter collides with them, leaving Paige Tico's Cobalt Hammer as the only bomber remaining.
As the auto cannons recharge, Canady orders his TIE fighters to destroy the last bomber. Poe contacts Paige, who goes down to her bomber's bay, only to discover the bombardier Nix Jerd unconscious. After a colliding TIE fighter kills the pilot Finch Dallow, Paige manually releases the bomb load just as the Dreadnought's auto-cannon finishes recharging. The Fulminatrix and the Cobalt Hammer are destroyed in the resulting explosions.
Despite the dreadnought's destruction, General Organa is upset by the heavy losses, including the destruction of all the Resistance's bombers. The Resistance vessels escape by jumping to hyperspace.
Shortly afterward, Supreme Leader Snoke confronts Hux via a holographic transmission for failing to prevent the evacuation and for the loss of a dreadnought. He publicly humiliates Hux by using the Force to spin him around on the floor. Despite Snoke's disappointment, Hux insists that the Resistance cannot escape for long because they have them "tied on the end of a string."
Aboard the MC85 Star Cruiser Raddus, Finn, who is still comatose after losing a fight with Ren on Starkiller Base, wakes up and immediately begins searching for his friend, Rey. Poe welcomes Finn back upon his return, informing him that Rey has already left.
Finding Skywalker
Having arrived on the water world of Ahch-To with the Wookiee Chewbacca and astromech droid R2-D2 aboard the Millennium Falcon, the Force-sensitive Rey encounters Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. She offers him Skywalker's lightsaber, but he throws it over his shoulder and walks away. Confused, Rey follows Luke into his hut in the nearby Jedi village.
Outside his door, Rey tells him that she needs his help. She returns to retrieve Skywalker's lightsaber from some Porgs and spots Skywalker's T-65B X-wing starfighter submerged beneath the sea. Later, Rey has Chewbacca break down Skywalker's door. Skywalker recognizes Chewbacca, and Rey informs them that they arrived on the Falcon. Skywalker inquires about Han Solo's whereabouts, prompting a saddened expression from his old Wookiee friend.
Snoke's lair
Kylo Ren exits a turbolift and enters Supreme Leader Snoke's throne room aboard the Mega-class Star Dreadnought Supremacy. Snoke praises Hux for his plan and sends him to the bridge to oversee the pursuit of the Resistance. After Hux leaves, Snoke recalls seeing in Ren the potential to become a new Darth Vader, but now doubts his apprentice's resolve to fully embrace the dark side of the Force.
He orders Ren to remove his helmet, and upon seeing his scarred face—the result of his loss to Rey on Starkiller Base—he states that Ren has too much of Han's heart in him. Ren protests, claiming he embraced the dark side by killing Han, but Snoke furiously retorts that Ren instead psychologically weakened himself in committing the murder, causing him to be defeated by Rey, a junk scavenger who had previously never even wielded a lightsaber.
Ren reacts angrily to the insult, but Snoke repulses him with Force lightning and dismisses him as just "a child in a mask." Enraged, Ren destroys his helmet by violently smashing it to pieces against the walls of an elevator, before setting out in his personal TIE silencer to attack the Resistance fleet.
The elusive teacher
Returning to Ahch-To, Rey informs him about the First Order's invasion of the galaxy. She conveys that they need his assistance and that they need Luke Skywalker. Skywalker declines to help, believing he has little chance against the First Order, and walks away. Rey insists that she is not leaving and follows him through the Temple Island.
She finds Skywalker milking a Thala-siren, but he avoids her. Skywalker uses a long pole to reach the other side of the cliff and catch a large fish. Rey follows him through the rain back to his quarters, fingering her cloaked binary beacon. While following Skywalker up a mountain in the mist, she senses a voice calling to her from the Tree library. Inside, she finds the Sacred Jedi texts.
Skywalker follows her and explains that the tree library was built a thousand generations ago to keep the sacred Jedi texts. Rey says that she saw this place in a dream. When Rey tells Skywalker that the Resistance sent her, he asks about her identity, homeworld, and motivations for coming here. Rey tells him that Resistance needs his help because of the First Order. When Skywalker asks what she is doing here, she tells him that she needs his help to master the Force. Skywalker refuses to teach her, believing that it is time for the Jedi to end. Rey says his sister Leia sent him and that they deserve to know why.
Pursuing the Resistance fleet
While the Raddus travels through hyperspace, General Organa mourns the loss of Han. After the fleet exits hyperspace, Leia angrily reprimands and demotes Poe to captain for disobeying orders and leading Cobalt Squadron to their deaths. Poe protests but Leia tells him that there are things that he cannot solve by getting into an X-wing and blowing things up. Poe says that there were heroes on a mission but Leia replies, "Dead heroes, no leaders", and walks away .
When Finn asks General Organa how Rey is going to find them, she shows him her cloaked binary beacon. Leia tells hers subordinates that their priorities now is to find a new Resistance base. They are soon followed by a First Order fleet led by Snoke's personal command ship, the Supremacy, which has somehow tracked them through space. Poe thinks they should do another hyperspace jump but Leia realizes that the First Order has tracked them through lightspeed, and another jump would use up the rest of their fuel. Poe gets General Organa's permission to lead a starfighter defense.
Kylo Ren flies his TIE silencer, accompanied by three Special Forces TIE fighters, which inflict significant damage on the Resistance fleet. Before Poe and BB-8 can board their X-wing, Kylo Ren fires a pair of torpedos into the Raddus' starboard hangar which destroy all the parked fighters and kill several pilots, including Lintra. Poe and a damaged BB-8 survive the explosion. Meanwhile, General Organa and Admiral Ackbar order the remaining Resistance ships to move out of range of the Star Destroyers.
Lining up for a bombing run on the Raddus' bridge, Ren hesitates to fire after sensing his mother's presence on board. However, his TIE fighter escorts take the shot, destroying the primary bridge and killing most of the Resistance's high command, including Admiral Ackbar. Ren then retreats to the Supremacy after General Hux warns that the fleet cannot protect him and his escort TIE fighters. A long pursuit begins, with the Resistance relying on their spaceships' mobility and deflector shields to stay out of effective weapons range while their fuel supplies dwindle.
Leia survives exposure to space by using the Force to fly back to the door of the Raddus' bridge. Leia is rescued by her Resistance comrades but is rendered comatose by the ordeal. As she is being transported to the sick bay, the binary beacon falls out of her hand. Finn picks it up.
A change of heart
While Rey sleeps in her hut, Chewbacca roasts a porg over the fire. While settling to his meal, he is confronted by the porg's kin. Chewbacca tries to shoo them away but is struck by the sight of a sad-faced porg.
Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker visits the Falcon where he finds Han Solo's dice, a memento to his fallen friend. Skywalker also has a brief reunion with R2-D2. Skywalker refuses to come back but R2-D2 plays back the old hologram message from his sister Leia calling Obi-Wan Kenobi for help. Leia's message causes Luke to reconsider his decision. He visits Rey and agrees to give her three lessons, beginning tomorrow morning. Skywalker promises to teach her the ways of the Jedi.
A new commander
Back aboard the Raddus, Commander Larma D'Acy informs the assembled Resistance that General Organa is stable but in a coma. She regrets to inform them that Admiral Ackbar and the Resistance High Command perished aboard the bridge of the Raddus. D'Acy tells them that if Leia were here, she would tell them to save their sorrow till after the fight. The chain of command falls to Vice Admiral Holdo of the cruiser Ninka. Holdo gives a brief rousing speech before dismissing them to their posts.
Poe warns Vice-Admiral Holdo that they will eventually run out of fuel. When he asks her what is their plan, Holdo reminds Poe of his demotion and dismisses him as a "hot-head" pilot whose recklessness she deems a liability. Holdo orders him to stick to his post and follow her orders. Holdo's actions grate Poe, who doesn't trust his new commander.
Finn, fearing for Rey's safety if she eventually returns to the fleet, decides to go looking for her and heads for the escape pod bay. There, he finds a young Resistance mechanic, Rose Tico, mourning her older sister Paige, who perished during the bombing run Poe led over D'Qar. Rose mistakes Finn for a deserter. Before he can explain himself, she stuns him.
After awakening on a gurney, Finn tries to tell Rose about his plan to find Rey. Rose thinks that Finn is being selfish. He manages to gain her trust by convincing her that he can help take out the First Order's hyperspace tracker, which he is privy to due to his time with the First Order. The two come up with a plan to infiltrate the Mega-Destroyer and take out the hyperspace tracker.
Finn and Rose share their plan with Poe and C-3PO in Leia's Medical bay room. Not trusting Vice-Admiral Holdo's leadership, Poe agrees to the plan, believing that it can save the Resistance and Rey. C-3PO says that Holdo will not agree to their plan but Poe is determined to proceed. Since they can't get through the First Order security, they contact Maz Kanata, who is embroiled in a union dispute. While exchanging fire, Maz tells them to seek out the Master Codebreaker in the casino city Canto Bight. Before leaving to seek out the Master Codebreaker, Finn passes Leia's binary beacon to Poe.
Rey's first lesson
Meanwhile on Ahch-To, Rey and Kylo Ren begin communicating with each other through involuntary shared visions. Rey is hostile to Kylo due to their last encounter. Startled by Ren, Rey shoots a hole through the roof of a hut, which annoys the native Lanai caretakers, who have maintained the Jedi structures since they were built.
Later that morning, Luke leads Rey through a cave into the First Jedi Temple. Skywalker quizzes Rey about her knowledge of the Force, telling her that the Force is not simply a power but is the energy that binds all things. For her first lesson, he tells her to close her eyes, breathe and reach out. Luke tickles her with a leaf.
During the lesson, Skywalker tells her to breathe and reach out with her feelings while touching rocks. Through the Force, Rey sees the island, the cycle of life and death, warmth, cold, peace, and violence. When prompted, she tells Luke that she sense the Force inside. Skywalker explains that the Force does not belong to the Jedi, urging her to reject her simplistic view of the Force as cleanly defined between the light and the dark sides of the Force.
Rey senses a place beneath that is strong in the dark side beneath the island. Rey senses it calling out to her as the stones beneath her float. This summons a geyser of water. Rey says that it was trying to show her something Luke is alarmed that Rey showed little inclination to resist the dark side. Not being able to sense Skywalker in the Force, Rey realizes that Skywalker has cut himself off from the Force. Skywalker says he has seen this raw strength before in Ben Solo and that he regrets not taking action back then.
Later, Chewbacca has befriended several porgs, who have made their home aboard the Falcon. Rey asks Chewbacca if they have heard anything from the Resistance to which he replies in Shyriiwook that he hasn't. Rey and Ren continue to experience shared visions, and Rey excoriates him for murdering Han Solo, while Ren mocks her need to find replacement parental figures, first in Han and now Luke. Kylo Ren asks Rey if Skywalker told him what happened at his Jedi Temple.
Misadventures on Canto Bight
Poe, Finn, Rose, and BB-8 make a clandestine departure from the Resistance fleet utilizing a Resistance transport pod. Poe emphasizes the mission's urgency, stating that they possess a mere 18 hours of fuel. Their destination is Canto Bight, situated on the planet Cantonica within the Corporate Sector. Upon arrival, the trio of Resistance operatives parks their transport on a public beach, provoking the ire of Slowen Lo, an Abednedo businessman, who promptly alerts the Canto Bight Police Department, informing them that the offworlders have entered the Canto Casino.
Finn is captivated by the lavishness and affluence of Canto Bight, while Rose points out that the city's prosperity is rooted in exploitation. During a fathier race at the Canto Bight racetrack, Rose reveals her origins in a mining system subjected to First Order exploitation and weapon testing. They witness the overseer Bargwill Tomder mistreating a young racer. Finn comes to the realization that Canto Bight serves as a haven for wealthy war profiteers who supply arms to both the First Order and the Resistance.
BB-8 identifies the Master Codebreaker dancing with "Lovey" and alerts Finn and Rose, but Slowen Lo spots them. The Canto Bight police officers incapacitate Finn and Rose, arresting them for parking violation 27B/6. Lovey takes notice of the disturbance, but the Master Codebreaker remains absorbed in a dice game. The police forcibly remove BB-8 from the casino.
Rey's second lesson
Rey engages in lightsaber practice with Skywalker's weapon, under Luke's watchful eye, after a parrying session with her staff. She cleaves a rock pillar with the lightsaber, causing it to crush a wagon belonging to two Lanai caretakers. Later that evening, Skywalker elucidates that the now-extinct Jedi are subject to deification and romanticization. He argues that the Jedi's legacy is one of failure, arrogance, and hubris, as they were unable to prevent the rise of Darth Sidious and his Galactic Empire.
Skywalker reminds Rey that a Jedi Master trained Darth Vader. Rey reminds Skywalker of his father's redemption. However, Luke remains haunted by the guilt of failing to prevent Ben Solo's fall to the dark side, feeling responsible for betraying his sister and Han. Luke explains that he sensed the darkness growing in Ren. Skywalker claims that when he went to confront him, Solo turned on him. Upon awakening, Skywalker discovered his temple engulfed in flames and that Ben had taken some of his students and slaughtered the rest. Leia blamed Snoke but Luke blamed himself. Rey reassures Luke that the galaxy made him a legend and that she needs his help to find her place in this.
Escaping Canto Bight
In the vastness of space, General Hux commands the destruction of the Resistance medical frigate Anodyne. However, the captain has already ordered the ship evacuated and remains behind as it is destroyed. Vice-Admiral Holdo watches in horror. Lieutenant Connix reminds her that they only have six hours of fuel left, she orders the emergency bridge crew to remain on their current cause. Poe worries about Finn and Rose's mission and sends a message that they are running on fumes.
At the Canto Bight police headquarters, Finn and Rose encounter the slicer DJ, who offers to assist them in disabling the First Order's hyperspace tracker in exchange for his freedom. Aided by BB-8, the Resistance operatives and DJ escape the police headquarters through the sewers. Pursued by the police, they make their way to the fathier stables, where Rose persuades the stable children to aid in their escape, gifting Temiri Blagg with a Resistance ring.
Temiri releases the fathiers, causing a stampede that allows Finn and Rose to flee through the streets of Canto Bight. Riding a fathier, the pair escapes to the beach, attempting to reach their transport pod. However, the Canto Bight Mounted Police's speeders destroy it. Their fathier carries them up a hill to the outskirts of the city where they narrowly avoid falling off a cliff. Rose frees their fathier. Before the Mounted Police can catch up with them, they are picked up by DJ and BB-8, who have stolen the luxury yacht Libertine.
The cave
Returning to Ahch-To, Luke revisits the cliff-side outcrop where he initiated Rey's training and attempts to reconnect with the Force, succeeding when he makes mental contact with an unconscious Leia. Meanwhile, Rey continues her conversation with Kylo Ren and demands to know why he hated his father, Han, but he didn't. Noticing he is bare-chested, she asks if Kylo has something he can put on. She then asks him why he killed him. Kylo Ren claims that his father treated him like garbage and that he was taken advantage of by Luke and his parents.
Ren recounts his version of his falling out with Skywalker, claiming that Luke grew afraid of Ren's growing power and tried to murder him while he was asleep and defenseless. He tells Rey to let the past die and to kill it if she has to, adding that it is the only way to realize her potential. Sensing the call of the dark side, Rey travels to a cavern beneath the island where the dark side is powerful and experiences a vision while touching a reflective rock wall, asking to see her parents but seeing only her own reflection.
Revelations
Unable to uncover answers about her origins and family, she resolves to abandon her Jedi training and leave Ahch-To. Rey returns to her hut where she communes with Kylo Ren. Finding a kindred spirit in Ren, she reaches out through the Force connection to hold his hand. They are soon discovered by Luke, by now reconnected to the Force. Luke angrily destroys Rey's hut with the Force and demands that she leave Ahch-To immediately, but Rey attacks him in her rage.
Luke fends off Rey's attacks and disarms her, but submits when she threatens him with his own lightsaber. He confessed that he contemplated killing a sleeping Ben Solo upon discovering his corruption by Snoke but instantly relented when he realized that it was a passing moment. Ben, however, awoke to see Luke standing over him with an ignited lightsaber and immediately counterattacked, destroying Luke's new Jedi Temple and disappearing to become Kylo Ren.
Rey believes that Kylo Ren can still be saved from the dark side. Skywalker warns her that it is not going to end the way that she thinks. Rey is adamant despite Skywalker's warnings. She tries to return his lightsaber to him but he lets her keep it. Rey believes that Kylo Ren is their last hope. Unable to convince Luke to join the Resistance, Rey leaves Ahch-To without him to confront Ren, hoping to turn him to the light side, succeeding where Luke failed.
An unexpected reunion
After Rey's departure aboard the Falcon, Luke returns to the Tree library with a torch, intending to destroy the ancient Jedi texts. However, he is interrupted by the Force spirit of Yoda. As Luke hesitates at the task, Yoda himself summons a thunderbolt to destroy the library. Skywalker tries to enter the tree but is driven back by the flames.
Yoda remarks that he has missed Skywalker. Seeing the tree burning, Skywalker believes that it is time for the Jedi to end. Yoda counters that it is time to look past "old books." When Skywalker reminds him about the sacred Jedi texts, Yoda responds they were not "page-turners" which contained wisdom that already existed. He tells Skywalker not to focus too much on the horizon but to pay attention to his immediate needs.
Skywalker blames himself for the loss of Ben Solo. Skywalker is unconfident teaching Rey, but Yoda encourages him to pass on what he has learned. Yoda counsels Skywalker that failure can be the greatest teacher. As he and Skywalker watch the burning tree, he tells Luke "We are what they grow beyond. That is the burden of all masters."
The hyperspace tracker attempt
While traveling through hyperspace aboard the Libertine, Rose asks DJ if he can disable help them to infiltrate the Supremacy and disable the hyperspace tracker. When DJ asks for a price, Rose and Finn promise that the Resistance can pay him later. DJ agrees to help in return for receiving Rose's gold pendant as upfront payment for his services. Finn, knowing how much the pendant means to her, orders DJ to return it, to which the criminal tells him his philosophy: "don't join." Finn also discovers that DJ and BB-8 stole the yacht from an arms dealer selling weapons to both the First Order and Resistance.
Continuing with their plan, Finn, Rose, DJ, and BB-8 infiltrate the massive Supremacy. After DJ slices through the First Order's sensor systems, he flies the Libertine inside the massive warship. They steal First Order officer uniforms from an automated laundry room and make their way to a hyperspace tracker. BB-8 is hidden under a trash container. However, the intruders are spotted by the First Order astromech droid BB-9E.
While DJ is tinkering with the tracker's systems, Finn tells Poe to be ready to jump into lightspeed at his signal. DJ managed to unlock the inner chamber of the hyperspace tracker. However, Finn and his team are soon apprehended by First Order stormtroopers led by First Order Security Bureau Colonel Ansiv Garmuth and Captain Phasma, who gloatingly welcomes Finn home. BB-8, still disguised, is able to evade capture.
Poe's mutiny
By now, the Resistance fleet is down to the Raddus and General Hux is confident of victory. Aboard the Raddus, Poe angrily confronts Vice-Admiral Holdo for being secretive about her plans. He is anxious that the Resistance is down to one ship and asks what hope they have. Holdo responds that hope is a fleeting faith.
Starring at a computer screen, Poe realizes that Holdo has ordered the refueling of all the Resistance transports. He is outraged that Holdo is abandoning the Raddus and denounces her as both a coward and a traitor. Holdo orders the guards to remove Poe from the bridge. Poe also contacts Finn, who tells him that they managed to find a code-breaker and convinces Poe to buy them more time.
Back on the Raddus, Poe tells Holdo about his unsanctioned plan to send Finn and Rose to disable the First Order's hyperspace tracker. Believing that Poe has placed the Resistance in even more danger, she orders that the transports be prepared for departure.
In response, Poe instigates a mutiny, apprehending Holdo and her command staff. Poe and the mutineers including Lieutenant Connix take over the ship's emergency command bridge and try to restart the Raddus. However, Holdo snatches a blaster and frees herself. C-3PO refuses to take part in the mutiny and heads to the door, which is being disintegrated. When the door collapses, he is startled to encounter a recovered General Organa, who stuns him.
Connix and C-3PO also surrender, ending the mutiny and allowing the evacuation to begin. In the hangar, Leia remarks that Poe is a troublemaker while Holdo remarks that she likes him. Holdo volunteers to stay behind and pilot the cruiser. Leia is unwilling to risk anymore losses but Holdo tells Leia that she taught her how. The two friends part following a handshake.
Later, a dismayed Poe awakes to see the transports evacuating from the Raddus. Commander D'Acy tells Poe that they are evacuating to an old Rebel Alliance base on nearby Crait. Leia tells Poe that she approved of Holdo's evacuation plan, and that Holdo was more concerned with protecting the light than being a hero. Holdo wishes her comrades godspeed on the bridge of the Raddus.
Snoke's trap
As the Millennium Falcon travels through hyperspace, Rey tells Chewbacca to get to safety as soon as he gets her signal to rendezvous. Rey climbs into her escape pod which is jettisoned out the Falcon after exiting hyperspace. Rey flies the pod into the hangar where she is greeted by Kylo Ren and a pair of stormtroopers, who place her in binder cuffs.
As Kylo Ren takes Rey up the turbolift to Supreme Leader Snoke's throne room, she tells him that she feels the good in him and that she saw his future. She promises to help him. Kylo Ren responds that he foresaw that she will turn to him and claims to know who her parents are. Snoke is pleased with his apprentice for delivering Rey, telling him that his faith is restored.
Snoke bids Rey to come closer, admiring Rey's strength and remarking that lightness has emerged to meet the rising darkness. Snoke says that he warned Kylo Ren that as his powers grew stronger, so would his equal in the light. He then snatches Skywalker's lightsaber from Ren's hand with the Force. Snoke uses the Force to bring Rey closer to him.
Rey warns him that he underestimates Skywalker, Ben Solo, and her; and that it would be downfall. Snoke claims that he was responsible for the mental connection between her and Ren as part of a plan to find and destroy Luke; exploiting their emotions and desires. Snoke demands that Rey reveal Skywalker's location but she remains defiant. Snoke uses the Force to levitate Rey and probes her mind for Skywalker's location.
Having probed Rey's mind and learned Skywalker's location, Snoke releases his Force grip on Rey and mocks Skywalker for his "wisdom." He vows to destroy Skywalker and the Jedi Order. Rey tries to seize Skywalker's lightsaber with the Force but Snoke uses the Force to hurl it at her. He then uses the Force to levitate her and force her to watch the destruction of the Resistance fleet through a viewport. Rey grabs Kylo Ren's lightsaber with the Force but the Elite Praetorian Guards flash their weapons. Rey charges at Snoke but he uses the Force to throw her to the ground. Kylo retrieves his lightsaber.
Resistance in peril
Meanwhile, in the Supremacy's hangar bay, Finn and Rose are brought out for a public execution in the presence of General Hux, Captain Phasma, and many First Order officers, soldiers, and pilots. Hux slaps Finn and thanks Phasma for her services. Finn and Rose learn that DJ has sold them out for his own freedom and financial gain.
Rose calls DJ a "lying snake" and struggles against her captors. DJ replies that they got caught and that the First Order was offering a better deal. DJ also reveals the Resistance's evacuation plan to the First Order, which is confirmed by the departure of 30 transports from the Raddus. General Hux orders the Supremacy to open fire on the Resistance transports, destroying several ships and inflicting heavy losses on the Resistance. Vice-Admiral Holdo orders the transports to continue their journey to Crait.
Finn denounces DJ for his treachery but the criminal is indifferent to their struggle, remarking that "they blow you up today and you blow them up tomorrow." DJ claims that it is just business but Finn disagrees. Believing Finn and Rose to be a waste of blaster bolts, Phasma orders Executioner troopers to behead them with BL-155 Laser axes.
Killing Snoke
Snoke orders Kylo Ren to kill Rey with his lightsaber. Believing he can read Ren's mind, Snoke is jubilant and mocks Rey. However, Kylo Ren uses the Force to activate Skywalker's lightsaber, which impales and cuts Snoke in half, killing the Supreme Leader. Ren uses the Force to pass Skywalker's lightsaber to Rey and the two join forces as the Praetorian guards converge upon them to avenge their fallen master. Kylo kills one with his lightsaber.
Rey manages to kill a Praetorian with her lightsaber but a second Praetorian wraps his Bilari electro-chain whip around her blade. Rey manages to break free by impaling the guard with her blade. A third guard divides his Vibro-arbir blade in half and charges at Rey. Ren is cornered by three guards but he breaks free and impales one, before throwing his body into a generator where he is disintegrated. As the three other guards converge on him, Kylo kills two but is grabbed by one who traps him in a headlock.
Rey is trapped by the other guard but manages to break free by dropping her blade and then slashing him. Rey helps Kylo to kill the last guard by handing him Skywalker's lightsaber, which he uses to impale the guard through the head, killing him. Rey implores Kylo Ren to order the First Order gunners to stop bombarding the Resistance fleet but Ren tells her to let the past die including the Jedi, Sith, Resistance and the First Order. He invites her to rule the galaxy by his side.
When Rey refuses, Kylo compels Rey to admit what she thinks she knew all along: that her parents were insignificant junkers who sold her for drinking money, and that they are dead and buried in the wastes of Jakku. He tells her that she comes from nothing and is nothing but not to him. Ren pleads with Rey to join him by his side.
Holdo's sacrifice
Seeing the Resistance fleet in peril, Holdo climbs into the helm of the Raddus. Not realizing Holdo's plans, Hux orders the Supremacy to continue firing. Using the Force, Rey and Kylo struggle for possession of Skywalker's lightsaber until it breaks into two, causing a large explosion.
Watching the Raddus powering away, Connix thinks she is running away but Poe disagrees. Holdo sacrifices herself to ram the Raddus into the Supremacy at lightspeed, cleaving it in two and destroying much of its escort fleet instantly. The resulting explosion sets the Supremacy's cargo hold aflame and interrupts Finn and Rose's execution.
Amidst the inferno, Rose helps Finn up and the two search for a shuttle. However, Finn and Rose are cornered by Phasma and several stormtroopers. Before she can eliminate them, BB-8 commandeers a docked First Order AT-ST walker and intervenes, blasting the troopers. Finn and Phasma duel amidst the chaos. Phasma manages to knock Finn to the ground with her staff. Rose and Phasma exchange fire.
With Phasma distracted, Finn knocks her to the ground with his Z6 riot control baton. With her helmet shattered, Phasma denounces him as "scum" but Finn retorts that he is "rebel scum." Phasma falls to her death in a fiery chasm when the floor beneath her gives way. Finn, Rose, and BB-8 then flee the Supremacy, commandeering a Xi-class light shuttle.
In Snoke's chamber, Hux surveys the corpses of Snoke and his guards in disbelief. He sees the unconscious Ren and prepares to shoot him, but is forced to relent when Ren awakes. Learning that Rey has escaped on Snoke's escape shuttle, Ren frames her for Snoke's death, but Hux knew that he was lying. Ren then orders Hux to prepare for a ground assault on Crait. This causes Hux to explode in fury at his rival's presumptuousness, but Ren angrily Force chokes him into submission, declaring himself the new Supreme Leader.
Battle of Crait
On Crait, the surviving Resistance fighters regroup at the abandoned rebel base, which was once a mine. General Organa orders her forces to shut the shield door. Pursued by TIE fighters, Finn, Rose, and BB-8 crash-land their stolen shuttle inside the base. Following a brief shootout, a brief reunion ensues with Poe hugging BB-8. Rose leads the search for weapons and finds rusted ammunition and several old ski speeders. Poe and Leia also send a distress signal to their allies in the Outer Rim Territories, seeking help.
Shortly later, they sense the earth shaking while the vulptices scurry away. They realize that the First Order Army has arrived with a phalanx of AT-AT, AT-M6 walkers and a superlaser siege cannon. C-3PO informs the others that BB-8 has done a schematics of the cave and found that there is only one entrance. Finn encourages the Resistance by reassuring them that allies will come and proposes that they take out the siege cannon.
While Resistance soldiers under General Caluan Ematt man the trenches and laser batteries, Poe, Finn, and Rose lead a charge with 13 old ski speeders to destroy the First Order assault force's massive siege cannon. Realizing that the Resistance is in the mine, Kylo Ren orders his forces to push them and dispatches TIE fighters. The speeders try to break off but several are destroyed by TIE fighters, which also strafe the trenches, killing many Resistance soldiers.
Rose is pursued by three TIE fighters but Rey and Chewbacca arrive in the Falcon, shooting them down. The Falcon also draws the TIE fighters away, shooting down several. Kylo Ren orders his forces to take that "piece of junk out of the skies." The Falcon leads the pursuing TIE fighters into a canyon. The ship's sensor dish and rear cannon are crushed against the rocks, but several TIE fighters also collide with the rocks. Chewbacca, with a porg watching, fly the Falcon into a canyon that leads to the surface.
Finn and Rose approach the superlaser siege cannon, which begins powering up. Supreme Leader Ren and General Hux order their walkers to concentrate fire on the speeders, destroying several. Poe thinks it is a suicide mission and orders Finn to retreat but Finn is determined to take out the cannon. He accelerates his speeder, ignoring Rose's pleas.
Before Finn can complete his suicide mission, Rose prevents Finn from sacrificing himself to destroy the battering ram cannon, which then blasts a hole in the fortress. Poe and the surviving Abednedo pilot retreat into the trenches with the surviving soldiers. Finn climbs out of his wrecked speeder and rescues an injured Rose. When he asks why she stopped his mission, Rose replies that they survive by "saving what we love."
As the superlaser burns through the gate of the Crait base, Kylo Ren orders his forces to storm the base and show no quarter to the Resistance. Connix informs D'Acy that the Resistance broadcast has reached multiple points but that they have received no response. Leia laments that the galaxy has lost hope.
Light versus darkness
Leia is comforted by the unexpected arrival of Luke. After a brief exchange, Luke expresses his regret and informs Leia of his intention to confront Ren. Leia expresses her belief that her son is beyond redemption, but Luke assures her that hope remains. Luke presents Han's lucky dice to Leia before proceeding through the gate to face Ren and the First Order, observed by C-3PO and the rest of the Resistance.
Luke faces Ren alone outside the damaged entrance, affording the surviving Resistance fighters an opportunity to escape. Ren commands the First Order's walkers to bombard Luke's position with intense turbolaser fire. Despite Hux's reservations about the excessive firepower, Luke emerges from the resulting crater unharmed, dismissing the First Order's attack with a casual gesture. Despite Hux's protests, Ren is determined to engage Skywalker, shoving Hux against the command shuttle's cockpit in the process.
Finn carries a wounded Rose into the Crait base on a makeshift stretcher as Ren's shuttle lands. Observing the unfolding conflict, Finn is eager to assist, but Poe recognizes that Skywalker is providing them with crucial time to escape. Poe declares that they represent the "spark of resistance" that will ultimately destroy the First Order. After consulting with C-3PO, Poe decides to follow the vulptices, hoping they will lead them to an exit.
Meanwhile, Rey utilizes the beacon to locate her Resistance comrades. She successfully tracks them down by following a group of vulptices. Finn and the Resistance discover a rock formation through which the vulptices can pass, but which is too small for them. Outside, Rey discovers the rocks and uses the Force to move them. As the Resistance fighters emerge, Rey embraces Finn.
Kylo Ren confronts his uncle in a personal lightsaber duel on the salt flats outside the base, questioning whether Luke has come to forgive him or to save his soul. Luke responds in the negative as they ignite their lightsabers. Kylo attacks Luke, but his uncle skillfully evades each strike. Luke apologizes to Ren for failing him, but Ren angrily refuses his apology, proclaiming that the Resistance is defeated, the war is over, and Luke's death will mark the end of the Jedi.
Luke retorts that both the Jedi and the Rebellion will be reborn in Rey and the Resistance, and invites Ren to strike him down, but states he will always be with him just like Han. Ren attempts to strike Luke, but is shocked to see him remain standing. He stabs his lightsaber through Luke's torso, only to realize with horror that it passes through him as if he were a ghost, revealing that Luke is still physically present on Ahch-To and has been delaying through a non-corporeal Force projection of himself. Luke bids farewell to his nephew before his projection vanishes, leaving Ren enraged.
The Rebellion's Rebirth
The strain of maintaining the projection proves too much for Luke, causing him to collapse from exhaustion. Summoning his remaining strength, he ascends to the cliff where he trained Rey and gazes out at Ahch-To's binary sunset, reminiscent of the one he witnessed on Tatooine thirty-four years prior, before his journey to become a Jedi. Luke passes away, his body disappearing as he merges with the Force.
On Crait, Leia and Rey sense Luke's passing. The First Order breaches the base, but arrive too late to prevent the remaining Resistance fighters from escaping aboard the Falcon, although not before Ren experiences another Force bond moment with Rey, who ultimately severs the connection, to his frustration.
Following their departure from Crait, Chewbacca embraces Leia. Finn opens a compartment on the Falcon to retrieve a blanket for the severely injured Rose, briefly revealing to the audience that Rey has taken the ancient Jedi texts from the original Jedi library, debunking the idea that Yoda destroyed them. After being formally introduced to Poe, Rey expresses her sorrow over Luke's death as she looks at his broken lightsaber and the group's diminished numbers. Leia, however, reassures her that Luke is at peace and that the Rebellion has everything it needs to rise again.
Later, on Canto Bight, the stable children entertain themselves with tales of Luke's exploits. They are interrupted by Bargwill Tomder, who angrily orders them to return to work. Outside, Temiri Blagg, still wearing the Resistance Ring given to him by Rose, uses the Force to summon his broom and looks up at the stars with hope.
Development
On June 20, 2014, a representative for director Rian Johnson confirmed his role as writer and director of Episode VIII. Ram Bergman, a frequent collaborator of Johnson's, joined the project as a producer, working alongside Kathleen Kennedy. Given that Lucasfilm had not yet established a narrative beyond The Force Awakens, Johnson was given the freedom to craft his own story, drawing upon the script and footage provided by The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams. After conceiving his story, Johnson presented it to Abrams for approval. Johnson noted, "From the beginning, Kathy [Kennedy] at Lucasfilm, and Bob Iger, Alan Horn, Alan Bergman, the Disney executives we worked with, not only allowed me to make the movie I wanted to make, but actively encouraged me to find what was personal in it and to pursue that."
Johnson's narrative was partly inspired by an idea from George Lucas for Episode VII, which involved Luke living in isolation in a Jedi temple and reluctantly training a young woman named Kira. Johnson stated, "I saw it as the job of this middle chapter to challenge all of those characters—let's see what happens if we knock the stool out from under them. [….] I started by writing the names of each of the characters, and thinking, 'What's the hardest thing they could be faced with?'" During the writing process, Johnson consistently consulted with the Lucasfilm Story Group and members of the cast to exchange ideas and script drafts. "For me, I outline outline outline, and I notebook notebook notebook, then the last 10 percent of the process is actually typing the script. I plan it all out first. So while I was doing that, I was going in twice a week and sitting down and just vomiting these ideas out and talking them through with Kiri Hart and her whole group." Johnson also viewed selected classic films, including The Bridge on the River Kwai, Gunga Din, Letter Never Sent, Sahara, Three Outlaw Samurai, To Catch a Thief, and Twelve O'Clock High.
There was some uncertainty regarding Abrams' connection to Johnson's script. Daisy Ridley stated that Abrams had created an outline for the film, which was subsequently rewritten by Johnson. However, Abrams refuted this, stating, "We don't write a treatment but there are countless times we came up with something and said 'oh, this would be so great for Episode VIII!' or 'Thats what we could get to in IX!' […] We also knew that certain things were inevitable in our minds but that didn't mean it would be inevitable for whoever came in next." "Larry Kasdan and I, who wrote the script together, definitely were setting things up and were conscious of the fact… which is a really weird opportunity in features to know that this was going to be the beginning of a three-picture story. So we were working on versions of what we knew we would have done or wanted to do and had meetings with Rian and Ram [Bergman], who is a producer, very early on and went over what we were thinking. But also knew that Rian had his own ideas coming in. He was going to take this thing in the place that he felt right." "So the story he told took what we were doing and went in the direction that he felt was best but that is very much in line with what we were thinking as well." Greg Grunberg also claimed that Abrams was so impressed by the script that he regretted not directing it himself. Abrams later clarified, "I think that my enthusiasm for VIII is enormous. I think [Grunberg] also might have invented a couple of the quotes that he gave, but I am very much excited for and very jealous of anyone, especially Rian, who gets to work so closely with this extraordinary cast and crew."
Production
Initial filming took place in September 2015 on Skellig Michael, an island located off the coast of mainland Ireland. The island served as the setting for the planet Ahch-To, which was first seen at the conclusion of The Force Awakens and plays a significant role in The Last Jedi; the production design drew inspiration from the real-world characteristics of Skellig Michael. This sequence was filmed using IMAX cameras. Before their departure, the crew donated €10,000 to the ferry service that provided transportation to and from the island.
Official production commenced in England in February 2016, under the working title of Space Bear. The production utilized 14 stages at Pinewood Studios and a total of 125 sets, with many crew members from Episode VII returning. Several cast members underwent extensive physical training in preparation for filming. Similar to the original trilogy, the character of Yoda was created using entirely practical effects, with a new puppet constructed based on the original molds from The Empire Strikes Back. Frank Oz reprised his role as the character's operator and voice. From March 9 to 16, filming took place in Dubrovnik, Croatia, followed by a twelve-week return to Ireland in County Cork. Several members of the production team likened the experience of making the film to working on an independent production. Johnson personally captured many of the behind-the-scenes photographs. He also filmed a short segment for Episode IX at the request of former Episode IX director Colin Trevorrow, who also requested that Johnson include the scene of Poe and Rey introducing themselves. Carrie Fisher collaborated with Johnson on some of the dialogue, in sessions he described as "stream-of-consciousness ad-lib." Following a suggestion from Fisher, several characters in the film wear some form of jewelry. Hamill was taken aback by the changes in his character and developed a personal backstory to effectively portray the role. In an interview with Polygon, Hamill described the security measures on set: "You get your pages in the morning, and they take them from you as you walk so they can shred them before it somehow leaks. You have security lines you have to walk through, both to and from set. And, not to mention, you have to wear these big monk hoods to protect your costume from drones." By June 2016, filming was "in the home stretch." Principal photography concluded on July 22, 2016.
Post-production
Johnson began editing on August 15, 2016. His initial cut exceeded three hours and included complete sequences that were ultimately removed from the final film. Carrie Fisher passed away on December 27, 2016. Although she had finished filming, she had not recorded all of her ADR, which required significant effort from the film's sound editors. Relatively few pick-ups were necessary, primarily related to the Canto Bight sequence and refining the character of Holdo. John Williams returned to compose the score, which was recorded from December 2016 to June 2017, using a 101-piece orchestra and a 64-voice choir. On September 21, 2017, Johnson announced that post-production was complete.
Release and Reception
Disney chairman Bob Iger originally announced the release date for Episode VIII as May 26, 2017, forty years and one day after the release of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, but the release date was later shifted to December 15, 2017. Rian Johnson first publicly discussed the film at a panel during Celebration Europe. The film's title, The Last Jedi, was revealed on January 23, 2017. The title announcement was accompanied by the release of a logo for the film featuring the Star Wars logo in red, deviating from its traditional yellow. This color variation, previously seen in Return of the Jedi and in "Brothers" and "Revenge," episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars centered on Darth Maul, led some to speculate that the filmmakers were hinting at dark events within the film. The title's announcement also sparked a wave of online speculation regarding the identity of the "last Jedi," with some pointing out that the term "Jedi" can be used in the plural. (Foreign translations also rendered the title in the plural.) However, Rian Johnson later clarified that it specifically refers to Luke Skywalker.
Footage from The Last Jedi was presented to Disney shareholders in March 2017, including a preview of the film's opening, which directly follows the conclusion of The Force Awakens. Disney CEO Bob Iger, having viewed the film, described it as a "perfect chapter" in the saga, assuring that "I can promise you it's worth the wait." On April 11, Hamill and Ridley appeared on Good Morning America to promote the Force for Change charity; one of the prizes was a trip for two to the premiere of The Last Jedi. The cast and crew participated in a Last Jedi panel at Celebration Orlando. At the conclusion of the panel, Johnson revealed a teaser poster and teaser trailer. The film was featured in the May 2017 issue of Vanity Fair (with on-set photographs of the cast and crew by Annie Leibovitz) and in the August and December 2017 issues of Entertainment Weekly. Johnson and the cast also appeared at July's D23, during which a behind-the-scenes featurette was released. Leading up to the release, the cast and crew made various media appearances to promote the film, including Ellen, Good Morning America, Live with Kelly and Ryan, The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Conan, and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Cast members were also featured in contemporary issues of Elle, TIME, Esquire, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times, and Johnson and the cast participated in Facebook/Twitter Q&As.
The theatrical trailer and poster debuted on October 9, 2017, during Monday Night Football, after which tickets became available for purchase. Johnson advised fans concerned about spoilers to avoid the trailer. On October 24, USA Today published an exclusive behind-the-scenes video. A TV spot titled "Awake" premiered during the November 1 broadcast of the World Series. Behind-the-scenes content was shown before theatrical screenings of other Disney films. The official Star Wars Tumblr hosted a contest in which fan art was showcased at the film's world premiere, held on December 9, 2017.
Continuity
The film depicts the first meeting between Rey and Poe, a scene that was originally cut from Star Wars: The Force Awakens but appeared in the film's novelization.
In a discussion regarding Vice Admiral Holdo's tactic to destroy the Supremacy, Lucasfilm Story Group member Pablo Hidalgo referenced a similar maneuver from an episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, emphasizing that Holdo's maneuver occurred under unique circumstances—echoing a 2018 comment made by Johnson to /Film: "The fact that Hux doesn't see it coming means it's probably not a standard military maneuver. I think it was something that Holdo pulled out of her butt in the moment."
Adaptations and Tie-in Media
The film's merchandise line was launched on September 1, 2017, known as Force Friday II; Target initiated its Force Friday campaign early with a video focusing on Rey and female fans. Similar to The Force Awakens, the months leading up to the release of The Last Jedi saw the publication of numerous novels, short stories, comics, reference books, and activity books, collectively known as Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Created by various authors, these works explore diverse topics related to The Last Jedi and other aspects of the Star Wars universe. Toy merchandise includes many plush toys based on the porgs introduced in the film, as well as various action figures, including action figures of porgs.
Lucasfilm established licensing tie-ins with Ample Hills, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Cargo Cosmetics, Christian Louboutin, Go-Gurt,, Dole, General Mills, Hot Topic, Nissan, Philips, rag & bone, Samsung, Verizon, and Vizio. The UK's Royal Mail released a series of The Last Jedi-themed postal stamps. Disney added The Last Jedi-themed content to its Star Tours: The Adventures Continue ride, including the new planet Crait. The video game Star Wars Battlefront II features sequel-trilogy characters as they appear in The Last Jedi. Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes introduced The Last Jedi characters and material. LEGO released an online minigame, "The Last Jedi" 360 Experience. ILMxLAB's Star Wars: Droid Repair Bay is a virtual-reality experience that ties into the film.
The film's soundtrack was released in physical form and digital download on December 15, 2017, coinciding with the film's theatrical premiere. Many of the books previously announced on Force Friday were also released on this day; the remaining titles, including the novelization and various other adaptations, were released in early 2018.
Home Video
The film became available on digital platforms on March 13, 2018, and on physical media on March 27. Several physical editions were released:
- Best Buy exclusive (Blu-ray/DVD/Digital; SteelBook packaging) [129]
- Best Buy exclusive (4k/Blu-ray/Digital; SteelBook packaging) [129]
- DVD only [130]
- Multi-screen Edition (Blu-ray/Digital) [129] Disney Movie Club–exclusive Multi-screen Edition (includes DVD copy and lithograph)[130]
- Target exclusive (Blu-ray/DVD/Digital; includes "Meet the Porgs" featurette and a 40-page booklet) [129]
- Ultimate Collector's Edition (4K/Blu-ray/Digital) [129]
- Walmart exclusive (Blu-ray/DVD/Digital; interchangeable covers) [131]
Bonus features include:
- The Director and the Jedi – An in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie with writer-director Rian Johnson, exploring his personal journey through the production and the experience of directing a global franchise.
- Balance of the Force – An exploration of the mythology of the Force and Rian Johnson's unique interpretation of its role.
- Scene Breakdowns "Lighting the Spark: Creating the Space Battle" – A detailed examination of the epic space battle, from the sounds that drive the action to the practical and visual effects and the characters who bring it to life. "Snoke and Mirrors" – A look at the motion capture process and the creation of the film's villain, Snoke. "Showdown on Crait" – An analysis of the creation of the movie's final confrontation, including the interplay between real-world locations and visual effects, the reimagining of the walkers, and the design of the crystal foxes.
- Andy Serkis Live! (One Night Only) – Writer-director Rian Johnson presents two exclusive sequences from the movie featuring Andy Serkis' performance before his digital transformation into Snoke.
- Deleted Scenes – With an introduction and optional commentary by writer-director Rian Johnson.
- Audio Commentary – An in-depth audio commentary of the film by writer-director Rian Johnson.
Each purchase also includes access to a music-only version of the film.
Reception ‡
Star Wars creator George Lucas described the film as "beautifully made." Conversely, actor Mark Hamill stated: "I'm sort of like a musician. I read the music, and I try to play it to the best of my ability. That doesn't necessarily mean I like the tune, but that's not my job."
Regarding negative reactions, Rian Johnson commented, "Lucas never made a 'Star Wars' movie by sitting down and thinking, 'What do the fans want to see?' And I knew if I wrote wondering what the fans would want, as tempting as that is, it wouldn't work, because people would still be shouting at me, 'Fuck you, you ruined "Star Wars,' and I would make a bad movie. And ultimately, that's the one thing nobody wants." In an interview with USA Today, Daisy Ridley was asked if the backlash against Johnson came as a surprise. Ridley responded: "I wasn't surprised, no. It's just a different thing. Everyone's going to have an opinion now anyway on the Internet, but I also think it's fair. If people hold something incredibly dear and think they know how it should be and it's not like that, it's fair for people to think they were done wrong," adding, "It doesn't mean they were."
As expected, the film grossed well over $200 million domestically in its opening weekend, with a final estimate of $220 million, and approximately $450 million worldwide. It was projected to surpass the billion-dollar mark within days, as fans flocked to theaters for the Christmas holiday weekend. In 2018, the film received four Academy Award nominations (including Original Score, Visual Effects, Sound Editing, and Sound Mixing) and won AARP's "Best Movie for Grownups" Award.
In late 2019, JJ Abrams, director of The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker, told Rolling Stone: "When I read his first draft, it made me laugh, because I saw that was his take and his voice. I got to watch cuts of the movie as he was working on it, as an audience member. And I appreciated the choices he made as a filmmaker that would probably be very different from the choices that I would have made. Just as he would have made different choices if he had made Episode VII." He also told The New York Times: "On the other hand, it's a bit of a meta approach to the story. I don't think that people go to 'Star Wars' to be told, 'This doesn't matter.'" Abrams added that the sequel trilogy was "a story that I think needed a pendulum swing in one direction in order to swing in the other."