Let's be real: mentioning Star Wars: The Last Jedi in a crowded room is basically the equivalent of pulling a thermal detonator pin and just waiting for the explosion. It’s been years. We’ve had a whole new trilogy wrap up, several Disney+ shows, and a complete shift in how Lucasfilm handles the franchise, yet Rian Johnson’s middle chapter remains the most radioactive topic in the galaxy.
I remember sitting in the theater in 2017. The lights dimmed. The crawl rolled.
Then Luke Skywalker threw his father’s lightsaber over a cliff.
The collective gasp from the audience wasn’t just surprise; it was the sound of millions of fan theories evaporating in real-time. It was bold. It was arguably reckless. It was also exactly what Johnson intended. But did it actually work for the story, or did it just break the momentum that J.J. Abrams spent an entire movie building?
The Luke Skywalker Problem: Hero or Hermit?
The biggest sticking point—and honestly, the hill many fans are still willing to die on—is the characterization of Luke Skywalker. In the original trilogy, Luke is the embodiment of hope. He’s the guy who looked at a planet-killing cyborg and saw a "good man" underneath. So, seeing him as a disheveled, cynical milk-drinker who wanted the Jedi to end was a massive pill to swallow.
Mark Hamill himself famously told Rian Johnson, "I fundamentally disagree with every choice you’ve made for this character." He eventually walked that back a bit for the press tours, but the sentiment stayed. It felt like a betrayal to some. To others, it was the only logical place for a man to go after failing his nephew so spectacularly.
Think about it. If Luke is the "ultimate hero," and he loses his star pupil to the dark side because of his own brief moment of weakness, the shame would be crushing. He didn't just fail Ben Solo; he failed the legacy of the Jedi.
Snoke, Rey, and the "Nobody" Revelation
One thing Star Wars: The Last Jedi did exceptionally well—or exceptionally poorly, depending on who you ask—was subverting the mystery box.
- Supreme Leader Snoke: Fans spent two years writing 5,000-word Reddit posts about how Snoke was actually Darth Plagueis or a secret clone of Palpatine. Then Kylo Ren just... cut him in half. No backstory. No grand monologue about his origins. He was just a stepping stone for Kylo’s ascension.
- Rey’s Parents: This was the big one. After The Force Awakens teased a royal or Jedi lineage, Kylo Ren dropped the hammer: "They were filthy junk traders who sold you off for drinking money."
Honestly? That was the most powerful choice in the movie. It democratized the Force. It said you don't need to be a Skywalker or a Kenobi to be special. You can just be a "nobody" from Jakku. Of course, The Rise of Skywalker eventually walked this back by making her a Palpatine, which arguably retroactively weakened the punch of the eighth film.
The Canto Bight Detour and Why It Actually Exists
We have to talk about the Fathiers. The whole Finn and Rose mission to the casino city of Canto Bight is widely considered the weakest part of the film. It feels like a different movie. It’s colorful, it’s loud, and some argue it’s entirely pointless because their plan ultimately fails.
But that’s kind of the point of the whole movie. Failure.
Poe fails his mutiny. Finn and Rose fail to disable the tracker. Luke fails to save Ben. It’s a movie about what happens when the "cocky pilot" or the "heroic mission" doesn't actually work out. It’s gritty in a way Star Wars rarely is. Plus, it gave us DJ, played by Benicio del Toro, who pointed out the uncomfortable truth that the people selling X-Wings were also the ones selling TIE Fighters. War is a business. It was a cynical take for a franchise built on clear-cut good vs. evil.
The Visuals and That Throne Room Fight
Whatever you feel about the script, you cannot deny that Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the most visually stunning film in the entire series. Cinematographer Steve Yedlin did things with color and light that we hadn't seen in the franchise before.
The "Holdo Maneuver"—where Amilyn Holdo rams the Raddus through the Supremacy at lightspeed—is a masterclass in silence. The theater went dead quiet. The visual of the ship being sliced in two by a streak of white light against a black void is iconic.
And the throne room fight?
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Despite some minor choreography hiccups that eagle-eyed YouTubers love to point out (like the disappearing dagger), it’s an incredible sequence. The red curtains burning away to reveal the cold space outside as Rey and Kylo fight side-by-side is peak Star Wars. It teased a future where the binary of Jedi and Sith might actually dissolve.
Why the Backlash Was So Intense
The reaction to the film wasn't just about the plot. It was a cultural flashpoint. It became a battleground for discussions about "woke" storytelling, the "deconstruction of icons," and how much a creator owes a fanbase.
There was a genuine divide:
- The Critics: Loved it. It has a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. They praised the risk-taking and the departure from the "rehash" feel of The Force Awakens.
- The Fans: It has a 41% audience score. A large segment felt the movie insulted their childhoods and ignored the "rules" of the universe.
The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. The movie is technically brilliant and emotionally complex, but it also purposefully pokes the bear. It wants you to feel uncomfortable. It wants you to "let the past die." For a franchise that lives on nostalgia, that’s a dangerous message to send.
The Lasting Legacy of Episode Eight
Looking back from 2026, we can see how this film changed the trajectory of the series. After the backlash, Lucasfilm seemed to retreat into safer territory. The Rise of Skywalker felt like a direct apology for The Last Jedi, bringing back Palpatine and giving Rey a famous last name.
However, we are also seeing the "Johnson-style" storytelling live on in shows like Andor. Andor takes the cynical, grounded, "regular person" perspective that The Last Jedi flirted with and turns it up to eleven.
Whether you love or hate the eighth episode, it forced Star Wars to grow up. It asked if the Jedi were actually good for the galaxy or just a bunch of arrogant monks who kept letting the Dark Side rise under their noses. It’s a heavy question for a movie about space wizards, but it’s the reason we’re still talking about it nearly a decade later.
How to Re-evaluate the Film Today
If you haven't watched it since the theater, it might be time for a re-watch with fresh eyes. Here is how to approach it to get the most out of the experience:
- Focus on Kylo Ren's arc: Forget Luke for a second. Watch Adam Driver’s performance. He isn't just a villain; he's a traumatized kid trying to burn down the world because he doesn't fit in it. It’s one of the best performances in the whole saga.
- Look for the theme of legacy: Every main character is struggling with what they owe to the past. Rey wants a family, Poe wants to be the next Leia, and Kylo wants to destroy his grandfather's shadow.
- Watch the "Balance" scene: The sequence where Rey explores the cave on Ahch-To is some of the most experimental filmmaking in Star Wars history. It’s weird, it’s abstract, and it’s beautiful.
- Acknowledge the flaws: It’s okay to admit the Canto Bight sequence is too long or that the humor (like the "holding for General Hugs" joke) feels a bit out of place for Star Wars.
The best way to engage with the film now is to accept it for what it is: a bold, flawed, gorgeous, and deeply personal take on a universe that usually plays it safe. It didn't destroy Star Wars; it just challenged what Star Wars could be.