Spoilers for Star Wars: The Last Jedi follow below.
Fans have been patiently waiting two years forStar Wars: The Last Jedi, but judging by some very vocal reactions, writer/directorRian Johnson’s sequel was far from what some were expecting. In this day and age we should be celebrating that a massive piece of blockbuster filmmaking can be this surprising, but some are outright rebuffing the twists and turns ofThe Last Jedi. Given that many have spent the past two years intensely speculating, theorizing, and predicting the character and plot machinations of the film, it’s hard not to think some expectations were set going in that, as it turns out,The Last Jedifilmmakers had no intention (and had made no promise) of meeting. While fan theories can be fun, as evidenced by some intense reactions toThe Last Jedi, they can also lead to major problems.
Coming out ofThe Force Awakens, one of the big questions that a lot of fans seemed to hone in on was the nature of Supreme Leader Snoke. Before we get too deep here it’s important to note that this entire newStar Warstrilogy was not mapped out from the very beginning.J.J. Abramshas been very clear about the fact thatForce Awakensevolved while he was making it, and he wasn’t necessarily building to some foregone conclusion. Moreover,one of Johnson’s stipulationsof signing on to directEpisode VIIIwas being given the freedom to come up with the story himself, and to address, build on, or disregard what he felt was necessary fromThe Force Awakens. So when Abrams madeThe Force Awakens, there was not already some lengthy, convoluted backstory built for Supreme Leader Snoke. There were ideas to be sure, but nothing was set in stone.
Regardless, folks began speculating on who, exactly, this Snoke dude was. We really only knew for sure that A) He was leading the First Order; B) Kylo Ren was his apprentice; and C) He was really, really ugly. Innumerable posts and YouTube videos were made speculating on Snoke’s true identity, his backstory, his mythology, where he fits into the franchise, etc. So imagine the shock when, inThe Last Jedi, Snoke is swiftly murdered by Kylo Ren without nary a word about his tortured upbringing or turn to the dark side.
In the film, this turn is shocking to be sure, but makes perfect sense. Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), confronted with the fact that he’s been emotionally manipulated, makes the decision to “kill his past” and, really, murder his second father. He wants to start anew, rise from the ashes and reign himself, with Rey (Daisy Ridley) beside him. This is a terrific plot development that also sets up an excitingEpisode IX. Instead of moving towards the well-worn territory of Conflicted Apprentice and 100% Evil Master, our main antagonist is Ben Solo. A complex, emotionally conflicted, and most importantlyempathetic“bad guy.” That is far, far more interesting than leading to a VFX-driven lightsaber battle with a CG baddie who is just a snarling, venom-spewing villain with a semi-interesting backstory involving acid or something.
So as it turns out, the energy spent theorizing about Snoke’s identity and backstory ultimately wasn’t fulfilled inThe Last Jedi. While this may have been a bummer for folks who were extremely invested in this particular character, the story and character choice by Johnson was inspired, and thematically on point. Moreover, no one involved with these films ever promised the audience that Snokewasgoing to be a big deal. In the lead up toThe Last Jedi, Johnson went out of his way to say thatSnoke’s backstory was not ultimately important:
“We got the whole story of Palpatine’s rise to power in the prequels, but in the original films he’s exactly what he needs to be, which is just ‘The Emperor’. He’s a dark force: the scary thing behind the thing. That was entirely how I approached Snoke. I wasn’t interested in explaining where he came from or telling his history, except where it serves this story.”
The other major point of contention seems to be the revelation of Rey’s parents. Now, it’spossibleAbrams could come up with anEpisode IXreveal in which Kylo Ren was lying to Rey about who her parents are, but Johnson and Abrams have gone on record stating thatThe Last Jedianswers this question. Rey isn’t a Skywalker. She’s not a Kenobi. She’s nobody. Her parents were junkers who sold her off to make a quick buck. Again, two years of theorizing about how Rey is related to the rest of the characters doesn’t really pay off with any major connections.
But again, this reveal is not a twist for twist’s sake. It’s actually in lock step with the entire theme ofThe Last Jedi, which is that heroes can come from anywhere. You don’t have to have noble blood or important parents. The Spark that ignites the rebellion can be an orphan from Jakku with inconsequential heritage. This is underlined time and again throughout the film, from Rose’s entire arc to the closing shot, which is of a young boy on Canto Bight who we see is Force Sensitive, and who looks to the stars with hope in his eyes.
What makes this more interesting is that, assumingCarrie Fisher’s General Leia doesn’t return, the last living Skywalker is the antagonist, Ben Solo. This isn’t a fight between brother and sister or first cousins, it’s a fight between the grandson of Darth Vader and an orphan who represents—you guessed it—A New Hope. Moreover,The Last Jedionly deepened the conflict inside Kylo Ren, so we have an internal battle to address as well. As (probably) the only living Skywalker, will he give in to the Dark Side or will he turn towards the heroic side of his heritage?
The Last Jediis not a retread ofEmpire Strikes Back, nor does it follow some archetypal trajectory to a T. It’s a bold, unique, original story that builds on what came before in surprising ways, offering twists and turns that are rooted in character development and theme. That’s a good thing, and wildly refreshing in a climate where most major blockbusters fail to surprise and rest their laurels on wowing with visual spectacle.The Last Jedihas spectacle to be sure, but is far more focused on furthering character development in interesting ways.
And if you went intoThe Last Jediwith expectations rooted in theorizing about character backstories or mythology, these twists and turns may have come as unpleasant surprises. There’s nothing wrong with theorizing in and of itself. It’s fun! And it gives you something to discuss while waiting for the next installment of the franchise. But there’s a thin line between idle speculation and fan fiction, and when this kind of theorizing grows into stories and mythologies that were never established in the films or promised by the filmmakers, it sets up unfair expectations that may lead to a rebuffing if the story the filmmakers decide to tell doesn’t match up to the one concocted on reddit.
So be a fan. Discuss the story, the characters, the mythology at length. Criticize if you so desire. But keep in mind that the filmmakers are creating this story, and they’re going to follow their own logic, their own themes, and their own feelings on where the characters go next. AsThe Last Jediproves, it’s not always going to be what you expect, and assuming the filmmakers will/have to follow up on the questions you have in the manner you expect is unfair to the film and, ultimately, yourself.
Luke warned us, after all: “This is not going to go the way you think.”
