**SPOILERS AHEAD**
No matter what side of the fence you’re on with “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” it gives us something we haven’t had for a long time in the franchise — substance worth talking about. Rian Johnson‘s entry in the saga is rich with ideas, and in many ways, challenges the foundations of the series as a whole. That’s what makes it so thrilling to watch and unpack, even as debates storm around subjects like Rey’s parents. In fact, diehard fans are struggling to believe that she comes from nothing, that her legacy is one filled with pain, and not tied to a Jedi bloodline. However, Johnson has the perfect answer for the doubters.
Speaking with THR, the writer/director points out that even in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” it’s foreshadowed that Rey’s journey is all about looking forward. Or in other words, it’s about letting go of the past….
“It was hinted at in ‘VII’ when Maz [Lupita Nyong’o] says the answers lay ahead, not behind, but it was something that was obviously still on Rey’s mind and the audience’s mind. It felt like a powerful thing that she was still holding onto this notion of the past defining her,” he explained. “And I guess I was entirely looking at it from a perspective of…what would be the thing that would be the most difficult for her to hear? The easiest thing for her to hear would be, ‘Yes, you are so and so’s daughter.’ Or ‘Yes, here’s where you fit into this. Here’s the answer.’ The tougher thing to hear is, ‘You’re going to have to stand on your own two feet, you’re going to have to figure out what you’re worth in this world yourself. Your place in this story is not going to be handed to you. You are going to have to find it.’ That to me was the most interesting and toughest thing for Rey.”
Again, it’s a great answer from Johnson, who continues to prove he knows the saga inside and out. This deep knowledge has also come in handy when defending how the Force works in the film, with some complaining that Luke’s Force projection, or the Force connection between Rey and Kylo, somehow breaks the rules George Lucas established. We’ll let Johnson take it from here….
I think you’re reaching at very best.
— Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) January 12, 2018
In my mind, I don’t believe these scenes clearly setup up the concept of astral projection. It does set up the idea of that astral projection would result in death. I also don’t think at messaging a filmmaker into a conversation like this is cool.
— Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) January 12, 2018
I should stay out of this but… were ANY aspects of force use in the OT (force grabbing objects, force ghosts, even the jedi mind trick) explicitly “set up” before they happened? I’ll take my answer off air. pic.twitter.com/2dvvZynizE
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) January 12, 2018
Score another point for Johnson.
Lastly, the filmmaker explains why in the climactic showdown between (Force projected) Luke and Kylo Ren, the Jedi master looks like a younger version of himself. It’s an answer you probably figured out already — or should have inferred — but in case it didn’t connect, he’s happy to explain. Johnson also reveals why Kylo didn’t notice that Luke is holding his lightsabre, which had been destroyed earlier.
“We as an audience saw that,” Johnson told IGN. “The truth is, we see the lightsaber split in half [but] Kylo sees a blinding flash of light and is knocked unconscious, and then Rey takes the lightsaber away before he wakes up. So if you really want to dig into it and get an explanation, you can say that he doesn’t 100 percent know what happened to the lightsaber.”
“[Luke] is basically tailoring this projection to have maximum effect on Kylo. He knows that Kylo’s Achilles heel is his rage, and so that’s why he kind of makes himself look younger, the way Kylo would’ve last seen him in their confrontation at the temple, and that’s why he decided to bring Kylo’s grandfather’s lightsaber down there—the lightsaber that Kylo screamed at Rey, ‘That’s mine, that belongs to me,’ ” he added.
Disagree with Johnson? Want to nitpick? Hit the comments section. “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” is now playing everywhere in the galaxy.