Warning: Spoilers for Star Wars: The Last Jedi follow…
One of the complaints that fans have levelled at Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi is General Leia’s use of Force powers in order to save herself during one of the movie’s many space battles. Chatting with EW, Rian Johnson himself took the time to explains his reasoning for including the scene:
“She kept asking, ‘Leia’s a Skywalker, Luke gave her this speech in Jedi and told her basically, ‘You have this potential, too.’ It seemed to me it would be a really emotionally impactful thing to see her use it. I liked the idea it would be an instinctual thing. This would be more like stories you hear about parents of toddlers who get caught under cars and they get Hulk strength and lift the car up. It would be something in these final moments to show that she’s not done with the fight. And like a drowning person pulling herself back, that’s how it manifests itself for the first time in her.”
SEE ALSO: Rian Johnson on Supreme Leader Snoke’s role in Star Wars: The Last Jedi
SEE ALSO: Rian Johnson and Mark Hamill discuss Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Star Wars: The Last Jedi has ended up being a pretty polarizing film. Critics seem to adore it, while many fans feel betrayed by the direction that Rian Johnson decided to take the franchise. What did you think of the film? Is it on par with the best of them, like The Empire Strikes Back, or does it fall closer to the prequels in your eyes? Let us know in the comments!
In Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the Skywalker saga continues as the heroes of The Force Awakens join the galactic legends in an epic adventure that unlocks age-old mysteries of the Force and shocking revelations of the past.
Star Wars: The Last Jedisees returning cast members Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa), Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), Daisy Ridley (Rey), John Boyega (Finn), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), Lupita Nyong’o (Maz Kanata), Domhnall Gleeson (General Hux), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Gwendoline Christie (Captain Phasma), Billie Lourd (Lieutenant Connix), Andy Serkis (Supreme Leader Snoke), Peter Mayhew and Joonas Suotamo (Chewbacca), Tim Rose (Admiral Ackbar), Mike Quinn (Nien Nunb), Simon Pegg (Unkar Plutt), and Warwick Davis joined by new additions Jimmy Vee (Pan) as R2-D2, Kelly Marie Tran (Ladies Like Us) as Rose, and Benicio Del Toro (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Laura Dern (Jurassic Park).
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Originally published December 19, 2017. Updated December 2, 2022.
