- Director Rian Johnson explained in a recent interview why the final scene in "The Last Jedi" is so important.
- Johnson admits that the scene, which has split "Star Wars" fans, was also heavily discussed in the edit room.
Warning: Spoilers below if you haven't seen "Star Wars: The Last Jedi."
If you're kind of mixed about the final scene in "The Last Jedi," you're not alone. It turns out it was heavily discussed during the editing of the movie.
Director Rian Johnson has had to weather the storm of social media reaction for his "Star Wars" movie, as its dramatic deaths and moments that seemingly contradict what was set up in "The Force Awakens" has split fans of the saga. But one of the most polarizing moments is its final scene.
Following a scene in which the Resistance escape the clutches of Kylo Ren and the First Order (thanks to a major assist by Luke Skywalker) and fly off in the Millennium Falcon all laughing and hugging, a scene follows in which we return to Canto Bight to see the stable kids of the Fathiers (aka, space horses) acting out the heroics of Skywalker. After being chased off by their master, we follow one boy, Temiri, walking outside and using the Force to grab his broom. He then looks up to the stars, we see he's wearing a ring bearing the symbol of the Resistance, and the credits roll.
The scene leaves audiences with more questions than answers. Will we see more of him in "Episode IX? Is Johnson introducing us to the character we will follow in the new, non-Skywalker family trilogy he's creating for "Star Wars"? Was the scene even necessary?
Johnson recently spoke to Empire and addressed the final scene:
"That was something I really stuck to, and believe me, we went back and forth in the editing room," Johnson said. "In the script, when I wrote that scene in the Falcon, I wrote the words, 'This seems like the perfect image to end on.'
However, Johnson wanted to show how Skywalker's stand against the First Order inspired the galaxy. And that led to adding a scene.
"To me, it was really important to have that final scene, because it turns what Luke did from an act that saves 20 people into an act that inspires the galaxy," Johnson continued. "The notion that what we're setting up here is something big in the next chapter. And when Leia says, 'we have everything we need,' she's talking about everyone on the Falcon, but also about what we see next, which is we now have a galaxy that has seen this beacon of hope and is getting inspired to fight the good fight."
Johnson now passes the torch back to "The Force Awakens" director J.J. Abrams to finish the trilogy with "Episode IX" (opening December 2019). We will see how far Abrams goes with that inspired feel Johnson has ended on in "Jedi."
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