Star Wars: The Last
Jedi is a good movie. Some people call
it one
of the best Star Wars movies;
others not
so much.
Either way, I’ve taken inspiration from previous articles
about The
Force Awakens and made my own list of changes to make The Last Jedi better.
Disclaimer #1: This is
NOT a nerd rant. Think of it more as a geek thesis, or “geeksis.”
Disclaimer #2: SPOILERS
. . .
Five Changes to Make “The Last Jedi”
Better (in order of importance):
#1. Replace Amilyn Holdo
with Admiral Ackbar
This is the biggie. If The
Last Jedi had made this one change, the film would automatically be a hundred times better.
Rebel Admiral (and meme king) Gial Ackbar had
an unceremonious off-screen death in the first third of The Last Jedi, which has drawn much
ire from fans.
I’m okay with off-screen deaths, as they can be just as emotional
and even more startling than on-screen demises. However, Ackbar certainly
deserved better.
Consider an early scene in The Last Jedi when the rebels learn of losing nearly all their leadership,
including a comatose Leia. A murmur runs through the crowd, with questions of
who remains to lead them.
Instead of a purple-haired officer NO ONE has met (audience,
and many rebels, from the look of things), a familiar Mon Calamari’s squishy
feet step into view. This reveal alone would bring hope to the heroes and cheers
from the crowd.
Moreover, think of the enusing conflict between Rebel leadership
and pilot Poe Dameron about military strategy. The eventual mutiny would be
especially powerful.
As it’s written, The
Last Jedi provides little tension for the heroes. Audience members
obviously root for Poe, since we know his personality and have seen his work.
Laura Dern’s Admiral Holdo is also a hero (we’re told), but aside from her
purple hair and smug demeanor, we got nothing. Why would we care about her
point of view?
Replace Holdo with Ackbar and viewers are admittedly torn
between up-and-comer Poe and established leader Ackbar (whom we’ve admired ever
since The Return of the Jedi).
Even better, imagine the final sacrifice of Admiral Holdo and
give that dramatic exit to Admiral Ackbar. Hyperspace kamikaze into enemy
mother ship is so much better than “Oh, yeah. He’s dead, too.”
#2. Lando in Canto
The casino on Canto Bight boasts all kinds of extravagant aliens
and elegant creatures. One face is missing: Lando Calrissian’s. Lando’s return alone would make the subplot
side trip worth it.
Everyone knows Lando has a thing for gambling, so this is
the perfect place to reintroduce our favorite sweet-talking swindler. With The Last Jedi being the second film in the
new trilogy, there’s even a nice symmetry for Lando’s presence, who first appeared
in The Empire Strikes Back.
Billy Dee Williams has frequently voice-acted as Lando since
the original movies (audio
books, animation),
so it seems he’s willing to contribute in his most famous role.
We know Donald Glover plays a young
Lando in the upcoming Star Wars: Solo
film. Hopefully Billy Dee Williams can portray an elder Lando in the follow-up
to The Last Jedi.
(One idea: Open with a funeral for Leia—who died a peaceful
death—and Lando returns to pay his respects and eventually join the fight, co-piloting
the Millennium Falcon with Chewbacca while Rey does whatever Jedi thing
requiring lightsabers.)
#3. Snoke Clone
After The Force
Awakens, many fans created all kinds of theories about Supreme Leader
Snoke, with hopes the evil leader would reveal more of his past in future
movies.
The Last Jedi didn’t
do much, except slice Snoke in half.
And I’m fine with that. It was a terrific build-up and
pay-off to show Kylo Ren taking his own path. The sequence also contrasted
nicely with Emperor Palpatine’s throne room scenes in The Return of the Jedi.
One thing lacks, and it would only take one line of
dialogue: What is Snoke’s deal?
How’d he get so powerful and evil? Where’d he come from?
All we need is Snoke saying something self-congratulatory
about himself, how he was the sole surviving member of Emperor Palpatine’s private
stash of clones. His grotesque body shows signs of the imperfect cloning
process, which claimed the lives of every other potential successor.
It’s not that far-fetched. Clones have been around since the
prequels, and Dark Horse created an entire clone Emperor story in
their “Dark Empire” comic book series.
Side Note: One
line is also all we need to learn why General Hux is in command of the First
Order. Isn’t he a little young to be in control of a galactic army? Explain why
with Hux mentioning how he graduated top of his class and climbed the ranks by
any means necessary.
Think of those nerdy kids
who never let anyone forget they graduated valedictorian in high school, college,
and kindergarten. That’s General Hux. He could remind us of his ruthless,
savage preeminence during a brief exchange with his surrogate sibling rival
Kylo Ren.
#4. Let Phasma Shine
The coolest Star Wars baddies always get the short end of
the stick. Boba Fett. Darth Maul. And now, evidently, Captain Phasma.
People complained about this in The Force Awakens, and many offered the solution of putting Phasma
in place of the FN-2199 Stormtrooper (“TR-8R!”)
who dueled with Finn outside Maz Kanata’s castle.
Since that change didn’t happen in The Force Awakens, Phasma should have made an earlier appearance in
The Last Jedi, starting with the
first scene. She could have led a Stormtrooper squad into the Resistance’s base,
kicking tail and leaving a trail of fallen rebels. This way, there is more
weight to Phasma’s later confrontation with Finn and Rose on Snoke’s ship.
Who knows? Maybe Phasma will return in future
films. Or maybe she’ll shine in stories elsewhere—comics,
books, cartoons, video games, etc.—just like Boba Fett, Darth Maul, and others.
Speaking of underused antagonists . . .
#5. Knights of Ren
Who the heck are these people? The Force Awakens alludes to the Knights as Kylo Ren’s cronies when
he rebelled against Luke Skywalker. Did they all die in the process? Are any
still around? I’d like better answers than more
fan theories.
Can we meet these Knights (or a replacement crew) in the
next film? It would make perfect sense
to see Kylo Ren creating his own force-sensitive disciples and assassins. The
Last Jedi has nicely set up the next generation of heroes and villains to
continue the story. If done right, the results
will be epic.
To reiterate, The Last Jedi is a good film.
It is visually gorgeous (especially the last third), funny,
and refuses to play it safe.
Most importantly, The Last
Jedi elevates new characters while honoring the previous era’s iconic cast (Ackbar
notwithstanding). Mark Hammill gives an
award-deserving performance as Luke Skywalker, and here’s hoping he can return
as a “force ghost” in the future.
At the same time, Star
Wars is more than the Skywalkers’ family story, an idea The Last Jedi presents and promises for subsequent
films.
“See you around, kid.”
