Five Changes to Make "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" Better

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 . . .

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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.”