‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Director Details Kylo’s Motivation When Confronting Snoke

The Last Jedi delivered audiences countless jaw-dropping moments, with one of the most surprising being the moment Kylo Ren finally confronted Supreme Leader Snoke. While the moment may have shocked fans, writer/director Rian Johnson revealed that Kylo knew exactly what he was doing from the moment the scene began.

“In my mind, he walks in there knowing basically that he is going to betray Snoke but he doesn’t know yet exactly what the mechanism is and what his opportunity is going to be,” the filmmaker revealed at a recent Q&A. “But he’s gone in there with the intent of, whether it’s now or whether it’s later or whenever it is, when he brings Rey in there, he’s had that connection with her and what he says in the elevator… from that, in my head I thought, ‘Okay, he knows he’s going to do this but he doesn’t know how yet’ and when he sees that opportunity with that lightsaber next to him and sees Snoke distracted and realizes he can give this an attempt, he goes for it.”

Kylo’s motivation in this scene may have been very clear to the character, but the same can’t be said of the rest of the film.

The last time audiences see Kylo, he has just picked up an image of his father’s dice and looks at the Millenium Falcon leaving Crait. When an audience member asked Johnson what was going through the character’s head in that moment, Johnson pointed out that the beauty was in the moment’s ambiguity.

“I think that’s such a beautiful notion of, ‘What does he regret in that moment?’ It’s the same way I think about in Revenge of the Sith, that mask is coming down, that beautiful shot of Anakin’s eyes right before it goes over and you see that glimpse of… Is it fear? Is it regret? What is it? What is going through his mind at that moment?” the filmmaker elaborated. “That’s that kind of moment for Ben and I don’t want to put that moment in your guys’ head. I feel like that’s a moment that everyone should read into themselves. But just posing that question is really beautiful.”

Perhaps Episode IX will reveal more about Kylo’s thoughts in that moment, which comes to theaters on December 20, 2019.

The Last Jedi is in theaters now.

[H/T Tumblr, sleemo]