10 Best Moments from ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’

The latest film in the Star Wars saga was unlike any other that came before, pushing the characters into new directions that excited some fans while leaving others nonplussed.

But Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the most successful film at the box office in 2017, promising a bold new direction for the galaxy far, far away as it moves further from the original trilogy. The new movie from writer and director Rian Johnson pushed the boundaries of what a Star Wars film can be, while respecting everything that came before.

The new film pushed Rey, Kylo Ren, Finn, and Poe in unexpected directions, challenging the characters introduced in The Force Awakens in ways that saw them stretched to the brink. And while the First Order and the Dark Side had some key victories over their dwindled foes, the Resistance managed to restore a spark of hope to the galaxy.

While this might have served as a warm up for Johnson’s upcoming Star Wars trilogy, unconnected from the Skywalker saga we know and love, it also serves as a great coda to Luke Skywalker‘s journey that ended in Return of the Jedi and a recognition of the prequel trilogy’s impact on the future.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi was loaded with epic scenes, but there were quite a few that stand out among the rest. Here are the 10 best scenes from Lucasfilm’s latest entry in the ongoing Star Wars saga.

Chewie Cooks a Porg

One of Chewbacca’s most memorable scenes in the new Star Wars franchise came when he was at his hungriest, just wanting to feast on the finest game Ahch-To had to offer.

Whether the wookie actually ate a porg or not is a mystery. After capturing, killing, plucking, and cooking two of the bird-like creatures native to the Force-sensitive planet, Chewie was guilted into a pause after a murder of porgs looked at him with sorrowful eyes. After scaring them away, Chewbacca couldn’t bring himself to take a bite of their delicious flesh.

Even still, the scene was hilarious.

 

Poe’s Attack

After being left on the sidelines throughout the course of The Force Awakens, Poe Dameron finally received the spotlight as he took on the First Order by himself.

The former commander managed to take on a Dreadnaught class Star Destroyer, taking out its defense turrets to clear the way for a bombing squad. While the move turned out to be a disastrous military strategy, it did give Poe a moment to shine as he single-handedly took on the might of the First Order.

Sure, Poe probably hurt the fleet in the long run, but he managed to make a devastating impact on the fleet in their attempt to destroy the Resistance.

 

-8 Shoots Coins at a Cop After a Drunk Goblin Shoved Them Inside of Him

While it wasn’t loaded with the revelations most fans were expecting, this scene was right in line with the scene in The Empire Strikes Back, when Luke Skywalker goes into the cave in Dagobah.

While the effects work was blatantly obvious, the use of repetition added a sense to the lore that the cycle would not be broken — echoed later in the film by Supreme Leader Snoke’s own comment about darkness rising and light to meet it.

It didn’t outright reveal who Rey’s parents were, as many were expecting, but it did show that she would have to rely on herself to make her own destiny.

 

Rey’s Vision

While it wasn’t loaded with the revelations most fans were expecting, this scene was right in line with the scene in The Empire Strikes Back, when Luke Skywalker goes into the cave in Dagobah.

While the effects work was blatantly obvious, the use of repetition added a sense to the lore that the cycle would not be broken — echoed later in the film by Supreme Leader Snoke’s own comment about darkness rising and light to meet it.

It didn’t outright reveal who Rey’s parents were, as many were expecting, but it did show that she would have to rely on herself to make her own destiny.

Finn and Phasma Duel

Set up in the opening scene of The Force Awakens, Finn and Captain Phasma finally face off. Their confrontation is personal, stretching beyond the protocol of First Order rules and more important than escaping an exploding ship;

Phasma sees Finn as a failure, and he sees his former commanding officer as a source of oppression that needs to be eliminated. The two have an awesome standoff that doesn’t have the benefit of lightsabers, pushing the Star Wars saga past the usual Jedi-on-Jedi action sequences.

 

Holdo’s Sacrifice

While it seemed that Admiral Holdo would be ineffectual in the grand scheme of things, her brief presence on the Star Wars saga had a major impact on the survival of the Resistance. After Finn and Rose’s misplaced trust in DJ served to bite them in the ass, Holdo made the ultimate sacrifice for her allies.

She seemed to be the typical authoritarian antagonist, easy to hate for her strategies that seemed counter to the Resistance’s success, she ended up being one of the greatest heroes in the movie, willing to sacrifice herself for the greater good. And when her plan started to go south, she still managed to strike a major blow with some quick thinking and a functional hyper drive.

 

The Millennium Falcon Arrives

When the speeders on Crait look to be driving headfirst into a suicide mission, the Millennium Falcon makes its long awaited entry into the fight and manages to take on the bulk of the aerial forces. It also gives Chewbacca his first moment to shine as the lone pilot of the smuggler ship, while Rey uses her Force-guided abilities to take out the opposing TIE Fighters.

When the Falcon arrives, heralded by the silhouette flying overhead and shooting down enemy forces, it’s one of the most epic scenes in an already monumental moment. Chewbacca taking the TIE pursuers into the caverns of Crait and escaping unscathed was also epic, proving that the wookie is more than capable of piloting the classic ship on his own.

 

Luke and Kylo Ren Face Off

One of the most subversive moments in the entire Star Wars trilogy, Luke Skywalker proved to be the legend that the galaxy needed while simultaneously belittling his nephew to the point of humiliation in front of all of his colleagues.

While some would have preferred to see Luke ignite his green lightsaber and flip all over the surface of Crait like Yoda 2.0, this scene managed to show that Luke had the restraint, despair, and fortitude to sacrifice himself for the good of the galaxy.

Luke Skywalker became exactly what the galaxy needed, and left an impact on Kylo Ren that will run as deep as the scar on his face, echoing Han Solo with his final words: “See you around, kid.”

Rey and Kylo Ren Fight Snoke’s Guard

It’s crazy to think that one of the best fights in a Star Wars movie didn’t even have two lightsabers crashing against each other.

Instead, fans were dealt a wild card when Kylo Ren murdered his master and fought alongside Rey, taking out Supreme Leader Snoke’s Praetorian Guard while the rest of their allies tried to destroy the Resistance. What seemed to be a killing blow turned out to be one of the most debilitating attacks the First Order suffered, and it was aided by their new leader.

Rey and Kylo Ren’s conflicted nature seems to be the focus of the new Star Wars trilogy, and seeing the two work together — no matter how briefly — was one of the best moments in the saga. Not to mention, it was one of the best choreographed fight scene in the franchise. While we’re not likely to get another scene like it in the the future.

 

Leia and Luke’s Reunion

A bittersweet scene that’s sure to wring out a tear from even the hardest Star Wars fan’s eye, the long-awaited reunion between Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker is made much more relevant in the wake of Carrie Fisher’s passing.

But the film made major strides in building the divide with the Ahch-To scenes, with Luke Skywalker basically recognizing the prequel trilogy as the reason for the Jedi’s incompetence.

When he finally comes face to face with Leia, even if it is a Force trick, it still carries the weight of the franchise’s history AND real-world events. Luke and Leia speak their final words to each other, and with the knowledge that it was Fisher’s last appearance in the franchise, his words resonate even more.

“No one’s ever really gone.”

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