Star Wars: Crait’s Red Surface Was Meant to Symbolize Blood in ‘The Last Jedi’

The Star Wars films have regularly explored a variety of incredible locations, with The Last Jedi being no exception. The film’s climax took place on the mineral planet of Crait, whose stark white landscape covered its bright red surface, creating visually dynamic sequences. Not only did the planet create some exciting visuals, but writer/director Rian Johnson shared that the red soil helped convey the carnage of the battle, as he couldn’t soak the battlefield in blood.

“I wanted to do a big battle and communicate the violence of it, but you don’t show blood in Star Wars movies, these are PG-13 movies,” Johnson told The /Filmcast. “So the initial thing was to have a movie where the landscape itself could graphically communicate the violence of this battle. Also the notion that the landscape could evolve during the course of the battle, the idea at the beginning it’s white and pristine and it gets scarred and increasingly red. And when the cannon goes, it blows it all away so it just becomes a red hellscape. And as Luke comes back to the legend he needs to be and [starts] healing the world, the salt starts snowing down so it’s back to being pristine.”

The planet’s white surface may have drawn similarities to Hoth, yet Johnson’s details about what laid just under the planet’s surface are what helped the filmmaker showcase his unique vision.

To utilize the interesting location even further, the comic book Star Wars: The Storms of Crait detailed the planet’s role in the Rebellion and why the Rebel Alliance abandoned it.

Storms of Crait takes place shortly after the events of the original Star Wars, with Leia, Luke, Han and Wedge Antilles heading to the mining planet. This isn’t a friendly visit, however, as Leia has to confront the man who leads the mining community.

In last summer’s novel Leia: Princess of Alderaan, readers discovered that Crait was the location where Leia learned of her father Bail Organa’s role in the Rebellion, making the base an emotionally heavy reminder of her father. Following Bail’s passing, Trusk Berinato took leadership of the planet, converting it into a mining facility.

Berinato’s priorities were much more questionable, as he began using resources from the facility to aid both the Empire and the Rebellion. Storms of Crait depicts Leia’s attempts to sway Berinato back towards the Rebellion. This leads to a massive battle between the Rebellion and the Empire, forcing the Rebels to flee.

With what remains of the Resistance abandoning the planet in The Last Jedi, we don’t expect to see the environment in the near future.

The Last Jedi is in theaters now.

[H/T The /Filmcast]