Star Wars: The Last Jedi had plenty of elements that hearkened back to the original trilogy, but also introduced several new elements along the way., most noticeably through developing the Force and introducing new ways it could be harnessed. One of the most exhilarating powers (and twists) came in the final act of the film, when Luke reveals he's not actually present on Crait, but projecting his image across the galaxy.
Director Rian Johnson explained that this ability was an ofshoot of the connection between Kylo Ren and Rey in the film, where each of them could glimpse one another and "connect" through the Force.
"When Luke shows up he’s projecting, it’s like a hardcore variation of what Kylo and Rey have been doing the whole time and that’s why it takes so much out of him," Johnson told the Los Angeles Times.
"In the version that we play – no – we tried to play really, really fair. In terms of his footsteps – we removed all of his foley — there are no footstep sounds. They never touch. And if you look, the salt flakes that are falling are sparking off of Kylo’s saber and not off of Luke’s."
While some took issue with the sudden emergence of these new (previously unheard of) Force techniques, Johnson explained
– correctly – that many of the different abilities fans are familiar with (Force pulling, Force ghosts) were all introduced in separate installments of the franchise.
"The truth is, because Star Wars until The Force Awakens has been set in amber and we hadn’t had a new Star Wars movie in 10 years, you forget that they were introducing new Force stuff with each movie, based on the requirements of the story. Force-grabbing didn’t come around until Empire, it wasn’t in A New Hope. Same with Force ghosts. They’d introduce new ideas of what could happen with the Force each time."
Speaking of Force ghosts, Yoda's appearance midway through the film came as a happy surprise to many, and while Force ghosts aren't exactly a new concept, it appears that they are able to influence the physical plane to a greater extent than previously thought.
"The one point where we do introduce a bit of a twist in terms of Force ghosts is where Yoda calls down the lightning onto the tree," Johnson said.
"That, I think, is a tantalizing hint of the potential of someone who is a Force ghost interacting with the real world."
With the director's
previous clarification that he didn't intend for
The Last Jedi to act as Luke's final appearance, could we see Luke return for
Episode IX with a greater interaction with the world around him? We'll know for sure in two year's time! Did you enjoy seeing the Force expanded upon in
The Last Jedi? Let us know your thoughts down below!