One subtleLuke Skywalkerline inStar Wars: The Last Jedicompletely rewrote theStar Warssequel trilogy, and I’ve been missing it for nearly a decade. Although the sequel trilogy remains one of the most controversial projects ofStar Warsmovies and TV shows,The Last Jedihad some truly compelling moments.
Among them was the showdown between Kylo Ren and Luke Skywalker on Crait, during which the former master and apprentice had it out. While aspects of this face-off, such as Luke using Astral Projection to deceive Kylo, are well-known,I’ve consistently missed one pivotal word uttered by Luke Skywalker in this scene, and it totally changes the sequels.
Luke Told Kylo Ren The Rebellion, Not The Resistance, Was Reborn
This Is Particularly Interesting Given Kylo Said The Resistance Was Dead
Kylo Ren and Luke Skywalker’s final confrontation is easily one of the most important moments inThe Last Jedi, not only because using Astral Projection—one of the more taxingForce powers inStar Wars—led to Luke’s death, but also because it was a defining moment for the Resistance (and for these respective characters).
After all, it was only because of Luke distracting Kylo Ren that the Resistance survived and went on to fight another day, as the First Order had them entirely cornered on Crait. Yet, there was something so much more important happening during this scene that I’d been entirely missing, and it actually extends far beyond the Resistance.
Kylo Ren believes he’s won and tells Luke,“The Resistance is dead. The war is over. And when I kill you, I will have killed the last Jedi.“In response, Luke says,“Amazing. Every word of what you just said is wrong.The Rebellion is reborn today. The war is just beginning. And I will not be the last Jedi.”
This word change from Resistance to Rebellion has massive significance inStar Wars, as those are two clearly defined eras intheStar Warstimeline. The Resistance was the group fighting back against the First Order in the sequel trilogy, but the Rebellion was very specifically the term used for those fighting the Empire before and during the original trilogy.
Driving home this point, and making it clear this was no throwaway line, is the fact that the camera cuts to Leia when Luke says"The Rebellion is reborn today,“and the subtitles even have the word Rebellion capitalized, making it clear that Luke was indeed referring to the Rebellion seen in the originalStar Warstrilogy.
This completely changes the sequels, making them not about some new faction of evil and resistance, but rather a direct continuation of the fight from the original trilogy. With this subtle line,The Last Jeditherefore links the events of the sequels to the Rebel Alliance itself, and, it’s worth mentioning, does so in reference to Leia.
This completely changes the sequels, making them not about some new faction of evil and resistance, but rather a direct continuation of the fight from the original trilogy.
Using Rebellion Rather Than Resistance Creates Continuity Within The Franchise
This Wasn’t Just A Throwaway Line; It Intentionally Connected These Eras Of Star Wars
While some may argue this is obvious even without Luke’s word choice in thatLast Jediscene, that isn’t exactly the case. In fact, one of the biggest criticisms of the sequel trilogy was thatStar Wars: The Force Awakensreused the story fromA New Hope. Yet, Luke’s line suggests it isn’t simply a recycled story with new groups.
On the contrary, this is the next stage of the Rebel Alliance, andthis one word actually creates a much-needed continuity between the original trilogy and the sequel trilogy. This is in part why it’s so significant that the camera flips to Leia after Luke delivers the line.
Leia was the face of the Rebellion, and this line, combined with the shot of her, suggests the Rebellion will live on with her at the helm. This is in keeping with what we know not only about DisneyStar Wars’original sequel plans, particularly regardingStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but alsoGeorge Lucas' sequel trilogy plans.
That is,Princess Leia was meant to be the central figure in the sequels, especiallyThe Rise of Skywalker, but that isn’t ultimately what happened. Luke’sLast Jediline absolutely opens the door for the final sequel trilogy installment to feel like the Rebel Alliance’s return under Leia.
However, given Leia actress Carrie Fisher’s passing and Leia’s subsequent significantly diminished role inThe Rise of Skywalker, that isn’t the direction the movie took, and this continuity was dropped to a certain degree. Even so, this line does communicateThe Last Jedi’sthemes brilliantly.
This One Word Change Aligned So Much Better With The Last Jedi’s Themes
The Last Jedi Returned To The Classic Star Wars Battle Of The Light Versus The Dark
Admittedly, I wishThe Rise of Skywalkerhad done a bit more to further this idea of the rebirth of the Rebel Alliance, although I recognize the ways that the movie’s story was impacted by Fisher’s tragic passing. That issue withThe Rise of Skywalkeraside,this conversation between Luke and Kylo Ren underlinedThe Last Jedi’sthemes perfectly.
By telling Kylo the Rebellion was reborn, Luke Skywalker was essentially bringing the sequel trilogy back toStar Warsbasics with the classic fight between good and evil seen in the originalStar Warstrilogy. It was no longer about the First Order and the Resistance, but rather about the light side and the dark side once more.
This is reflected in the push and pull between Kylo Ren and Rey throughout the sequels, especiallyThe Last Jedi, when each believes they are on the precipice of swaying the other to their side. While it may seem insignificant, this one word change inLuke Skywalker’sStar Wars: The Last Jediline completely reframes the sequel trilogy.
