Now that The Last Jedi is upon us, Star Wars fans have had the opportunity to watch it, re-watch it, debate it, deconstruct it, and of course, make a lot of memes.
For those who loved the movie, it is undeniable that The Last Jedi’s comedic tone lent perfect material for the Internet to go all-out in its "memefication." A lot of new characters and concepts were introduced in this installment, and a lot of sudden changes (even in relation to The Force Awakens, which only came out two years ago) were made, which made ample room for fans to celebrate these inclusions online.
As audiences attempt to make light of the franchise-changing events that took place in this installment, it is arguable that a huge part of the overall conversation about The Last Jedi has come in the form of memes. It is the saga’s longest film ever, in which a lot of devastating things happen in the story as the characters are taken to new extremes. Disappointed fans have clung to memes as humorous ways to accept these new realities and move forward with the franchise.
These are 20 Hilarious The Last Jedi Memes Only Star Wars Fans Will Understand.
COMPLAINTS
The Last Jedi has arguably become the first entirely “divisive” film among fans of the Star Wars franchise. Though complaints have always been made about previous installments, they were generally agreed upon by a high volume of fans. Not enjoying Jar Jar Binks, for instance, is an overwhelmingly unanimous sentiment. Holding Empire Strikes Back as the saga’s best film, for example, is another quite common statement.
But if 2015’s The Force Awakens was criticized for not taking enough risks and pretty much just rehashing themes and storylines from 1977’s A New Hope, The Last Jedi is now being condemned for taking “too many” chances, and essentially changing a lot of perceptions about Luke, Leia, and the Force as a whole. The humor, tone, and overall feel of The Last Jedi have driven the franchise to new places.
PEOPLE ARE MAD ONLINE
Even though The Last Jedi is being deemed as a very “divisive” film, seeing fans being mad about a Star Wars movie and complaining online is not a new concept in any way.
The first installment of the franchise that faced the fury of passionate Star Wars fans was 1983’s Return of the Jedi, which was perceived as a film that tried to cater too much to merchandising possibilities by introducing (and giving massive focus to) Ewoks. Then, as a prequel trilogy was announced and The Phantom Menace was released in 1999, fans were outraged by the concept of midi-chlorians, the introduction of Jar Jar Binks, and the film’s unnecessary focus on pod-racing.
People have always been mad online about Star Wars, and it’s no different in the case of The Last Jedi.
YODA’S ATTITUDE
One of the biggest surprises in The Last Jedi was the sudden appearance of Ghost Yoda when Luke Skywalker needed him the most. Just as Luke was about to put fire to the ancient Jedi Tree that housed ancient Jedi textbooks (but found himself unable to do so), Yoda appeared in his ghost form to do it himself.
The interaction between Luke and Ghost Yoda felt familiar in an Empire Strikes Back way, but it also introduced the concept that a Jedi in ghost form is apparently able to use powers to affect the real world, which had never been seen before in the Star Wars movie saga. The fact that Ghost Yoda was able to summon a thunder through the use of the Force is a brand-new idea to fans.
AHCH-TO’S FRIED PORGS
Much of The Last Jedi takes place on the planet Ahch-To, where Luke was hiding before he was found by Rey, Chewie, and R2-D2.
Ahch-To introduced us to Lanais (who were caretakers of the island), Thala-sirens (creatures from which the blue milk in Star Wars comes from), and most importantly, Porgs, which were employed as comic relief throughout The Last Jedi. Porgs became an instant sensation – and annoyance – among Star Wars fans, but also opened up a bigger debate: is Chewbacca fond of eating them, or is he succumbing to befriending these little creatures?
This particular meme makes fun of a non-existent restaurant that serves fried Porgs and is located in Ahch-To. Maybe this could join the Star Wars canon along with the Mos Eisley Cantina and Maz Kanata’s castle?
PORG SOLO?
From A New Hope to The Force Awakens, Han Solo and Chewbacca were the best of buddies - always going through new and crazy adventures together and having each other’s back. But since Han was killed off by Kylo Ren in The Force Awakens, Chewbacca has been an overall lonely creature who just seems to be following Rey, but isn’t necessarily her friend.
On Ahch-To, while Luke and Rey are going back and forth about training, Chewbacca meets a Porg that apparently compels him to lose his appetite for eating other Porgs. Historically, Chewie has shown little patience for small, loud creatures such as R2-D2 and C-3PO, which means that a Porg would be an unlikely new companion to join his side.
But maybe Star Wars has found its Han Solo successor in a Porg, after all?
KYLO WAS JUST SLEEPING
The concept of Kylo’s turning to the Dark side (and Luke being at fault) was introduced in The Force Awakens, but only properly explained in The Last Jedi. But the film went back and forth three times on what exactly happened the night when Luke turned against Ben Solo, which helped him become Kylo Ren, kill Luke’s Jedi apprentices, and destroy his Jedi Temple. The one thing that remained true in all versions is that it was very late and Ben/Kylo was fast asleep.
This meme makes fun of the fact that maybe, just maybe, Luke had gotten a little too paranoid about Kylo turning to the dark side, and he was actually just trying to sleep. Maybe the darkness was just, you know, because it was actually dark outside?
SUPER-LEIA
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Princess Leia!
If there’s one scene in The Last Jedi that not even the most optimistic Star Wars fans were expecting, it's definitely the moment when Leia seemingly flies (or Force-propels herself) back to a semi-destroyed ship after a few seconds of freezing in space. Though it had always been clear that she was Force-sensitive, Leia’s “flying” skills caught audiences off-guard.
The “Super-Leia” moniker came about due to the fact that this scene in The Last Jedi reminded audiences of the famous way that Superman would smoothly fly off into space in his films. No one had expected that such a thing would ever be seen in a Star Wars movie, and most importantly, that Leia would be the one flying around.
YONDU POPPINS = LEIA
Another rather unexpected flying scene in a 2017 movie happened in Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, as Yondu smoothly flew alongside Peter Quill in his final battle with Ego. In that instance, Yondu famously delivered the line “I’m Mary Poppins, y’all!”
Well, if The Last Jedi had been released before Peter Quill was taken away from Earth, maybe he could’ve referenced Princess Leia instead of Mary Poppins, and Yondu could’ve called “I’m Princess Leia, y’all!” as the line.
Since both Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and The Last Jedi are properties under the Disney umbrella, the comparison has even more weight (and corporate synergy!) to it. But let’s not get rumors started that Star Wars will be incorporated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe just yet…
"REYLO"
There’s a bunch of people out there who passionately, genuinely want "Reylo" to be a thing. Reylo is the fan-given couple name for Rey and Kylo Ren - if they were to be a couple. Though The Force Awakens made a nod in the direction that Rey would end up being with Finn, some fans saw something in her tense scenes with Kylo Ren that went beyond fear and loathing. Some audiences genuinely believed that maybe Star Wars was setting up an unlikely love story.
While The Last Jedi definitely shows Rey and Kylo Ren bonding, it has become more and more difficult to support these two characters as a couple. If anything, Rey just seems interested in turning Kylo Ren to the light side of the Force, in a reverse-engineered way that mirrors Darth Vader’s interest in turning Luke Skywalker to the dark side in the original trilogy.
A NEW ACRONYM FOR TEXTING
Another reason for why The Last Jedi has made it increasingly difficult for "Reylo" to be a thing? Well, if one is assuming that Kylo Ren is flirting with Rey in this latest installment, then his idea of sweet-talking is kind of messed up. Kylo Ren literally tells Rey that she has come from nothing and is, therefore, nobody. He goes on to say that he is the only person who cares about her, which sounds like a very abusive boyfriend, if one is to go in that direction.
But hey, if this is what the kids are into nowadays, then at least The Last Jedi gave them a new acronym to text. YCFNYNBNTM seems like an unhealthy but pop culture-appropriate way to express one’s feelings.
KYLO’S NEXT FORCE BOND WITH REY
Force-bond meetings was a new (but familiar) concept to the Star Wars movies that made perfect sense and was able to fit right into the franchise’s mythos. It was also a clever plot device for Rey and Kylo Ren to keep in touch.
Assuming that "Reylo" could be a real thing and Rey will end up romantically involved with Kylo Ren, maybe Star Wars fans will see him take a cue from a different Adam Driver character and serenade Rey in their next Force-bond meeting.
Adam Driver played a character named Adam in HBO’s Girls, and he wasn’t the greatest boyfriend of all time to that show’s protagonist, Hannah, who was also complicated in her own way. Maybe Episode IX will take a cue from Girls and reinforce a very emo, abusive, and unhealthy relationship between Kylo Ren and Rey?
KYLO’S LET GO
One of the most memorable moments in The Last Jedi was when Kylo Ren tells Rey to “let go,” prompting the Internet to immediately make the connection between Star Wars and another famous Disney property: Frozen.
The meme shows Kylo Ren’s face in the body of Elsa, Queen of Arendelle, in the scene where the animated character belts out her famous anthem “Let It Go” – arguably the most popular mainstream song (soundtrack or otherwise) of 2014.
As they are both all-powerful, lonely, and internally-conflicted characters who have been hurtful to their family members, it actually makes some sense to draw a parallel between Elsa and Kylo Ren. The difference is that, by the end of Frozen, Elsa is accepted and becomes good again. Kylo has a moment of redemption in The Last Jedi, but makes it to the end of the film still as a villain.
BB-8 AS A SLOT MACHINE
Droids are everywhere in the Star Wars galaxy, and though the BB-8 model is a fairly new design introduced during the new trilogy’s continuity, it has definitely been circling around various planets in the universe for a while as The Force Awakens begins.
For some reason, however, as Finn, Rose, and BB-8 find themselves in a Canto Bight casino in the search of a master codebreaker, drunk people can’t seem to tell the difference between a droid and a slot machine.
While it is funny to watch BB-8 get upset by people inserting coins into its holes, it is definitely curious that people couldn’t tell that this was a droid – not a slot machine! – in a casino mostly populated by people who sell war weaponry (and are therefore very familiar with droids).
GUESS LUKE WILL DIE
For most of The Force Awakens and almost all of The Last Jedi, Luke Skywalker seems unbothered and uninterested in having anything to do with the Resistance and their fight against the First Order. He also seems to have given up on the Jedi religion as a whole.
However, as the events in Episode VIII unfold and Ghost Yoda shows up, Luke suddenly seems comfortable with teaching Rey a thing or two about the Jedi, and even faces Kylo Ren – who destroyed his Jedi order – once again. Ultimately, Luke sacrifices himself for the survival of a few rebels who were left alive.
This particular meme makes fun of the sudden and brutal change in Luke’s mind, and how his decision to die came from a collection of bad occurrences in his life.
FINN IS BETRAYED
Finn, whose entire storyline in The Force Awakens is about being a rogue Stormtrooper who essentially betrays the First Order (and Captain Phasma) to join the Resistance, is the one who faces betrayal in The Last Jedi. How the tables have turned!
This meme reminisces about the scene in The Force Awakens where a Stormtrooper finds Finn on Takodana and yells out “traitor!” On the meme, however, it is Finn’s face placed on top of the Stormtrooper, and on top of Finn’s body is DJ’s face, who betrays him in The Last Jedi.
It is definitely ironic that Finn gets a taste of his own medicine in this new installment, even if his betrayal of the First Order is in the name of a good cause, whereas DJ’s money-grabbing sell-out is not.
REY SKYWALKER IS SO 2015
A Skywalker, Rey is not.
With so many similarities drawn between A New Hope and The Force Awakens, fans were eager to have Rey’s parentage reveal happen in The Last Jedi, as it would mirror Darth Vader’s infamous revelation in Empire Strikes Back that he was Luke’s father.
In a way, this disclosure does take place, but it’s not what many Star Wars fans were expecting. Apparently, according to Kylo Ren, Rey is nobody’s daughter, or at least “nobody special.” The Force Awakens hinted heavily at the fact that she could be Luke’s daughter, and other theories surfaced online claiming that she could be of a Kenobi lineage.
In a way, Rey being “nobody” was the biggest revelation of them all, and points to a future in Star Wars in which bloodlines don’t matter as much.
REY AND KYLO VERSUS THE PRAETORIAN GUARDS
One of the most consistent criticisms of The Force Awakens was how randomly and incredibly skilled Rey was as a Jedi, even without any training or previous connection with the Force. Then, she went on to beat Kylo Ren in a lightsaber battle, even though he was one of the most feared Force users in the galaxy and an apprentice of Supreme Leader Snoke himself.
In The Last Jedi, a similar criticism was drawn as “a scavenger and a dude with anger issues” (aka Rey and Kylo Ren) were able to quickly defeat all of the Praetorian Guards, who were highly-skilled knights sworn to protect Snoke and the First Order.
In this particular meme, a sarcastic question is poised to point out that the odds were not in Rey and Kylo Ren’s favor.
CRYING ABOUT CARRIE FISHER
With the sudden passing of Carrie Fisher, The Last Jedi became her last outing as the character that arguably made her career: Leia Organa. As if fans weren’t already feeling the full nostalgia of losing their Resistance Princess (and General), many news outlets reported that the actress’ dog, Gary, saw the movie and recognized her voice every time it came up.
This meme nails the state that Star Wars fans (and dog lovers) found themselves when they read the news that Gary felt this way upon hearing Carrie Fisher’s voice in The Last Jedi.
Though the Super-Leia scene was arguably weird, it felt good to have the actress dominate this installment with her character’s infamous grit and wisdom… even if it was for the last time.
MUPPET SOLO VS MUPPET REN
Who knew that memes could sum up an entire plot like that?
The story in The Last Jedi is essentially on Kylo Ren’s shoulders as he is internally conflicted by his past (as Ben Solo, Han and Leia’s son) and present (as Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader of the First Order). Though Rey is shown as the indisputable protagonist, most of her journey in this latest installment is about convincing Kylo Ren to join her in the light side of the Force by creating a bond with him that blurs the lines of “good” and “evil.”
The internal conflict between Ben and Kylo is perfectly captured in this “Evil Kermit” meme that was originated from a scene in Muppets Most Wanted, where Kermit The Frog faces himself dressed as a Sith Lord.
EPISODE IX
Though The Last Jedi seemed to answer a couple of questions brought up by The Force Awakens, it still left Star Wars fans wondering about more than a handful of things. As if those previous matters weren’t enough already, this latest installment brought up even newer conflicts and mysteries for the saga to address in the near future.
As 2019’s Episode IX (yet untitled) promises to be a conclusion to this new Star Wars trilogy, it will be that film’s responsibility to address any pending questions and resolve all conflicts currently hanging in the air. Fans have already gotten in full detective modes to try to solve some of the equations currently unanswered, but if The Last Jedi proved anything, it's that “this is not going to go the way you think.”
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