-- Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for Star Wars: The Last Jedi --
Now that The Last Jedi has finally arrived in theaters, we can safely confirm that the Star Wars universe will never be the same. Expectations were enormously high for Episode 8, and in the nearly unanimous eyes of critics, director Rian Johnson has delivered. Reviews have showered the movie with praise, with many calling it the franchise's best entry since The Empire Strikes Back. Fan response, however, has been far more mixed. The film currently sports a 57% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, tying it for the lowest in the franchise. As of now, it's shaping up to be the most divisive installment in the series.
The Last Jedi's willingness to challenge the status quo of the series is perhaps its most controversial element. Whether it's eliminating franchise cornerstones to make way for new characters and storylines, or it's introducing new elements to the ever-mysterious Force, TLJ is downright fearless. And that fearlessness has more than a few fans crying foul.
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Regardless of whether you loved or hated TLJ, it's changed the Star Wars universe as we know it forever. It subverts expectations and challenges what it means to be a Star Wars movie. Read on to find out how much of an impact it will have on the series going forward.
The Force's unlimited potential
Among the most controversial aspects of The Last Jedi are all the new uses of the Force. Even the staunchest defenders of the latest Star Wars film probably found themselves questioning one of the new abilities on display at one point or another. Heading into TLJ, the film's Force users were bound to make a few additions to their bag of tricks. Virtually every new Star Wars film has debuted a new ability or two. But it's the extent of the new powers demonstrated in the movie that's the real game-changer.
TLJ actually kicks off with the biggest doozy of them all. After TIE fighters blew out her ship's bridge and sent her hurdling into space, General Leia looked like a goner. That was until she suddenly snapped to and telekinetically pulled herself back into the ship. Leia's Mary Poppins moment was a confusing one for casual fans, who may not have even known she was Force sensitive, although true Star Wars fans know better. Outside of some intuitive abilities, however, Leia had never demonstrated Force powers on the big screen. So how was she suddenly able to tap into the Force and survive both the bridge explosion and an extended stay in space? Well, she is a Skywalker.
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Later on, Luke's ability to project an image of himself across space for an extended period of time and distract Kylo Ren made for a wild reveal, to say the least. The fact that he was able to make this projection tangible (how else could Luke have handed the gold dice to Leia?) is even wilder. Oh, and let's not forget Force Ghost Yoda calling down a bolt of lightning to destroy the Jedi Temple. Does that mean Luke will be able to lend a helping hand in Episode 9?
Based on the events of TLJ, there's really no telling what the Force can do anymore. And that's left a whole lot of fans quoting Han Solo.
Moving on from the Skywalkers
The first six episodes of the Star Wars franchise focused solely on the Skywalker saga. Sure, the previous films had heroes with different lineages, like Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Lando Calrissian. But nevertheless, the Skywalker clan drove the action. The Force Awakens was the first episodic step away from this, choosing to focus on a group of newcomers (and Han Solo) instead. But even that film kept strong ties to the galaxy's first family, with Kylo Ren being revealed as a Solo/Skywalker and Rey's parentage being left open for a potentially major reveal. The Last Jedi, however, takes truly meaningful steps to expand the universe beyond the bloodlines of Anakin Skywalker.
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Obviously, TLJ's biggest move in this department comes with the death of Luke Skywalker. The farm boy who came from nothing and went on to save the galaxy from tyranny is dead and gone. What's the galaxy to do in the face of the First Order? Turn to a handful of new heroes that came from nothing, that's what. The reveal that Rey doesn't hail from a special lineage made for a far more compelling twist than 'she's Kylo's twin!' or 'she's Obi-Wan Kenobi's granddaughter!' ever could have. Fellow new trilogy additions Poe and Finn aren't anything special either, further proving that true heroes can come from anywhere. Your father doesn't need to have had a super high midi-chlorian count in order for you to matter.
In fairness, two Skywalker ties do remain by the time the credits roll on TLJ: Leia and Kylo Ren. The former's return is highly unlikely, of course, given Carrie Fisher's death. (Hopefully, Leia will be given the graceful end she deserves.) Kylo will likely stand as the only character in Episode 9 with Skywalker blood. He's being set up as the conflicted main villain, a la Darth Vader, but since that's the one person he truly emulates, at least that makes sense. But if he bites the big one in Episode 9, the Skywalkers will be gone forever.
A world that's not so black and white
The never-ending battle between good and evil is a crowdpleaser, but we've seen it more than enough at this point. All seven of the previous Star Wars films drew clear lines between the good guys and the bad guys. The Last Jedi definitely has its share of heroes and villains, but it has the guts to both do away with the one-note baddies (Captain Phasma and Snoke) and add dimensions to its heroes (Luke) -- even if those added layers don't make them all that heroic.
The heroes of TLJ frequently end up making the wrong call. Luke never should have pulled an Obi-Wan and abandoned the galaxy. Finn, Rose, and Poe's plot to take out the First Order's warp-tracking abilities was woefully undercooked. Rey delivering herself to the First Order in an effort to turn Kylo could have backfired spectacularly. Our heroes consistently set themselves on doomed to fail courses, but that's what ultimately makes them more relatable than previous heroes in the Star Wars universe. They're almost unreliable narrators in a sense, but they're more compelling.
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Aside from killing Luke, TLJ's gutsiest move was removing Supreme Leader Snoke from the equation. Two years of fan theories were flushed down the drain in a single Force push from Kylo Ren, killing off Snoke a full movie sooner than you think. Why? Because he wasn't half as complex as Kylo. The former Ben Solo has an actual arc, and his unpredictable behavior makes the final act just as unpredictable. It will do the same for Episode 9.
This may not be the feel good 'good guys win, bad guys lose, roll credits' universe you've grown accustomed to. It's far more complex than that.