Through all eras of the Star Wars films, the franchise has a rich history of deleted scenes. There are hilariously bad ones, like The Empire Strikes Back deleted scene featuring a room that holds Wampas and C-3PO - he tears off the sign that warns there's Wampas in the room, so Stormtroopers accidentally go in when they invade the Rebel base. Then there are some seriously good ones that have been cut in the past. Fans have seen Luke Skywalker building his green lightsaber in an alternate opening for Return of the Jedi, while Padmé and other senators were planting the earliest seeds of the Rebel Alliance in Revenge of the Sith.
The Last Jedi contributes greatly to the franchise's rich history of deleted scenes. There are, of course, scenes that definitely belong on the cutting room floor, but there are also some of the best scenes in all of Star Wars - several of which should've been included in the final cut.
Thanks to The Last Jedi Blu-ray fans can now moments such as the third lesson Luke teaches Rey, a more intriguing version of the Finn and Captain Phasma fight, and a tragically beautiful moment performed by Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher.
Let's take a look at The Last Jedi: 7 Deleted Scenes That Should've Made The Cut (And 8 We're Glad Didn't).
15. Should've Made It: Luke Has A Moment
After learning of Han's fate and refusing to leave Ahch-To to take on the First Order, Luke isolates himself in his hut again. He sinks into a chair, trying to steady himself as he cries, overcome by grief mourning the death of his beloved friend Han. The scene then cuts to a solemn, contemplative Leia as the Raddus comes out of hyperspace.
This scene gives a moment for Luke to mourn the devastating loss of his best friend Han, one of the most important relationships in the original trilogy. Given that fans were denied a Luke-Han reunion in the sequel trilogy, they absolutely deserve this brief, beautifully acted moment. In a way, seeing Luke grieve and then cutting to Leia provides one of the last moments connecting the original trio as Luke and Leia remember Han.
For fans that disliked the closed off, bitter old man portrayal, this scene could've helped them connect more with the new version of Luke Skywalker.
14. Glad It Didn't: Alternate Opening
Instead of beginning with the Resistance's evacuation from D'Qar and the ensuing space battle, this alternate opening goes directly to Finn waking up. It plays out very similarly to the scene audiences ended up seeing, where Finn wakes up shouting out Rey's name, accidentally bangs his head, falls to the floor, and walks around the ship leaking water. The difference is that he sees the Resistance's evacuation happening out the window and the First Order arriving with their Dreadnought.
This alternate opening definitely didn't belong in the final cut of the film.
It is an overly goofy beginning and audiences still end up receiving the humor of Finn waking up, just a little later in the film. The First Order's appearance isn't as ominous as in the theatrical cut. Launching straight into the banter between General Hux and Poe, swiftly followed by the space battle is a far more entertaining opening than this alternate opening with Finn.
13. Should've Made It: Paige's Gun Jams
Paige Tico is introduced a little earlier in the space battle in this deleted scene. Her gun jams as two TIE Fighters fly towards her. There's a moment of uncertainty, but she gets it to work at the last second and destroys the two TIE Fighters. Then she takes a moment to look at the Haysian smelt necklace as Rose's theme plays in the background.
It's a short scene, but it should've stayed in as it allows audiences to care about Paige a little sooner. In the final cut, she makes her heroic sacrifice and passes away almost immediately after being introduced. Having this scene in adds more weight to the loss as audiences get a little more attached to Paige's relentlessness, heroism, and the deep bond she shares with her sister Rose.
12. Glad It Didn't: BB-8'S Replay
Following the attack on the Raddus and the increasingly dismal situation it's left the Resistance in, a morose Finn holds Rey's homing beacon. BB-8 tries to cheer Finn up, but to no avail until he shows him a recording of Rey from the end of The Force Awakens - the scene she says goodbye to an unconscious Finn and kisses him on the forehead before leaving to find Luke Skywalker.
Finn thanks the droid as the moment prompts him to devise a plan to save both Rey and the Resistance.
Finn's one-liner is funny and it's touching to see both how much BB-8 wants to cheer him up, and how much he appreciates the droid. Ultimately, the scene isn't necessary as Finn already has more than enough reason to want to help Rey and the Resistance.
11. Should've Made It: Poe Sewed Finn's Jacket
In this deleted scene, Poe fills in the gaps and tries to assuage Finn about his concerns, including Finn's mixed feelings about his relationship with the Resistance. Poe then gives back the jacket that was once his and became Finn's in The Force Awakens, showing Finn that he sewed it up.
This scene doesn't necessarily push forward any plot development, but should've remained as great a moment between Finn and Poe.
The two characters established a wonderful chemistry and bond in The Force Awakens, and with Finn off on Canto Bight for much of The Last Jedi, fans didn't get to see as much of their relationship as expected. It's nice to see that chemistry and bond again.
Finn's question about winning is also interesting in highlighting the constant uphill battle of the Resistance. Even destroying the Starkiller Base, Rey defeating Kylo Ren, and blowing up a Dreadnought can still put the Resistance in the position of fleeing.
10. Glad It Didn't: The Caretaker Sizes Up Rey
After blasting a hole through one of the huts during her first communication session with Kylo Ren, the Caretakers of Ahch-To are understandably upset with Rey. This is seen in the movie, but this Caretaker giving Rey some vicious stink eye was deleted.
It may be amusing and an impressively rendered stink eye, but the moment is unnecessary. It's already clear to the audience that the Caretakers are irritated by Rey, a newcomer who has already managed to damage one of the huts they so carefully tend to. The idea of a Caretaker sizing up Rey might've been warranted if getting their approval played a role in the movie, but it never does, so the moment is just mildly funny.
9. Should've Made It: Caretaker Village Sequence
Luke tells Rey that a tribe from a neighboring island comes once a month to raid and plunder the Caretakers' village. Rey wants to stop them, but Luke tells her a true Jedi Knight would do nothing. Lightsaber in hand, Rey rushes to the village anyway. She slices through the village entrance, intent on driving away the raiders and plunderers. The only problem is there are none.
Alongside Chewbacca and R2-D2, the Caretakers are having a party filled with music and dancing.
Rey is understandably furious with Luke and lashes out at him for refusing to be the hero that she, the Resistance, and the galaxy need right now.
This scene definitely should've stayed in. It's the third lesson that audiences never receive in the film. It does an amazing job showing instead of telling that the Jedi philosophy is flawed as it's the right thing to save the Caretakers from the supposed raiders and plunderers, not to sit by idly even if that maintains the balance.
8. Glad It Didn't: Extended Fathier Chase
The extended Fathier chase takes what was already the most overdone, poorly paced scene in the film, and manages to elongate it. The Fathiers trash Canto Bight even more than in the final cut - including a bathhouse - as more of the planet's alarmed denizens are caught up in the chase and destruction. This time, one of the Fathiers is actually shot by the Canto Bight security forces and tumbles from the cliffside.
It's like everything that was wrong with the Canto Bight storyline was put into one scene and stretched beyond breaking point. The extended chase accomplishes nothing beyond what the sequence in the film already did. Out of all the deleted scenes, this is the one that without a doubt most belonged on the cutting room floor.
7. Should've Made It: Mega Destroyer Incursion
This scene shows more about how Finn, Rose, DJ, and BB-8 infiltrated Snoke's Mega Destroyer to take down the First Order's hyperspace tracker. In this extended scene, a First Order officer appears to be suspicious of them, but they manage to evade him by getting into an elevator where they are soon joined by several Stormtroopers.
One of the Stormtroopers - voiced by Tom Hardy - recognizes Finn and starts talking to him. Finn starts to draw his gun, thinking the Stormtrooper has recognized him as a traitor, but it turns out the Stormtrooper is just surprised to see that FN-2187 has become an officer.
The scene may go on for a bit too long, but ultimately it should've stayed in. The scene in the elevator does a great job playing with the audience's emotions, as they're unsure whether the tension will rise to the breaking point of a fight or evolve into a humorous moment.
6. Glad It Didn't: The Costumes And Creatures Of Canto Bight
While it's more of a behind-the-scenes montage than an actual scene, it is included as a deleted scene on the Digital and DVD releases. An impressive array of costumes and creatures from the Canto Bight casino that weren't featured in the movie are highlighted here. The detail and nuance of these costumes and creatures are incredible.
Audiences already got a clear sense of the wealthy, albeit diverse snobs who frequent Canto Bight through the elaborate designs in the film.
Adding in more shots of them is visually impressive, but doesn't make the divisive Canto Bight storyline any better for dissatisfied viewers. It is perfect as bonus content, allowing audiences to appreciate the intricate details and design they may have overlooked in the film.
5. Should've Made It: Rose Bites The Hand That Taunts Her
While struggling against their captors, Rose drops the Haysian smelt necklace. General Hux steps on the necklace and picks it up, recognizing where it's from. He proceeds to taunt Rose, gloating at the suffering the First Order has caused for her home world and her people. She retaliates by biting Hux's hand and he struggles to get free. Frazzled, he orders the immediate dispatching of Rose and Finn.
Rian Johnson says that, while they cut the scene for pacing reasons, the fact that they were able to cut the scene is a testament to Kelly Marie Tran's performance. Audiences get enough sense in other scenes of how fierce she can be when standing up for the people and causes she believes in.
Hux spend so much of the movie as Snoke or Kylo Ren's punching bag, that he becomes more comic relief and less of a formidable villain. This moment really drives home his cruelty as he belittles Rose and those who have suffered at the hands of the First Order.
4. Glad It Didn't: Sith Ghosts
It is technically not a deleted scene, but this concept art hints at what could've been a significant event in the film. It appears that, at one point, Sith ghosts could've been part of The Last Jedi. While Darth Bane's spirit appeared to Yoda on Moraband in The Clone Wars, there hasn't been much in the way of Dark Side spirits in the canon. Some fans even speculated that the Sith ghost in the concept art is Darth Plagueis himself, though it's unclear what Plagueis would want with Luke.
The concept is intriguing, but in the end it seems like a good idea that Sith ghosts weren't included in the film.
The scene between Luke and Yoda's Force ghost is perfect, and one of the best in the whole movie. Having Sith ghosts come in as well might've taken away from that scene. Including Sith ghosts would also raise countless questions, most of which The Last Jedi didn't have the time to do justice.
3. Glad It Didn't: Rose And Finn Go To Crait
Finn, Rose and BB-8 finally manage to escape in a First Order shuttle. Rose asks where they're going to which Finn replies "Where we belong" as he directs the ship towards Crait. This scene was wisely deleted.
Finn's actions show that he's part of the Resistance and is dedicated to their fight, not just running from the First Order.
When they arrive on Crait, there's a bit of suspense when the First Order shuttle lands inside the base, as there are moments where both the Resistance characters and the audience are unsure about who's inside. Audiences can piece together that they stole a shuttle after defeating Phasma and the Stormtroopers, but a whole scene isn't needed to explain that.
2. Should've Made It: Phasma Squealed
In this alternate version of the Finn and Captain Phasma fight, he is surrounded by four Stormtroopers and his former boss on a platform. She yells at him for being a traitor, but Finn does one better by telling the truth about what Phasma did at the Starkiller Base; how she lowered the shields when Finn threatened her.
The Phasma novel and comic portrayed her not as a First Order loyalist, but as a ruthless warrior who did whatever it took to survive. She even went so far as hunting down and doing away with those within the First Order who had knowledge of what she did at the Starkiller Base lest the truth get out.
Phasma was always about self-preservation, she wasn't about preserving the First Order, but that never comes across in The Force Awakens or The Last Jedi. It only comes across in this deleted scene where Phasma chooses to end her own Stormtroopers to save herself.
1. Glad It Didn't: Rey And Chewie In The Falcon
Rey and Chewbacca fly the Millennium Falcon towards the entrance of the old Rebellion base in order to help the surviving members of the Resistance escape. It turns out to be the exact moment when every single First Order gun on Crait is firing at Luke Skywalker.
This was a good scene to cut as it would've taken away from what was happening with Luke and Kylo.
The scene is a bit humorous but also off the mark in a dramatic moment where Luke is finally making a stand, and an enraged Kylo is trying to obliterate his uncle and former mentor. Audiences are smart enough to figure out why Rey and Chewbacca didn't park the Millennium Falcon out front.
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Which deleted scenes from Star Wars: The Last Jedi do you think should've made the final cut? Let us know in the comments!