Star Wars: Oscar Isaac Responds To Last Jedi Fan Hate

Oscar Isaac has offered his own response to fans who hate Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Rian Johnson’s Episode VIII was perhaps the most controversial installment of the entire Star Wars franchise, stirring up unprecedented debate within the series’ fan base. Whereas some considered the film the most ambitious and artistically impressive episode in the saga, other fans had serious issues with some of The Last Jedi’s plot points and treatment of certain characters.

Ever since The Last Jedi’s release, vocal critics within the Star Wars fandom have chastised the film due to what they perceived to be major and harmful flaws in its storyline. Among the most controversial plot points was the film's last act, which had Luke Skywalker Force projected himself to face off against Kylo Ren and later fade away, gone for good. This latter moment, in particular, caused significant backlash amongst Star Wars fans. Many simply couldn't believe the latest film of the franchise had killed off such a key character as Luke Skywalker, who has been around since the series' very beginnings. That was one of many criticisms the movie faced upon release.

On Monday, Oscar Isaac (who plays the hot-shot Resistance pilot Poe Dameron in the latest Star Wars trilogy) offered his own thoughts to Yahoo! Entertainment on the divisiveness that still surrounds The Last Jedi.

“What I think is really special about the whole thing — particularly for people that really didn’t agree with where the story went — is that it’s often a great inspiration to do your own stuff. Obviously, making your own Star Wars movie is a bit of a tough challenge, but at least from a narrative standpoint maybe you make your own thing and then show what you would want. Make what you would want to see.”

Of course, Isaac’s take immediately brings to mind filmmaker Rian Johnson’s own response to fans’ demands for a full remake of The Last Jedi, to which Johnson replied with a snarky tweet full of praying hand emojis that pleaded an attempted remake to actually happen. Admittedly, Johnson’s comments have much more of a sarcastic edge than Isaac’s. With his own response, Isaac puts a newly positive spin on all of the hate The Last Jedi has received in a way that perhaps no other cast or crew member involved with the film has done before with their own public comments.

But many within the fandom don’t choose the see the creative possibilities that Isaac urged with his most recent comments. Instead, a select few Star Wars fans are extremely negative about the films. This small but vocal group within the Star Wars fandom are the same who have demanded that Episode IX retcon the events of Episode VIII or pledge to boycott Disney's Star Wars films. Serious issues now plague the Star Wars community because of these more extreme members. Kelly Marie Tran has been incessantly bullied online ever since the movie released because of her character's side story with Finn.

Oscar Isaac’s comments suggest a new way that fans can add to the franchise’s lore in a creative, constructive way. Isaac’s suggestions of positive creativity are an important addition to the ongoing discussions going on amongst the Star Wars fan base today about how to navigate the heated debate sparked by The Last Jedi. If his ideas are actually taken up by some fans, it could even make the Star Wars fan base even more interconnected and interactive than it already is today. With all of these positive aspects considered, those who love Star Wars but still had some major qualms with The Last Jedi might just want to listen to Oscar Isaac.