With the countdown to Star Wars: The Last Jedi feverishly underway, we decided to take a closer look at some of the material that won’t be featured in the upcoming film. So far, The Last Jedi is currently in post-production, and fans are eager to find out more details the Untitled Han Solo Star Wars Anthology spin-off and director Colin Trevorrow's Episode: IX on the horizon.
In recent headlines, we learned more about what to expect for The Last Jedi, including an array of details ranging from new alien creatures to hints about Rey’s possible parentage. Picking up after the events of 2015’s The Force Awakens, we’ll get a closer look at Rey’s first encounter with Luke, Finn’s recovery after facing off against Kylo Ren, and Poe’s struggle with the Resistance against the First Order.
Familiar faces, like Maz Kanata and Captain Phasma, are slated to return, while we’ll also see the introduction of three new characters. Laura Dern will join the cast as Admiral Holdo, while Benicio Del Toro will play a "shady" character called DJ. Newcomer Kelly Marie Tran will be playing the role of Rose Tico, a member of the Resistance who sets out on an adventure with Finn.
However, based off of recent interviews, it seems like there’s plenty of backstories that won’t be fully explored in The Last Jedi.
Here are 15 Things We WON'T See In The Last Jedi
Luke's past
After months of anticipation leading up to The Force Awakens, fans were a little surprised to discover that Luke Skywalker was notably absent throughout much of the film. If you were hoping to find out a little more about what happened to Luke after Return of the Jedi, it looks like you’re going to have to wait a little longer than expected.
According to a recent cover story with Entertainment Weekly, actor Mark Hamill noted that there are "massive amounts of backstory that is left to your imagination" which won't be explored in The Last Jedi.
That being said, Hamill elaborated further and even discussed possibilities with director Rian Johnson. “Since it’s not really important to the main story as a whole a lot of it is just for my own process. I talked with Rian about it and went into this elaborate scenario of what happened to Luke after the end of the Return of the Jedi,” Hamill said in the interview with EW.
Sidelined Captain Phasma
In a similar suit with Luke, many fans were also looking forward to seeing more of Captain Phasma in The Force Awakens.
Played by Game of Thrones actress Gwendoline Christie, Phasma’s character was relegated to an enigmatic fate similar to Boba Fett— a sweet set of armor and very little screen time. One of her last scenes in The Force Awakens involved being thrown into a trash compactor by Finn (John Boyega) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford). Come December, it looks like things will be different this time around.
In a recent interview with EW, director Rian Johnson confirmed that fans will finally get to see Captain Phasma in action during The Last Jedi. Also, at Disney's D23 Expo, actor John Boyega revealed that Finn will be facing off against the chrome-clad Captain Phasma in Episode VIII.
Cantina Scenes
In 2015, director JJ Abrams paid homage to Star Wars: A New Hope with Maz Kanata’s castle— a dark cantina-inspired scene, filled with eclectic aliens and questionable characters. This year, fans should note that director Rian Johnson is planning to take things in a totally new direction.
Originally reported in Vanity Fair, Lucasfilm revealed new information regarding a casino planet called Canto Bight. Johnson aptly called it "a playground for rich a**holes," making it a far cry from a certain cantina on Tatooine. Of course, many of the details about the planet remain a mystery.
Judging by the photos, it seems like Canto Bight gives off a serious upscale vibe. In The Last Jedi, we're set to see Finn and a new character named Rose Tico heading there on a special mission for the Resistance.
Finn and Rey's adventures together
In The Force Awakens, Finn (John Boyega) and Rey (Daisy Ridley) quickly became friends, all while running from the fearsome First Order. When we last saw the duo, Finn had attempted to face off against Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) but was soon rendered unconscious. Rey took up the fight, holding her own and squaring off against Ren. At the end of The Force Awakens, Finn was still comatose, and Rey said her farewell, in order to go find Luke on the distant planet Ahch-To.
Unlike Episode: VII, the next installment in the Star Wars franchise will show both characters on individual paths for most of the film. According to Entertainment Weekly, Rey and Finn will be "separated for much of the film," given that Rey will most likely be busy training with Luke, and Finn's purported mission to Canto Bight.
Lots of Maz Kanata
In 2015's The Force Awakens, actress Lupita Nyong’o delivered a riveting performance as Maz Kanata, a motion capture character who was introduced on the planet of Takodana.
While some characters are set to be given a little more spotlight, like Luke Skywalker and Captain Phasma, it seems like things won't be in the cards for Maz Kanata. This isn't too surprising, given that Maz Kanata has been notably absent from much of the marketing material for Episode VIII.
According to Entertainment Weekly, director Rian Johnson confirmed that Kanata will have a "smaller part" in The Last Jedi, however, the reports also indicate that she will have an "important moment in the spotlight" and "deliver important information."
It seems like even Maz predicted this was part of her fate, even after explaining to Rey that she'd tell her the story of how she received Luke's lightsaber at "another time." Looks like we'll keep our fingers crossed until Episode: IX!
Ezra Bridger from Star Wars Rebels
Ever since it was announced that actor Benicio Del Toro would be joining the Star Wars franchise in The Last Jedi, fans have generated a frenzy of speculation regarding his mysterious new character. For months, Star Wars fans have wondered about his role, ranging from Del Toro playing a possible member of the Knights of Ren, to being a distant relative of Boba Fett.
Out of all the speculation, one theory seemed to hold more weight than all the rest. Many fans drew parallels between Del Toro and young Ezra Bridger from the animated series, Star Wars Rebels. At Disney's D23 Expo, director Rian Johnson confirmed that Del Toro is not, in fact, playing Ezra Bridger, but he did drop a few more hints about his enigmatic role.
In The Last Jedi, Del Toro will play a questionable character named DJ, who will cross paths with Finn and Rose.
Finn’s troubled past
At the end of The Force Awakens, Finn was looking like he was in pretty rough shape. Some of the recent marketing material has shown Finn recovering in a bacta tank, healing from his skirmish with Kylo Ren on Starkiller Base.
When talking with Entertainment Weekly, actor John Boyega shared some key details about his character's murky backstory. When questioned about Finn's family history, Boyega replied, "It's not explored in depth in Episode VIII. But he definitely has a path that is troubled... I don't know how all that's going to play out."
However, if you were hoping to finally learn more about Finn's upbringing, don't lose hope altogether. “We will learn more about his past and where he came from, and potentially why he made the decision [to escape] that he made. I’m also very curious. The question that needs to be answered is why he decided to leave as a stormtrooper in the first place." Boyega added.
Earlier this week, a leaked image from Twitter gave us a closer look at a Star Wars action figure, revealing Finn in a First Order Disguise.
Royal Guards
According to a recent report from Entertainment Weekly, fans will finally get a closer look at one of the main antagonists from The Force Awakens, Supreme Leader Snoke.
In the previous film, we were only able to get a brief glimpse at Snoke through hologram-based conversations with his apprentice, Kylo Ren. While Ren has repeatedly referenced his main source of inspiration, none other than his grandfather, Darth Vader, it looks like Snoke has also been motivated in similar ways.
In the latest edition of EW, Lucasfilm released a bold image of Snoke's personal muscle, in the form of two red-clad Praetorian Guards. You may think you've seen these guards in Star Wars before, but that's not the case. While these bodyguards share a close resemblance to Emperor Palpatine's Royal Guards - which were also depicted in Episode VI: Return of the Jedi - they are a new class created just for Episode VIII.
Ewoks
Earlier, we mentioned how The Last Jedi is set to introduce several new aliens into the mix in place of Ewoks - which Johnson confirmed are not found on Ahch-To. For one, a certain group of bug-eyed creatures called Porgs are totally threatening to steal the cute spotlight from Chewbacca and BB-8. Turns out, these aww-worthy additions to the Star Wars franchise aren't the only creatures to be found on the remote planet of Ahch-To.
In Entertainment Weekly, Lucasfilm revealed several images of the sweet, wide-eyed Porgs, along with the seemingly peaceful Caretakers found on Ahch-To. In addition to the official images, a leaked sketch from Star Wars News Net also portrays a mysterious sea monster, perched on a cliff.
While fans continue to speculate about possible fan theories for Episode: VIII, it is still unconfirmed about the names of these mysterious new creatures.
An nemesis with simple motivations
Earlier this year, we learned that actress Laura Dern would be joining the cast of Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi as Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo of the Resistance.
In terms of her mysterious character, director Rian Johnson hinted that part of the fun of TLJ will be figuring out Holdo’s true intentions throughout the film. She's been described as Poe's "nemesis" but who knows why or what that could mean.
The Oscar-nominated actress is known for starring in Jurassic Park as Ellie, and in the recent reboot of Twin Peaks as Diane Evans. Alongside Benicio Del Toro and Kelly Marie Tran, Dern is one of the three latest additions to the Star Wars franchise.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Dern gushed about her experiences on set, "You feel like an actor on a movie until you see R2-D2, and you’re like, ‘Wait a minute, I’m 8 years old, what’s happening? I’m pretending to be in Star Wars, but it’s real."
Snoke’s backstory
Out of all the characters introduced in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Supreme Leader Snoke is certainly one of the most enigmatic. Many fans have been dying to know more details about the mysterious character, but it seems like we'll have to wait a little while longer.
According to director Rian Johnson, The Last Jedi will not delve deep into Snoke's origins. In an interview with EW, Johnson said, "Similar to Rey’s parentage, Snoke is here to serve a function in the story. And a story is not a Wikipedia page. For example, in the original trilogy, we didn’t know anything about the Emperor except what Luke knew about him, that he’s the evil guy behind Vader. Then in the prequels, you knew everything about Palpatine because his rise to power was the story." However,
Johnson did note that we'll find out "exactly as much about Snoke as we need to" in Episode: VIII. Recently, it was announced that Snoke will be depicted solely through CGI, delivered by a powerful motion-capture performance.
Poe and BB-8's adventures together
In the opening scene of Star Wars Episode: VII - The Force Awakens, we were introduced to the fearless pilot of the Resistance, Poe Dameron, and his trusty astromech droid, BB-8. Sadly, the duo will be working separately for most of the film, but there’s still plenty of action to go around.
In Episode: VIII, the stakes are high and the battle against the First Order is only getting started. We're bound to see Poe serving up some seriously killer moves in his X-Wing, but it turns out, BB-8 will be off on another adventure with Finn and newcomer Rose Tico.
In The Last Jedi coverage from EW, actor Oscar Isaac shed some light on his upcoming role. “Poe is in some ways a surrogate son for Leia.” Isaac said, “But also I think she sees in him the potential for a truly great leader of the Resistance and beyond.”
In The Last Jedi, Dameron is set to have his hands full, also with a new nemesis, Laura Dern’s new character, Admiral Holdo.
A repeat of Empire Strikes Back
As much hype that’s surrounding The Last Jedi, there’s also a handful of folks who believe that it has the possibility to go horribly wrong. One of the major criticisms of Star Wars fans have is that many new details related to Episode: VIII sound eerily similar to another film in particular—Empire Strikes Back.
For one, many have assumed there will be parallels in the storylines, with Luke training with Yoda in ESB, and now Rey training with him in TLJ. Fortunately, director/writer Rian Johnson has helped assuage worries by directly stating that it won't be the case.
When questioned about possibly recycling previous ideas and similar plotlines from earlier movies, Johnson replied, "How? I've addressed it the only way I possibly can - by spending the past three years of my life making a film I do not think is derivative."
Luke nurturing Rey
For over a year, fans have created imaginative theories surrounding many of the characters in The Last Jedi, but the most enigmatic of them all seems to be Rey’s mysterious parentage. At the recent Star Wars Celebration in Orlando, Ridley dropped some dark hints about the upcoming film in December.
"As a lot of people know, it is difficult when you meet your heroes because it might not be what you expect," Ridley said, implying that there might be some serious tension between the old Jedi master and Rey.
Fans were even more worried after hearing from actor Mark Hamill, who said that he fundamentally disagreed with director Rian Johnson about his character's path. Later, Mark Hamill weighed in on the matter again, noting that he struggled with some of the material in The Last Jedi, especially given that Luke was once known for being a symbol of hope.
The conclusion of Leia's story
In December 2016, fans all across the galaxy were heartbroken by the news of actress Carrie Fisher’s untimely death. Since then, many have wondered about how Fisher’s iconic role of Princess/General Leia would be treated in the upcoming film, The Last Jedi.
At Disney's D23 Expo, director Rian Johnson weighed in on the subject, who praised her "beautiful performance" in the upcoming film. "We obviously didn’t make the movie to be her final Star Wars movie. Given that though, I think there are scenes that she has that are going to mean a lot to people and there are scenes that we have with her where now not having her around I watch them and I think I’m really thankful that we have that and we can give that to people,” Johnson said, later adding that, “...it emotionally gives some kind of catharsis I guess, gives some kind of emotional satisfaction, I really think so, I hope so. I know for me it does.”
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Know of any other plotlines that Star Wars: The Last Jedi won’t feature? Be sure to let us know in the comments!