After two grueling years, the eighth epic chapter in the ongoing Star Wars saga, The Last Jedi, is finally here! However, unlike its predecessor, this film has seemingly taken everything we thought we know about the Force and thrown it out the window, introducing us to entirely new aspects of it that we could never have imagined.
Naturally, this is going to get pretty spoiler-heavy, so if you haven’t seen the movie yet, you’ll probably want to come back later. Otherwise, strap in and prepare to make the jump to hyperspace, because here’s what we learn about the Force in Star Wars: The Last Jedi:
Apparently, Leia Is Quite Powerful In It
In one of the most emotional scenes of the film, we see several TIE Fighters fire shots at the bridge Leia’s cruiser, causing her and everyone else present to be launched into space. However, while the others are killed (RIP Admiral Ackbar), Leia is able to use the Force to pull herself back to the safety of her ship.
Obviously, it’s no secret the Leia is Force-sensitive, so although we’ve never seen her fully embrace her abilities before, it’s not hard to believe that in such a moment of peril, she’d be able to tap into the Force and float back to her ship. However, surviving for minutes on end in the icy-cold vacuum of space isn’t a Force power we’ve seen demonstrated before – at least not on-screen.
The Greater Extent Of Force Telepathy
Telepathy is one of the most well-documented Force abilities outside of telekinesis. However, in The Last Jedi, we see Rey and Kylo Ren transcend traditional Force telepathy to the point where they essentially share a mental bond; one they can also see and reach through.
At one point, Kylo Ren tells Rey that he’s able to see her while she’s on Ahch-To, but notes that he can’t see any of her surroundings. Coincidentally, he’s not able to see Luke, either, when the aging Jedi emerges from his stone hut because the link is only between him and Rey. Later in the film, though, we see the connection grow even further, as Kylo Ren extends his hand and suddenly “appears” before Rey. This time, though, it seems that Luke is able to see his nephew, as he shouts in anger at Rey for communicating with Kylo.
Nevertheless, while this presents us with a far more potent version of the Force then we’re accustomed to, the most extraordinary feat comes in The Last Jedi’s final act.
So, Astral Projection Is Now A Thing
When the Resistance is holed up in an old Rebel outpost on Crait with the entirety of the First Order’s might quickly approaching, we finally see the moment we’d all been waiting for: Luke reuniting with Leia. However, this was a noticeably younger, cleaner-cut Luke, much like the one we saw in the film’s flashback scenes. What’s more, it was unclear as to how he actually made it Crait, let alone got into the sealed compound.
Soon enough, though, we see Luke exit the bunker to confront Kylo Ren, and in the process, he’s hit with enough artillery to take down an X-Wing. Still, he remains unscathed. Then, when battling Kylo Ren, he takes what would otherwise be a fatal lightsaber swipe to the chest, but once again, he’s unharmed.
It’s only when Kylo Ren slowly pierces the tip of his lightsaber blade through Luke’s chest that we realize this isn’t Luke at all, but rather an astral projection of him being controlled by the real Luke, who we then see levitating in deep focus on Ahch-To. But what’s also interesting is the fact that when Luke first arrives on Crait, he hands Leia Han’s golden dice from the Millennium Falcon cockpit, which she’s able to hold in her hands. And yet, despite their apparent tangibility, they disappear once Luke does, which begs the question as to how a projection can manifest tangible objects.
In any case, Luke’s body-double stunt certainly take’s a huge toll, draining him of his remaining life force. Hopefully we’ll still get to see him return in Episode IX as a Force Ghost.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is now in theaters nationwide.