The Last Jedi: Rian Johnson defends Luke’s Force projection

The Last Jedi Director, Rian Johnson, weighs in on the unhappiness expressed by some fans concerning Luke Skywalker’s immensely powerful display of the Force.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is still playing in theaters and continuing to build on its box office success as we speak. Despite the film’s financial success, fans of the franchise have some issues with Episode VIII. One of those complaints concerns Luke Skywalker’s powerful Force projection intervention in the battle between the First Order and Resistance on the salt covered planet of Crait.

A twitter discussion between Bungie’s Mark Noseworthy and Slash Film head Peter Sciretta concerning a Force wielder’s ability to use astral projection in the Star Wars universe resulted in a response from Director Rian Johnson.

The reveal that Luke wasn’t actually on Crait, but rather projecting an image of himself halfway across the galaxy via his meditation rock on Ahch-To, shocked moviegoers (at least those who didn’t pick up on the subtle hints that he wasn’t actually there). Some audience members loved this new display of the power of the Force, while others, like Sciretta, argue there is no established basis for astral projection anywhere in Star Wars.

Johnson, like Luke, decided to intervene. In his Twitter response, Johnson points out that many other uses of the Force in the Original Trilogy had no pre-established basis. Jedi mind tricks, Force chokes, grabbing items from across the room, and Force ghosts were all new concepts the first time they are shown, just like Luke’s astral projection.

Photo Credit: Lucasfilm

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In A New Hope we see Darth Vader Force choke Admiral Motti to prove the power of his “ancient religion.” Later, Ben Kenobi uses a Jedi mind trick to convince an Imperial Stormtrooper “these aren’t the droids” they’re looking for. Each of these instances shows us a very different way the Force is used, but both showcase the immense power of the Force.

Without any established knowledge, other than the short description of the Force provided by Ben a few scenes earlier, we simultaneously understand what is happening and grasp the magnitude of the Force when Vader and Kenobi each call on their ancient religion to influence the world around them.

Therefore, as expressed by Johnson, there is nothing inconsistent about Luke’s use of the Force at the end of The Last Jedi. In fact, his show of strength does well to not only showcase his power as a Jedi but to also bring a new sense of wonder to the Star Wars universe.

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi is playing in theatres, worldwide.