Eight Years Later, Here Are 8 Things That Still Make No Sense About Star Wars: The Last Jedi

The Last Jedi is one of the most debated Star Wars films ever made. Lucasfilm initially wanted to collaborate with director Rian Johnson on a whole new trilogy, but those plans were abandoned. The strong negative reaction to The Last Jedi led the studio to significantly change direction with The Rise of Skywalker. Even now, the film sparks passionate arguments – some fans consider it a brilliant addition to the series, while others believe it damaged the sequel trilogy.

It’s important to remember that not all criticism is valid – sometimes people simply disagree with the creative decisions a writer makes. We’ll mostly focus on genuine flaws, rather than subjective opinions. For example, while Luke Skywalker’s story has been heavily debated, it works within the context of the film. Similarly, the technical aspects of the Holdo Maneuver, while a bit far-fetched, were internally consistent and later explained within the Star Wars universe. However, despite these points, there are still eight specific issues with the film that remain confusing or even more problematic than before.

8) How Does Hyperspace Tracking Work?

Okay, I’m trying to enjoy the movie, and I usually ignore plot holes, but the whole hyperspace tracking thing in the recent films really bothers me. For years, we understood that tracking ships coming out of hyperspace was about predicting where they were going – you’d guess their destination based on their last known course. Remember the opening of A New Hope? An Imperial Star Destroyer actually chases the Tantive IV out of hyperspace, and it was later explained that the ship’s hyperdrive was damaged, leaving a sort of ‘breadcrumb trail.’ So, the idea that they could just follow a ship through hyperspace felt like a huge change and didn’t quite fit with what we’d seen before.

The situation feels contrived because the Resistance doesn’t realize hyperspace tracking even exists, but they quickly pinpoint the Supremacy as the source and, unbelievably, already have detailed plans to disable it. This convenient knowledge strains believability and weakens the entire subplot.

7) Why the Resistance Fleet Didn’t Scatter

The First Order ship, the Supremacy, is the only one capable of tracking hyperspace jumps, which makes the Resistance’s strategy very strange. A much better plan would have been to move people between ships, creating confusion about who was on each one, and then spreading out. The Supremacy could only follow one ship, allowing the others to escape – though sacrificing that one ship would have meant losses, it would have been a successful tactic. The Resistance wouldn’t have known which ship would be targeted, but it would have significantly increased their chances of survival.

Instead of scattering, the Resistance fleet consolidated onto their single remaining ship—their flagship. This decision was strategically questionable and suggests the Resistance leaders may have lacked strong tactical planning.

6) Why Didn’t the First Order Pin the Resistance Down?

To make matters worse, the First Order doesn’t use this technology very smartly. They could have easily used short hyperspace jumps within the system. The Supremacy had a fleet of regular Star Destroyers that Snoke could have sent ahead. Once the Resistance started running low on fuel, all he needed to do was have a couple of those ships jump in front of them. This would have trapped the Resistance and destroyed them quickly.

It seemed Supreme Leader Snoke was relishing the chase, happy to watch Resistance ships run out of fuel and be destroyed. However, prolonged battles aren’t typical of the dark side, and the Resistance likely wouldn’t have lasted if Snoke had simply finished them off sooner. Their entire plan to survive actually hinged on Snoke remaining patient.

5) “We Can’t Cover You At That Range”

A crucial scene shows Kylo Ren almost killing his own mother, but he stops himself at the very last second. Interestingly, he hesitates because someone tells him he’s an easy target at that distance. This doesn’t make sense, though – he’s a skilled pilot with the Force, his father was Han Solo, and the Resistance apparently had no way to stop him. He shouldn’t have been worried about being hit.

Actually, Kylo Ren likely used the situation as a way to avoid doing something he didn’t want to do. The bigger issue, however, is that there was no good reason to ask him to finish the job in the first place. It was a poor tactical decision, particularly considering the First Order’s leaders didn’t have much regard for him anyway.

4) Why Didn’t Holdo & Leia Keep Poe in the Loop?

Much of the conflict within the Resistance feels forced, stemming from Vice-Admiral Holdo’s choice not to share her plans with Poe Dameron. While she wasn’t obligated to – he led just one squadron and should have been following orders – she could have easily avoided a potential mutiny by simply explaining her strategy to him. It wouldn’t have been as exciting, but it would have been far more logical.

Ultimately, this highlights a bigger problem: the crew’s spirit. While people may disagree with Holdo’s strategy, she let morale fall to a dangerously low point. She didn’t communicate with anyone, not even to suggest she had a plan, which made the rebellion almost unavoidable.

3) How the Resistance Expected to Escape Crait

The plan has some obvious flaws. For example, how did the Resistance think they’d get away from Crait? It relies on the First Order not looking for escape pods, which is a huge risk, especially since the pods are clearly visible. Also, Crait was the first planet the Resistance fleet would pass, so it would have been smart for the First Order to station a ship or two there just in case, even without knowing about the pods.

Honestly, watching this felt like the Resistance just traded one disaster for another. Their whole strategy boiled down to everyone being stuck in a single, vulnerable location – they only survived because of pure luck and factors they couldn’t possibly have anticipated. I get that it was a desperate, last-ditch effort, but as a plan, it was seriously flawed.

2) Why the Galaxy Didn’t Come to Help the Resistance

Even now, The Last Jedi sparks a lot of debate. Many fans question whether Luke Skywalker acted true to his character, and whether his death – which Mark Hamill describes as dying from using too much of the Force – felt logical. Some believe these issues damage the overall message of the Skywalker story, which is why discussions remain so heated even after eight years. However, a major point of contention for many is that the rest of the galaxy didn’t come to the Resistance’s aid when they desperately needed help. Star Wars has always centered on the idea of hope, and this moment felt like it took that away.

The biggest change made by The Rise of Skywalker – and not the reveal of Rey’s lineage – was the simple explanation for why no one received Leia’s message in The Last Jedi. This explanation differed from the well-developed one in Rae Carson’s novel, Resistance Reborn. This reset was important, though, because a silent galaxy meant the loss of hope. If people weren’t willing to fight back, the Resistance was effectively over, even if its leaders survived the battle on Crait. It would have been more effective to simply state that Leia’s signal was being blocked.

1) How Were the Golden Dice Tangible?

The climax of The Last Jedi features a remarkable duel between Luke Skywalker and Kylo Ren. The scene cleverly hints that Luke isn’t physically present – he doesn’t disturb the dust on Crait, and avoids letting Kylo’s lightsaber touch him. This creates a puzzling issue with Han Solo’s dice, as Luke is shown carrying and even giving them to Leia.

As in, physically gives them; hands them over to her.

Eventually, the golden dice disappear, revealing they were never real – they were just a creation of Luke’s illusion. This means Luke couldn’t have actually given them to Leia. It’s a small detail, but it weakens the impressive display of Force ability we see from him.

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2025-12-24 16:11