Part of the joy of film, for me, is the secret — not knowing anything about the plot or development before I walk into the darkened theater. I know, I’m living in denial as most trailers give away the first act, part of the major reveals of the second, and usually drop a scene or two from the big, third act resolution. Star Wars films and their creators value the mystery of their wor, and have tried to keep those aspects hidden from the light (at least J.J. Abrams set the tone, being historically closed lipped and closed set). So to say the least, I was not looking forward to reading the May 2017 Vanity Fair cover story, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi — The Definitive Review.” What sacred gems would be unearthed in their attempt to sell magazines? My hesitancy was for naught, as writer David Camp unveiled the feel of the new franchise without digging up any forbidden treasure.
Broken into five sections, I present here the crib notes from the article…and you may be surprised at the non-spoiler details that are uncovered. (That said, some of the more obvious gems are present in Section 2, so skip that if you are not inclined to speculate)
Section 1: “We’re Going Back?”
Camp interview Mark Hamill, who begins by lamenting the need to return to Irish landmark Skellig Michael, the site of the last scene of The Force Awakens. Turns out, a 65 year-old voice actor needs twice the time as the crew to climb the heights of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. But Abrams filmed the end of TFA and was out as director, and Rian Johnson, director of Episode VIII, wanted to begin there.
Hamill goes on to detail his diet and exercise regimen necessary to return to “leading man shape”, and then to describe his disappointment at being in the film for only a few shots, and without lines to boot.
His interview wraps with the way he’d have written the ending of TFA (Leia calling out to Luke through the Force, and the two arriving at Starkiller Base in time to see Kylo kill Han). However, upon seeing the way it all ended, he told Abrams, “I’ve never been more happy to be wrong.”
More from Mark later, as the article ends with multiple accounts surrounding Carrie Fisher and her untimely death.
Section 2: A Long Way from Tosche Station
Big reveals are…hinted at…in this next section.
Significant is that new director Johnson is the sole credited screenwriter for The Last Jedi. This is unique, as most Star Wars films were collaborative, save the first episode which was exclusively George Lucas. Think on that for a minute. Johnson was given only the events of TFA as a starting point…and he wanted a bit more direction. More on that in the next section. His previous films, Brick and Looper are very involved stories, define their genres, and should offer some hope for a complex and compelling story line.
We get some pretty promising ideas about the plot in this interview. Finn, played by John Boyega, begins the film in a bacta suit, similar to Luke after his Wampa attack in Empire Strikes Back. Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver, “is in a rehabilitation state. You know, I don’t think patricide (killing one’s father) is all that it’s cracked up to be. Maybe that’s where Kyle Ren is starting from. His external scar is probably as much an internal one,” Driver says. He’s not feeling so hot about stabbing Han, is he? Confusion, he feels? We know where that leads along the way of the Force.
Johnson wanted to put the characters into hard situations, and that says a lot, given the history of the franchise. Johnson confirms that what Han said about Luke’s reasons for leaving prior to TFA are accurate, as in he had been running a Jedi academy which was destroyed in part by an apprentice that turned against him and destroyed it all.
We learn that the island at the end of the TFA is on a planet called Ahch-To, and is home to an ancient Jedi temple. Also, Luke hasn’t been alone, but has been dwelling in “this village among an indigenous race of caretaker creatures.“ But they, “are not Ewoks.”
Johnson goes on to warn viewers that the Luke/Rey relationship will not mirror past Jedi/Padawan relationships. I’m guessing from his spoken lines in the sneak peek from Celebration Orlando 2017 (“It’s time for the Jedi to end.”) that Rey is a little shocked to learn this.
No word on Snoke or Luke’s relation to Rey.
Section 3: Significant New Figures
Johnson has put himself through a film school curriculum similar to what Lucas viewed to prepare for Star Wars—lots of World War 2 and samurai movies. And not just traditional viewing, but “funky 60s samurai stuff.” How far off the reservation is Johnson willing to go with this second, darker chapter of the new trilogy?
Not too far, I’d guess. Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm and hand-picked successor of Lucas, has established a story department that reviews, approves, and maintains continuity of all Star Wars projects, which include films, comics books, games, novels and animation.
Kennedy, in turn, handpicked the directors that she’d like to see helm the new generation of Star Wars films. Abrams, Johnson, and for the third, unnamed Episode IX, Colin Trevorrow, known for Jurassic World, but more importantly, Safety Not Guaranteed, which drew Kennedy to him.
As Johnson worked on his story, he sought more direction from Lucasfilm about the story, so he moved to San Francisco to be near the story department.
New characters include someone only called DJ, played by Benicio Del Toro, mysterious after the order of Boba Fett; Vice Admiral Holdo, played by Laura Dern, after the order of a long line of strong female military leaders in the SW universe; and Rose Tico, played by Kelly Marie Tran, sister to Resistance pilot and Dameron side-kick Paige. Revealed, too, is that Rose will be teaming up with Finn for a plotline that involves a mission behind enemy lines.
This mission takes us to a new planet and casino, Canto Bight. Think Cantina-scene, but with wealthy power brokers instead of the scum and villainy of the Tatooine. (For this, check out the Vanity Fair pics…the character make up is out of this world.)
Johnson wraps up with this gem: “I didn’t want this to be a dirge, a heavy-osity movie. So one thing I’ve tried really hard to do is keep the humor in there, to maintain the feeling, amid all the heavy operatic moments, that you’re on a fun ride.”
Section 4: Sister Carrie
Here we have some tender testimonies about the humanity and humor that Carries Fisher brought to the new cast. Check them out and you’ll see that Fisher transcended her role of Leia as she embraced her character’s fame and provided directions and perspective to the new trilogy’s young stars.
Johnson confirms that Leia has a good number of scenes in TLJ, but was looking to place even more focus on Leia in Episode IX. We’ll never know what it could have been, and that is a bit sad.
What is good is that Kennedy confirms previous Lucasfilm/Disney pronouncement that Leia will not be recreated via CGI. “We don’t have any intention of beginning a trend of re-creating actors who are gone.” This despite Peter Cushing’s somewhat odd portrayal in Rogue One.
Section V: A Disturbance in the Force
Hamill ends the piece with his own tender reminiscences of Fisher. He still thinks of her in the present tense, part denial, part hope. He reveals their mutual attraction during Episode I filming which lead to “make-out” sessions that ended out of concern for their on-screen chemistry. Good thing, because they became lifelong friends, sharing not only the memories of their time on screen but also the burden of being Luke and Leia.
Once reunited in London for TFA, they competed for the most Twitter followers and planned which would heckle which upon their deaths.
Check out the whole interview for all the in between — I promise it won’t spoil anything!