Laura Dern says that Vice Admiral Holdo is Force sensitive

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

SPOILERS for STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI. Although she may not have been weilding a lightsaber or lifting vehicles from the depths of swamps, Vice Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern) was nonetheless Force sensitive. While speaking with Entertainment Weekly recently, STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI actress Laura Dern was asked whether there was more to Holdo's backstory than we wound up seeing in the film, and it turns out, there is! Holdo's Force sensitivity isn't a mere theory on Dern's part, it's actually something which was discussed in depth with Rian Johnson, Ram Bergman, and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy.

In their minds, and in their understanding of the origin story, we know that she was a true rebel in the Resistance, and in our culture we might have called her a hippie. But she was longing for peace, and a revolutionary in that way, and wanted to be trained by and led by Leia, who taught her everything she knew. She wanted to come up in the ranks to support Leia’s mission, but also had this otherworldly side that does involve the Force.

Holdo's connection to the Force manifests itself in her leadership abilities and overall demeanor, and Laura Dern said that Holdo "longs to protect it [the Force], and holds that with great care. There’s a sort of a light on and a wisdom that she speaks about in the film, and speaks to Oscar Isaac’s character briefly about it." It's also her belief and connection to the Force which explains why Holdo wasn't afraid during her moment of self-sacrifice, she knew that something lay beyond. "Her primary goal was to protect the light, to protect the Force, and to keep the revolutionaries alive," Dern said. "And I think the film speaks so beautifully to that with this last image of the next generation of the Resistance, you know?"

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI is now available on DVD/Blu-ray/4K Ultra HD.