MAJOR SPOILERS FOR STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI BELOW
Last shot…
Flee now or accept your fate…
After FORCE AWAKENS there were countless fan theories coming out about who Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) was, and come LAST JEDI we hoped we would learn more about who this deformed being was. Turns out, that was all basically pointless because Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) sent him out the way of Darth Maul and severed him across the middle (leading to the coolest scene in the movie). This one of the boldest moves of the whole movie, and puts Ren in a very key, and dangerous, position.
Rian Johnson spoke with EW about what drove him to come up with that decision, saying he wanted to put Ren in a position that completely rocks the foundations of his world. The result of that major act then transforms him into something more than just a Vader ripoff some feared he would become:
When I was working on the character of Kylo, I came to a place where I thought the most interesting thing would be to knock the shaky foundation out from under him at the beginning of this movie. By the end of this film, he’s gone from being a wannabe Vader to someone who is standing on his own feet as a complex villain taking the reins…But then the question is: What place would Snoke have at the end of that? That made me realize the most interesting thing would be to eliminate that dynamic between the ‘emperor’ and pupil, so that all bets are off going into the next one. That also led to the possibility of this dramatic turn in the middle, which could also be a really powerful connection point between Kylo and Rey.”
Indeed, this creates wild possibilities for the J.J. Abrams-directed EPISODE IX. Instead of Ren taking orders from Snoke he has taken charge of both his own destiny and, it would seem, the First Order. Still, surely there are some fans who felt jaded by the big death of Snoke, having concocted the perfect fan theory as to where the character would go. Johnson doesn’t think fan theories are a bad thing, and thinks the history of the character is something worth exploring in other movies, much like Emperor Palpatine in the prequels:
I do think it’s interesting. I never want to poo-poo the fans coming up with theories. It’s part of the fun of being a Star Wars fan. If there is a place for it in another story, I hope it gets told… It would have stopped any of these scenes dead cold if he had stopped and given a 30-second speech about how he’s Darth Plagueis. It doesn’t matter to Rey. If he had done that, Rey would have blinked and said, ‘Who?’ And the scene would have gone on. And I’m not saying he’s Darth Plagueis!
There are many great moments in THE LAST JEDI, but this scene with Rey, Ren and Snoke has to be my favorite. It's brimming with such ominous, dramatic tension and upon a first viewing, so much mystery. You have no idea how it's going to play out, and then it throws you for an absolute loop. Even when Rey and Ren are kicking ass you have no idea how it's going to play out. So much to love about the scene, and in the end, there a major dynamic shift between Rey and Ren that will make the final movie (hopefully) so much more engaging.
THE LAST JEDI is in theaters now!