Foreshadowing in The Last Jedi

This isn't a review. I loved it, and I'm not here to try to detail why specifically I did, to convince you that you should, or anything like that. There are some significant spoilers here so don't read on until you've seen the movie.

I may over time write about a few other aspects of the movie, but what I want to cover right now is foreshadowing in The Last Jedi. Foreshadowing is not something you see a ton of in major blockbusters. The script is generally direct and to the point, and offers little room in the lesser scripts of most "popcorn movies" for proper homage (as was clear in multiple areas of this film, probably my next major topic) or for strong foreshadowing, a plot device used well in The Empire Strikes Back, but seldom in the 6 Star Wars movies made since.

The Last Jedi is rife with foreshadowing, most of it centered around Luke. It begins before Luke leaves the island of Ach-To. When Rey continues to push Luke about why he needs to return to the galaxy, she talks about the resistance needing the legend that is Luke Skywalker. Luke responds something similar to "Do you expect me to take my laser sword and confront a whole army?" Which of course, is exactly what Luke does prior to his duel with Kylo Ren (in a matter of speaking anyways).

In that same scene, we see Luke as he appears in the flashback scene, younger and dressed as he had when running his training temple. This should have set off alarm bells that something wasn't as advertised. Then we see him draw and ignite a blue lightsaber, when the lightsaber he made in Return of the Jedi is green. Further, the hilt of that lightsaber is his fathers, the one Rey had carried with her to Ach-To, and had been severed in two during her confrontation with Kylo aboard Snoke's ship, The Supremacy. 

During the lightsaber "fight", on the salt world of Crait, we see the red dust under the salt kicked into the air by the Resistance speeders, and by Kylo's foot movement during the duel. But in the closeup of Luke's footwork, as he adjusts his stance, the salt isn't disturbed.

Finally, Luke's passing. When Kylo and Rey's minds are bridged the first time, Kylo says to Rey "Are you doing this? No, of course you're not, the effort would kill you". What Kylo believed at the time is that Rey was projecting herself across the galaxy to appear to Kylo. Which is exactly what Luke did, and of course we know how that turned out. 

There were several other instances regarding other characters and their actions that I remembered initially, but I have forgotten them at this point, so I will add to this as I rewatch over the holidays.

Comments