50 Fun Facts About Star Wars: the Last Jedi

Who wrote and directed The Last Jedi?

He was reported to be in talks in June 2014 and was also asked to write a treatment for Episode IX.

To whom is the film dedicated?

Carrie Fisher: the end credits read 'In loving memory of our princess'; she died in December 2016, five months after filming wrapped, so all her scenes were complete.

What does Poe Dameron destroy in the opening battle, against Leia's orders?

A First Order dreadnought: Poe's bombing run destroys the Fulminatrix but costs the Resistance its entire bomber wing, including Rose's sister Paige.

How does Leia survive being blown into space?

She uses the Force to pull herself back: the scene, nicknamed 'Space Leia' by fans, was the first time the films showed Leia wielding the Force so directly.

Who takes command of the Resistance while Leia recovers?

Vice-Admiral Holdo: Amilyn Holdo, purple hair and all, takes command and keeps her plan from Poe, whose distrust of her leads to his mutiny.

How many lessons in the ways of the Force does Luke agree to give Rey?

Three: after R2-D2 replays Leia's original 'Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi' hologram, Luke agrees to three lessons, though only two are shown in the finished film.

What does Luke confess he briefly considered doing to the young Ben Solo?

Killing him in his sleep: sensing Snoke's corruption in Ben, Luke ignited his lightsaber over the sleeping boy for an instant; Ben woke, and the Jedi temple burned that night.

Who destroys the ancient Jedi library tree with a bolt of lightning?

Yoda's Force ghost: appearing to Luke on Ahch-To, Yoda calls down lightning to burn the tree and tells him that failure is the greatest teacher.

What is the name of the casino town Finn and Rose visit to find a codebreaker?

Canto Bight: the casino city on the desert planet Cantonica, where Finn and Rose hunt for the master codebreaker and free the racing fathiers.

Who plays the hacker DJ?

Benicio del Toro plays DJ, the stuttering slicer Finn and Rose meet in a casino-city jail cell; Justin Theroux plays the 'master codebreaker' they were originally sent to find.

What does DJ do after being captured aboard Snoke's flagship?

Sells out the Resistance evacuation plan to Hux: DJ trades the secret of the cloaked transports for his freedom, and the First Order opens fire on them, destroying most.

Who kills Snoke in the throne room?

Kylo Ren: ordered to kill Rey, he instead ignites the Skywalker lightsaber resting at Snoke's side and cuts his master in two before the pair fight the Praetorian Guards.

What happens to Luke's old lightsaber during Rey and Kylo's struggle over it?

It is torn in half: Rey and Kylo each pull on the Skywalker saber with the Force until it splits; Rey carries the pieces to the Falcon, and it is repaired by The Rise of Skywalker.

How does Holdo cripple the First Order fleet?

By ramming Snoke's flagship at lightspeed: Holdo turns the Raddus into the Supremacy's path and jumps; the silent hyperspace collision became one of the saga's most debated shots.

What title does Kylo Ren claim after Snoke's death?

Supreme Leader: with Snoke dead, he claims the title, tells Rey to let the past die, and offers her a place at his side, which she refuses.

On which planet does the film's final battle take place?

Crait: the abandoned Rebel base on the mineral planet, white salt over red crust, is where the Resistance makes its last stand against the First Order.

Where was the battle on the salt-flat planet actually filmed?

Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia: the world's largest salt flat, whose white crust stood in for the planet's surface; the red mineral layer beneath was added for the film.

What is the twist behind Luke's confrontation with the First Order on the salt flats?

He is a Force projection and never actually there: Luke projects himself across the galaxy from Ahch-To; Kylo realises it when his blade passes through him, and the effort kills Luke.

What does the stablehand child do in the film's final shot?

Moves a broom with the Force: the stable boy pulls the broom into his hand, and 'Broom Boy' became shorthand for the film's idea that the Force belongs to anyone, not just Skywalkers.

What does Kylo tell Rey her parents were?

Nobodies who sold her for drinking money: Kylo says her parents were filthy junk traders buried in a pauper's grave; the director likened the reveal to Luke learning who Vader was.

Who plays Rose Tico, described by Johnson as the film's largest new role?

Kelly Marie Tran: Rodriguez, Maslany and Olivia Cooke had been on the reported shortlist; Tran later left Instagram in 2018 after sustained racist harassment over the role.

Who plays Vice-Admiral Amilyn Holdo?

Laura Dern: Lucasfilm announced her casting when principal photography began in February 2016 without naming the role; it was her first appearance in a Star Wars film.

Who took over the role of Chewbacca from Peter Mayhew?

Joonas Suotamo: the Finnish former basketball player had shared the role with Mayhew in The Force Awakens and played Chewbacca alone here, with Mayhew credited as 'Chewbacca consultant'.

Who voices Yoda, returning to the role for the Force-ghost scene?

Frank Oz: Yoda's original puppeteer and voice returned for the scene, and his name was kept out of the pre-release billing to preserve the surprise.

Luke's actor voices a casino-planet alien named after which crew member?

The film's editor, Bob Ducsay: Luke's actor voices the alien Dobbu Scay, a play on the editor's name; the character mistakes BB-8 for a slot machine and feeds it coins.

Which two British royals filmed stormtrooper cameos that were cut?

Prince William and Prince Harry: the princes filmed a scene as stormtroopers escorting Finn, Rose and BB-8 in a lift, but it was cut and survives only as a deleted scene.

Which director of a Star Wars spin-off film cameos as a Resistance soldier?

Gareth Edwards, director of Rogue One, appears as a Resistance trooper in the trenches; Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish also cameo, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt voices the alien Slowen Lo.

Who plays Paige Tico, Rose's sister, who dies destroying the dreadnought?

Veronica Ngo: the Vietnamese actress plays gunner Paige Tico, who dies releasing the bombs in the opening battle; the matching medallion half she wore stays with Rose.

What was the film's working title?

Bob Iger confirmed filming had begun under that name on February 10, 2016.

Where did second-unit photography begin in September 2015, months before the main shoot?

Skellig Michael, Ireland: the crew shot there in September 2015, months before the main shoot, because the island is nearly inaccessible outside summer; the first day was lost to bad weather.

Which Croatian city hosted a week of filming in March 2016?

Dubrovnik: its walled old town, already famous as Game of Thrones' King's Landing, stood in for the casino planet's streets during a week of shooting in March 2016.

Why did Johnson insist on a puppet rather than CGI for the Force ghost of the old Jedi master?

A digital version would not match how his student knew him in Empire: the director wanted the same puppet Yoda that Luke trained with on Dagobah, so the creature shop built a new one.

How many sets were ultimately built at Pinewood after Johnson trimmed the script's original 160?

125: the sets were spread across 14 Pinewood sound stages; production designer Rick Heinrichs said the script's original 160 was double what might be expected.

Which of these war films did Johnson have his story group watch for inspiration?

Twelve O'Clock High: the 1949 bomber-crew drama was on the list alongside The Bridge on the River Kwai, Gunga Din, Sahara and Letter Never Sent.

Which cast member publicly disagreed with the direction of his character during production?

He later regretted going public and compared it to his clashes with George Lucas on Return of the Jedi.

On what date did The Last Jedi open in United States cinemas?

December 15, 2017: in January 2016 Disney moved the film from its original May 26, 2017 date to December, and the world premiere took place in Los Angeles on December 9, 2017.

Roughly how much did The Last Jedi gross worldwide?

$1.33 billion: it was the highest-grossing film of 2017 worldwide, and among Star Wars films only The Force Awakens had earned more at the time.

What was the film's opening weekend in the U.S. and Canada, the second-biggest ever at the time?

$220 million: only The Force Awakens ($248 million) had opened bigger; The Last Jedi then fell 67% on its second weekend, the steepest drop in the series at the time.

In which country did exhibitors cut the film's showtimes by 90% a week after it opened?

China: after a weak opening in January 2018, cinemas slashed showtimes by 90%, and the film finished with just $42.5 million there, far below The Force Awakens' total.

What did Rotten Tomatoes eventually admit about the film's audience score in 2019?

Critics scored it 91%; polling firms like CinemaScore (A) and PostTrak (five stars) found real audiences broadly positive.

How did George Lucas describe The Last Jedi shortly after its release?

"Beautifully made": Lucas's spokesperson relayed that he found the film beautifully made, a warmer reaction than his 'retro movie' remark about The Force Awakens.

How many Academy Award nominations did The Last Jedi receive?

Four: Original Score, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Visual Effects at the 90th Academy Awards; it won none, and also picked up two BAFTA nominations.

Who took over R2-D2 after Kenny Baker's death in 2016?

Jimmy Vee: the Scottish actor, a veteran of Doctor Who creature roles, was announced as the new R2-D2 in late 2016, after Baker's death that August.

Which two Irish counties provided extra filming locations for the Ahch-To scenes?

Donegal and Kerry: Malin Head in Donegal, mainland Ireland's northernmost point, and Ceann Sibéal on Kerry's Dingle Peninsula both stood in for Ahch-To in May 2016.

Who captures Finn, Rose and DJ when they infiltrate Snoke's flagship?

Captain Phasma: Gwendoline Christie's chrome-armoured commander catches the trio in the flagship's hangar; Finn later defeats her in a duel after BB-8 intervenes in a hijacked walker.

Which Take That singer filmed a cameo as a stormtrooper?

Gary Barlow: the Take That frontman revealed in early 2017 that he had filmed a cameo in stormtrooper armour during the 2016 shoot.

Which actor's cameo as a stormtrooper was shot but dropped from the final cut?

Tom Hardy: he played a stormtrooper who recognises Finn in a lift scene that was cut; it survives as a deleted scene on the home release.

Whose modulated voice provides BB-8's final sound effects in the film?

Ben Schwartz did the initial voice work, and puppeteers Dave Chapman and Brian Herring operated the droid on set.

Which director was originally announced for Episode IX in 2015?

Colin Trevorrow: the Jurassic World director was announced for Episode IX in August 2015 and left the project in September 2017, after which J.J. Abrams returned to direct it.

How much net profit did Deadline Hollywood calculate The Last Jedi earned?

$417 million: Deadline put the film's net profit at $417.5 million, topping its 2017 'Most Valuable Blockbuster' list after marketing and talent costs were deducted.