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?

She died in December 2016, five months after principal photography wrapped, so all her scenes were complete.

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

The bombing run costs the Resistance its whole bomber wing, including Rose's sister Paige.

How does Leia survive being blown into space?

The moment, nicknamed 'Space Leia' by fans, was the first time the films showed her wielding the Force so directly.

Who takes command of the Resistance while Leia recovers?

Purple hair and all, she keeps her plan from Poe, whose distrust leads to his mutiny.

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

R2-D2 changes his mind by replaying Leia's original 'Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi' hologram.

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

Sensing Snoke's corruption, he ignited his lightsaber for a moment; Ben woke, and the new Jedi Order burned that night.

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

He tells Luke that failure is the greatest teacher; the puppet was used rather than CGI so Yoda looked as Luke knew him on Dagobah.

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

Its scenes were shot in a Croatian walled city over a week in March 2016.

Who plays the hacker DJ?

Joaquin Phoenix was courted for the part and passed; Justin Theroux plays the 'master codebreaker' Finn and Rose were originally sent to find.

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

The First Order then opens fire on the transports fleeing to Crait, destroying most of them.

Who kills Snoke in the throne room?

Ordered to kill Rey, he ignites the lightsaber at his master's side instead; Screen Rant called it the best movie twist in years.

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

Rey carries the pieces to the Falcon; the weapon is repaired by The Rise of Skywalker.

How does Holdo cripple the First Order fleet?

The silent hyperspace collision became one of the most debated shots in the saga.

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

He 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?

The white salt over red mineral crust was filmed at the Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia.

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

Additional filming took place in Mexico, and the Irish coast provided the island of Ahch-To.

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

Kylo realises it when his blade passes through him; the effort kills Luke, who dies at peace on Ahch-To.

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

'Broom Boy' became shorthand for the film's idea that the Force belongs to nobodies as well as Skywalkers.

Rey learns her parents were what?

Johnson said it would be the hardest thing she and the audience could hear, and likened it to Luke learning who Vader was.

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

Rodriguez, Maslany and Olivia Cooke had been on Disney's shortlist for the female cast; Tran later quit social media after sustained racist harassment.

Who plays Vice-Admiral Amilyn Holdo?

Her casting was confirmed at the start of filming in February 2016 without any hint of the role.

Who took over the role of Chewbacca from Peter Mayhew?

The Finnish former basketball player had doubled for Mayhew in The Force Awakens; Mayhew was credited as 'Chewbacca consultant'.

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

Producers kept his name out of the pre-release billing and kept him on set to preserve the surprise.

Luke's actor also voices Dobbu Scay, a casino-planet alien named after whom?

The character mistakes BB-8 for a slot machine and starts feeding him coins.

Which two British royals cameo as stormtroopers?

Take That's Gary Barlow is in armour too; Tom Hardy's stormtrooper cameo was cut from the final film.

Which Rogue One director appears as a Resistance soldier?

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?

Her medallion, split with Rose, becomes the key to the casino-planet escape.

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?

It was shot early because the island is nearly impossible to film on in other seasons; even so, the first day was cancelled for bad weather.

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

Its old town, already famous as Game of Thrones' King's Landing, became the casino planet's streets.

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

Creature designer Neal Scanlan says the film has more practical effects than any Star Wars movie, with up to 200 practical creatures.

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

They were spread across 14 sound stages, and production designer Rick Heinrichs said 160 was double what might be expected.

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

The Bridge on the River Kwai, Gunga Din, Three Outlaw Samurai, Sahara and Letter Never Sent were on the same list.

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.

Why was the film's release moved from May to December 2017?

Both films were Disney releases, so the studio moved its own Star Wars film out of the way.

Roughly how much did The Last Jedi gross worldwide?

It was the highest-grossing film of 2017 and the second-biggest Star Wars film after The Force Awakens.

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

Only The Force Awakens had opened bigger; The Last Jedi then suffered the series' worst second-weekend drop, 67%.

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

It finished with just $42.5 million there, sliding to ninth behind a Bollywood film and Ferdinand in its third weekend.

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?

It was a warmer reaction than he had given The Force Awakens, which he criticised for playing it safe.

How many Academy Award nominations did The Last Jedi receive?

Original Score and Visual Effects were among them; it also picked up two BAFTA nominations.

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

Vee had already performed some of the droid's work on The Force Awakens, where Baker was credited as consultant.

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

Malin Head in Donegal is Ireland's northernmost point; Ceann Sibéal in Kerry faces the Skelligs.

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

Gwendoline Christie's chrome-armoured commander is later defeated by Finn after BB-8 frees the prisoners.

Which Take That singer cameos as a stormtrooper alongside Princes William and Harry?

A second cameo by a major British film star was also filmed as a stormtrooper but dropped from the final edit.

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

Director Rian Johnson had previously cast Gordon-Levitt in Looper; he voices a Canto Bight alien here instead.

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.

Who was the announced Episode IX director that Rian Johnson was meant to hand over to?

Kathleen Kennedy described a relay of collaboration from Abrams to Johnson to Trevorrow, though Abrams ultimately returned for Episode IX.

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

That figure topped Deadline's list of 2017's 'Most Valuable Blockbusters' after accounting for marketing and talent costs.