Despite all the abuse unjustly hurled at Star Wars: The Last Jedi, even the most petulant fans agree that the film’s final scene – a young slave inspired by the Resistance Force-pulling his broom to his hand – was amazing. I personally enjoyed it so much that I felt that even if I never saw another Star Wars movie, this would be a fantastic coda. And Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, agrees.
In a recent interview with Games Radar, Hamill was asked his opinion of the scene and had this to share:
“What I love particularly was – and they didn’t have to do this because the movie’s over – all of a sudden you cut to the stable and there’s that little boy, he puts out his hand and the broom comes to him.
It’s so subtle, the first time I saw it I thought he just took it, but if you look he puts his hand out and it moves over for him, implying that yeah, she’s [Rey’s] the last Jedi… until the next Jedi. It’ll go on forever, believe me. Long after both of us are gone they’ll be making these films from here into eternity.”
It’s a scene that underlines just how much Rian Johnson understood the beating heart of the franchise and its role in providing a modern mythology of rebellion against tyranny, kindness triumphing over cruelty and the redemption of evil. And of course, broom boy can both be the anonymous slaves liberating themselves with the Force and the millions of young Star Wars fans, some of whom might grow up to shape the future of the franchise – as Johnson did.
I just hope that the character remains anonymous and doesn’t end up appearing in his own poorly written set of Extended Universe tie-in comics. Worryingly, Star Wars: The Last Jedi: The Visual Dictionary names him as Temiri Blagg, which has already set fans feverishly examining all canon materials to find out what his lineage might be (the best they’ve come up with is that he could be related to one of the Stormtroopers from A New Hope).
Unfortunately, it’s going to be a long wait until we see Rian Johnson’s next contribution to that galaxy far far away, but if it’s going to be as effective as Star Wars: The Last Jedi, it’ll be an absolute humdinger.