There are a lot of divisive moments in the Star Wars sequel trilogy — innumerable even, if some fans were to be believed — but one scene from The Last Jedi remains polarizing and downright painful to watch, even now that most audiences have developed a sense of cognitive dissonance from the movie.
It’s not Luke Skywalker drinking that weird green alien milk, and nor does it have to do anything with Rose or Admiral Holdo. This involves the first few moments of The Last Jedi. After leaving us on a literal cliffhanger for two years, with Rey extending her hand and offering Luke his old lightsaber and the titular Last of the Jedi looking down on the tattered pieces of his legacy, Rian Johnson’s movie essentially opens with the beloved protagonist nonchalantly tossing the lightsaber down the cliffs of Ahch-To.
Fans have interpreted this moment as not only an insult to Luke Skywalker but to the Skywalker Saga at large. Understandably, the recent debate has opened a can of worms over at the official Star Wars subreddit, asking folks to reveal their reactions when watching this scene for the first time in theaters.
The initial reaction must have been close to what Rey was feeling at the moment; utter shock and bemusement.
In fairness to The Last Jedi, fans may be needlessly aggrandizing the importance of Anakin’s lightsaber. After all, are we forgetting that he used it to mow down younglings in Episode III – Revenge of the Sith?
But while we’re being frank, Rian Johnson might have made a mistake by turning it into a comedic moment. Luke rejecting his legacy should’ve ultimately played out as a somber moment to set up the tone for the movie.
The takeaway from all of this is that The Last Jedi remains divisive and debatable, even nearly five years after its release. We have a feeling, in fact, that even if Disney were to release a completely new trilogy, fans would still return to talk about the middling sequels and all the things it got wrong many years down the road.