The newest Star Wars trilogy is about to end. In just a few more days, fans of the mega-franchise will finally see the conclusion of the conflict between the First Order, remnants of the empire, and the fractured Resistance, the last defense of The New Republic.
Throughout the past five years, we were introduced to a new generation of characters. Daisy Ridley stars as Ray, the force-sensitive scavenger that serves as the main heroine in the new trilogy. Oscar Isaac plays Poe Dameron, a hot-shot X-wing veteran pilot. John Boyega plays Finn, a First Order stormtrooper who defects to the Resistance. Opposite them is Adam Diver, who plays Kylo Ren, a follower of the ways of Darth Vader.
Favorite characters also made a return to the series, with Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher reprising their roles as Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Leia Organa respectively. Peter Mayhew and Anthony Daniels also returned as Chewbacca and C-3PO respectively.
Trouble in a galaxy far far away
However, not everyone in the cast has been happy with the direction that the new Star Wars Trilogy is going. In an interview with Hypebeast, John Boyega has expressed dismay on the closing movie.
"The Force Awakens I think was the beginning of something quite solid, The Last Jedi if I'm being honest I'd say that was feeling a bit iffy for me," Boyega says in his interview.
The actor feels that there wasn't enough development between his character and the other two protagonists played by Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaac.
"I guess the original Star Wars films there was much more of a trio feel where it was essentially about Luke's journey, but Han and Leia there was a strong dynamic, which I think, I don't know how quickly we're going to be able to establish that longterm dynamic with [Episode] Nine. But if it's exploring that dynamic, then that would be cool,"
He expresses that the new three protagonists still have a story that can be told.
"I do feel even after three films still, we don't know them as much as we got to know Han, Luke, Leia. And maybe that's a great opportunity to get to know them a little bit more."
He agrees that the direction and end of the film series aren't exactly what he expected when he first appeared in The Force Awakens.
"I didn't necessarily agree with a lot of the choices in that and that's something that spoke to Mark [Hamill] a lot about and we had conversations about it..."
A Conflicted Jedi Master
Mark Hamill has been famous in his discontent on how the directors of the new trilogy moved Luke's story. Back in 2017, just right after the release of The Last Jedi, Hamill voiced how the Luke portrayed in the movie did not match up with the character he played nearly 40 years ago.
In an interview with SensaCine, (through the Independent) Hamill said:
"Jedis don't give up. I mean, even if he had a problem, he would maybe take a year to try and regroup, but if he made a mistake he would try and right that wrong, so right there, we had a fundamental difference, but, it's not my story anymore. It's somebody else's story, and Rian needed me to be a certain way to make the ending effective."
He, however, seems to have reconciled with the director of The Last Jedi, Rian Johnson. During a series of SXSW appearances, the two gave insights into the development of the film and how the two butt heads on the portrayal of Luke Skywalker.
"I feel an investment in it, a certain sense of ownership. I'm sorry I lowered my bar and expressed my misgivings about it because that belongs in the process, it doesn't belong to the public. I made that statement before I saw the finished film."
