Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi begins with the Resistance fleeing from the First Order after the destruction of Starkiller Base and it is the 8th movie entry into the canon Star Wars timeline. As General Leia Organa leads the evacuation, the Resistance faces a devastating assault. Poe Dameron defies orders and launches an attack on a First Order Dreadnought, but his recklessness results in heavy Resistance casualties. Meanwhile, Supreme Leader Snoke chastises Kylo Ren for his failure to defeat Rey, leading Kylo to destroy his mask in frustration.
On the remote planet Ahch-To, Rey presents Luke Skywalker with his old lightsaber, but he shockingly tosses it away, refusing to train her. Luke, consumed by guilt over his failure with Kylo Ren, has cut himself off from the Force and believes the Jedi should end. Rey pleads with him to help, but he refuses. However, R2-D2 later persuades Luke by showing him Leia’s old message from years ago. Luke promises Rey three lessons about the Jedi. Only two made it into the final cut, leaving fans wondering about the third which is shown in a deleted scene known as “The Caretaker Village Sequence,” Rey observes what appears to be a raid on the native caretakers by offworlders. She rushes to intervene, only to find Luke tricked her—he staged the event to teach her that Jedi intervention often leads to unintended consequences.
Meanwhile, the First Order uses advanced tracking technology to pursue the Resistance fleet through hyperspace. With their fuel running out, Leia is nearly killed in an attack led by Kylo Ren but survives by using the Force. While Leia recovers, Vice Admiral Holdo takes command, but her secretive plan causes tension with Poe, who organizes a mutiny. Meanwhile, Finn and new ally Rose Tico devise a plan to disable the First Order’s tracking device and head to Canto Bight, a lavish casino city, to find a hacker who can help them.
During her exile on the remote island of Ahch-To, Rey seeks training from the reclusive Luke Skywalker, hoping he will help her understand her place in the Force and prepare her to confront the rising darkness. But Luke is a man broken by failure and regret. He refuses to train Rey initially, explaining that the legacy of the Jedi is one of hubris, failure, and destruction. Despite his resistance, Rey begins to discover her connection to the Force through raw instinct and persistence. Meanwhile, an inexplicable bond begins to form between her and Kylo Ren, manifesting as spontaneous Force connections that allow them to communicate across vast distances. These intense encounters blur the lines between enemy and ally, as each tries to reach the other across their ideological divide.
Kylo, tormented and conflicted, claims that Luke attempted to kill him in his sleep, prompting his turn to the dark side and allegiance to Supreme Leader Snoke. Luke, when pressed, confesses a more nuanced truth—he sensed a dangerous darkness in young Ben Solo and, for the briefest moment, contemplated ending that threat. But the moment passed, and shame overtook him. By then, it was too late. The revelation fractures Rey’s trust in Luke and intensifies her belief that she might be the one to bring Kylo back to the light. She leaves Ahch-To, against Luke’s wishes, convinced that her destiny is to confront Kylo and redeem him, as Luke once did with Darth Vader.
Meanwhile, Finn and Rose Tico embark on a covert mission to the luxurious, morally bankrupt casino city of Canto Bight. Their goal is to find a master codebreaker who can disable the First Order’s hyperspace tracking device and allow the Resistance to escape. There, they witness the grotesque wealth disparity and war profiteering that fuels both sides of the galactic conflict. Instead of their intended target, they find DJ, a cynical slicer who agrees to help—for a price. The three infiltrate Snoke’s flagship, the Supremacy, but are captured before completing their mission. As Captain Phasma prepares to execute Finn and Rose, betrayal stings—DJ has sold them out to the First Order.
Simultaneously, Rey turns herself over to the First Order, believing she can turn Kylo. She is brought before Snoke, who cruelly mocks her naivety and pain. Confident in his control over Kylo, Snoke commands his apprentice to execute her. In a stunning reversal, Kylo activates Rey’s lightsaber through the Force, bisecting Snoke and killing him instantly. What follows is one of the film’s most exhilarating sequences: Rey and Kylo join forces to battle the Praetorian Guards in a visually dazzling, emotionally charged fight. For a moment, it seems redemption may be possible. But as the battle ends, Kylo reveals his ambition—not to end tyranny, but to seize control. He asks Rey to join him in remaking the galaxy, declaring her parents were “nobodies,” scavengers who sold her for drinking money. Shattered by the truth but resolute, Rey refuses. She escapes, heartbroken but determined, as Kylo claims the mantle of Supreme Leader.
Elsewhere, Poe Dameron’s impulsive actions spark a mutiny aboard the Resistance cruiser after Vice Admiral Holdo refuses to reveal her secret evacuation plan. Unbeknownst to Poe, she is orchestrating a last-ditch effort to get the remaining Resistance members to the abandoned Rebel base on Crait. When the situation becomes dire and Snoke’s forces close in, Holdo makes a heroic sacrifice—piloting the ship alone and executing a lightspeed ramming maneuver that tears through the First Order fleet in a visually stunning, soundless explosion. The moment is both awe-inspiring and tragic, marking one of the most powerful acts of sacrifice in the saga.
On the salt-covered battlefield of Crait, the Resistance mounts a desperate defense using outdated, barely functional ski-speeders against the massive AT-M6 walkers and a planet-cracking battering ram. As the First Order bears down, hope seems lost. Just then, Luke Skywalker appears at the entrance of the Resistance stronghold, confronting Kylo Ren in a moment steeped in mythic resonance. The two exchange words and blades, with Luke effortlessly dodging Kylo’s frenzied attacks. Only when Kylo lands a fatal blow does he realize he has been deceived—Luke was never there. He had projected his image across the galaxy through sheer Force mastery, buying time for the Resistance to escape.
The effort costs Luke everything. On Ahch-To, his physical form collapses as he gazes at the twin suns, mirroring his youth on Tatooine. He passes into the Force with serenity, becoming one with it—his legend reborn. His sacrifice echoes across the galaxy, reigniting sparks of resistance and belief.
As the survivors flee aboard the Millennium Falcon, Leia, Rey, Finn, and Poe regroup. Rey mourns the loss of Luke but feels a growing sense of clarity in the Force. She rescues the ancient Jedi texts, symbolizing the passing of the torch and the beginning of a new philosophy for the Jedi. Kylo Ren, now fully enmeshed in the dark side, stands alone among the ruins of his own ambition, more powerful—and more isolated—than ever.
In the final scene, a stable boy on Canto Bight gazes up at the stars, clutching a homemade Resistance ring. As he subtly pulls a broom toward himself with the Force, it becomes clear: the legend of Luke Skywalker has spread. The Resistance may be battered, but hope has not been extinguished. The Force continues to awaken in the hearts of ordinary beings, setting the stage for a final confrontation between darkness and light in The Rise of Skywalker.