Unlike its 2015 predecessor,
The Last Jedi strove to deliver a Star Wars experience truly like no other.
Whether it be the abundance of humour,
plethora of unexpected plot twists and reveals,
or the addition of all-new Force powers,
Rian Johnson somehow managed to reinvigorate the galaxy far, far away.
But for every epic moment,
Johnson's creative freedom spawned an equal amount of rather awkward plot holes and inconsistencies.
Though it must be said that each can be explained if you spend enough time scrolling through visual dictionaries and...
...deep recesses of the internet alike.
So with that in mind – and in the interest of fairness –
here are 8 counterarguments to plot holes created by The Last Jedi.
Number 08. The Map to Luke Skywalker
I think it goes without saying that maps are used for navigational purposes.
So the very fact that Luke Skywalker left clues behind for members of the Resistance to find him...
...meant that his fight against the First Order was far from over.
Yet in The Last Jedi,
the ageing Jedi Master claimed to have located Ahch-Too
-Ahch-T... Ahch-Toh... Ahch-Two...
As his final resting place – the location in which he would live the rest of his life.
Not even the passing of Han Solo...
...or his twin sister's desperate cries for help would see him rejoin the Resistance fleet.
So why did The Force Awakens make such a big deal of finding Skywalker if he didn't want to be found?
Better yet, who created the map to his location in the first place?!
Well, perhaps the confusion lies in the very nature of this navigational aid.
You see, the map itself –
which became the final piece of a much larger puzzle for both the Resistance and First Order –
simply pointed to the very first Jedi Temple.
It just so happened that Luke was last seen hot on the trail of this mystical location.
Number 07. Magical Golden Dice
Sticking with Luke Skywalker,
and how awesome was his short but sweet interaction with General Leia Organa?
It felt like just the right balance of humour, nostalgia and mourning -
no, not that morning -
before Skywalker's final showdown with Kylo Ren.
But if Luke was merely a Force projection,
how come his commemorative gift found a way to stick around long after the epic encounter?
Well, this one's a little more tricky to explain.
In fact, there doesn't appear to be an official answer of any description.
Let's just all bombard Pablo Hidalgo on Twitter!
But the best guess I and fellow Star Wars YouTubers can possibly muster...
...relates to the differing laws of objects and physical beings under the spell of Force projection.
Perhaps the golden dice can last longer due to their simplicity and smaller size...
...when compared to the body projection of Skywalker's younger, more mobile self.
Number 06. Return of the Lightsaber
Moments before their final encounter on Crait –
yes, I'm still talking about this –
Kylo Ren witnessed the destruction of Luke Skywalker's first lightsaber.
So when the legendary Jedi Master rocked up on the mineral world with his coveted blue-bladed weapon,
rather than his legendary green lightsaber,
Ren should have immediately sensed a “disturbance in the Force” - excuse the pun.
But if you actually think about it, as Rian Johnson clearly did, this scene makes complete sense:
Number 05. Weaponising Hyperspace
Whether you don't mind the character of Vice Admiral Holdo,
or believe her to be even worse than Jar Jar Binks,
I'm sure we can all agree that her heroic sacrifice was awesome!
The way in which Rian Johnson masterfully interwove muted audio and piercing white light...
...made this stunning visual one of the most epic and breathtaking scenes in not only The Last Jedi,
but the Star Wars saga as a whole.
However, the very nature of launching one ship into another...
...has opened up many a question regarding prior conflicts in the galaxy far, far away.
I mean, if hyperspace can indeed be weaponised,
then how come we haven't seen this pairing be used before?
Well, simply put, hyperspace has found use as a weapon prior to Holdo's noble end –
even if some instances were more accidental than anything else.
And secondly, not every starship came equipped with hyperdrives.
Even if they did,
the likes of an A-wing or Y-wing bomber would have merely skimmed the surface of the Death Star,
during the Battle of Yavin.
It also goes without saying that using a large-scale frigate...
...or cruiser as nothing more than a lethal battering ram would have been highly inefficient,
as well as a colossal waste of money and resources.
You know, you've got to take that into account.
The reason why Holdo's sacrifice makes so much sense...
...is due to the desperation of the very much depleted Resistance.
Number 04. Blind Walkers
I'm not sure about you, but I for one was convinced that Finn was done for nearing the climax of The Last Jedi.
Yet I'm not talking about his suicide mission to destroy the First Order's siege cannon.
Instead, I and many others found it almost inevitable that one of the many AT-M6 walkers...
...would turn their heads down to Finn and Rose and blast away their heartfelt encounter.
So why didn't they?
Honestly, I'm not overly sure.
Perhaps the armoured crew cabins of each vehicle have a limited range of movement,
or maybe Kylo Ren's strict orders to concentrate all fire on the Resistance base...
...saw them ignore Finn and Rose.
Either way, there was a far greater goal at stake than finishing off two already injured Resistance stragglers.
Number 03. The First Order Attack
With only four ships, the Resistance fleet barely qualified as a fleet at all.
To make matters worse,
it was pursued by about thirty First Order star destroyers,
even before the arrival of the Supremacy dreadnought...
...or the innumerable crafts lying in wait in the Unknown Regions.
So rather than attack the enemy from both ends and finish them off - once and for all -
the First Order bizarrely chose to pursue the remnants of the Resistance...
...in one of cinema's slowest chase scenes.
Seriously, it's probably still going on.
But when you consider the First Order's mindset and quest for power –
knowing that the Resistance would perish sooner rather than later –
their decision makes a tad more sense.
And without knowing General Organa's evacuation plans,
or a need to hurry the situation,
the First Order seemed to take some kind of torturous enjoyment from their enemy's futile situation.
Number 02. A Need-To-Know Situation
You all knew this one was coming!
In fact, so criticised is this plot point...
...that I've already made an entirely different video dedicated to the subject.
So rather than bog you all down with information you'll already know if you are a subscriber to the channel -
hint, hint, subscribe -
I'll give you the short but sweet rundown.
First of all, Holdo failed to let the recently-demoted Poe Dameron in on the escape plans...
...because she wasn't prepared to betray the instructions and integrity of her close friend, General Organa.
Secondly, she was a leader who expected orders to be followed precisely and without question.
And third of all – given the Resistance's dire situation –
Holdo chose to sparsely spread word of her plans knowing a spy or traitor...
...could easily inform the First Order.
Number 01. Snoke's Death
Even a good four or five weeks removed from the release of The Last Jedi,
I still have very mixed emotions about the death of Supreme Leader Snoke.
On one hand, it was an incredibly bold decision that rightfully made Kylo Ren the new trilogy's main villain.
But on the other, Snoke was made to look like a complete fool.
Despite knowing exactly what his apprentice was thinking at all times,
or his seemingly unrivalled Force powers,
the almighty antagonist was simply cut in two like a warm knife through butter.
Yet I can't fault this scene upon painfully analysing it further...
And wasting about 50 quid on cinema tickets...
*Sigh*
You see, Snoke wasn't necessarily reading Kylo's mind, more so his emotions and intentions.
So blinded by hate and anger,
Snoke knew that his apprentice would aim his lightsaber at the enemy, before striking them down.
He just failed to realise that Rey was no longer the target.
So there we have it:
eight counterarguments to some of The Last Jedi's most criticised plot holes and inconsistencies.
Of course, many of these moments were harder to rationalise than others.
But hopefully you now view certain aspects of The Last Jedi in a slightly different light.
So, if you learned something new from today's video, be sure to leave a like.
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