Star Wars: The Last Jedi Director Continues To Defend The Movie

Since Star Wars: The Last Jedi arrived in theaters, director Rian Johnson has ended up spending a fair amount of time defending the movie's decisions. Whether it was the identity of Rey's (Daisy Ridley) parents, where the Knights of Ren were during the film, or why Luke Skywalker's (Mark Hamill) climactic scene makes perfect sense, Johnson has an answer for everything.

Now, though, he's explaining why something was missing from the movie. After the death of Han Solo (Harrison Ford) in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, many fans expected there to be some sort of memorial service for the beloved character in The Last Jedi. It wasn't there, though, and according to Johnson, it was never even a possibility.

Speaking with Collider following a screening of the movie, Johnson explains his stance on the subject. "[There was no debate of showing Han Solo's funeral], just because pacing-wise it didn't have a place," he says. "It's tough in Star Wars because I always think about the mourning that Luke gives to Ben's death, which is all of four-and-a-half seconds before, 'Come on kid we're not out of this yet' and then boom, you're into 'Yay, woo-hoo! Don't get cocky!' There's the moment for it, but it's not long. We don't have time for our sorrows, commanders. That's kind of the thing of Star Wars; you don't really linger on grief because you’re moving forward."

Johnson's not wrong. With so much happening in The Last Jedi, pausing everything for a memorial service would have halted the movie's forward momentum. Still, the director points out that there were small moments in the movie that showed the grief felt not only by Han's death but the state of the galaxy in general.

"I think we do it a little more in this movie than typically is done," Johnson says. "I really held onto that moment of Leia before they come out of hyperspace, just that moment of feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders."

Say what you will about Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but Johnson clearly thought out every choice he made for the movie. That's reassuring, given that he's going to tackle an entire trilogy of the series. Before that, though, the Han Solo standalone movie will hit theaters. You can see the first Han Solo trailer for an idea of what to expect.