Summary
- The Canto Bight sequence in The Last Jedi highlights the harsh political reality of war profiteering.
- The sequence showcases the corrupt and mundane authoritarian evil that can exist amidst the already dark nature of war.
- Despite criticism, The Last Jedi's political allegory about war profiteering and the importance of selfless unity in defeating evil remains an important addition to the Star Wars narrative.
When it comes to discourse about Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the prevailing consensus is that Finn and Rose's mission to Canto Bight was wasted time. Putting aside the fact that it was meant to be wasted time, at least with respect to the Resistance, it seems some still can't see what the point of this story-within-the-story was.
In fairness to the good-faith critics of The Last Jedi, there do seem to be more than a few better options for helping the Resistance if they have a ship capable of hyperspace travel. If they had all worked together, perhaps they could've found a better way to utilize that resource. The Last Jedi is a meditation on failure, and so this terrible plan is meant to be doomed. Instead, this sequence is meant to highlight a harsh political reality that illuminates how the galaxy fell back into this cycle of conflict. Everyone remembers Rose's speech about how she wanted to put her "fist through this whole lousy, beautiful town." But no one ever remembers the second half of that conversation, when the codebreaker they teamed up with, DJ, reveals Rose only knew half the story. To put an exclamation point on it, Rian Johnson then had DJ turn out to be the exact kind of person he warned them about.
Updated September 20th, 2023 by Jordan Iacobucci: Even six years after its release, The Last Jedi continues to be one of the most controversial elements of the entire Star Wars franchise. High among critics' reasons to hate the film is the extended mission to Canto Bight, which many claim is wasted time. However, six years of hindsight may put The Last Jedi's infamous sequence in a new light for many viewers.
The Last Jedi's Canto Bight Sequence Is About War Profiteering
After the amazing political undertones of Andor, the Canto Bight sequence plays a little bit differently. The Disney+ series, the first Star Wars explicitly for adults, highlights how mundane authoritarian evil can appear. It begins when Finn and Rose are arrested in the casino for what amounts to a parking violation. Viewers just saw the Fathier stablekeeper whipping a slave child, which is perfectly legal in the harsh world of Canto Bight. Rose and Finn parked their spaceship on the beach, and they were put behind bars. Later, as the guards gamble while on duty, they, along with DJ and BB-8, are able to escape custody. BB-8 could've likely bribed them out of jail with the coins he had picked up along the way.
While most critics of The Last Jedi classified Rose's speech as a classic "haves vs. have-nots" message, that was only part of it. The movie doesn't necessarily want audiences to agree--Rose doesn't have all the answers. DJ reveals to Finn and Rose that the people who sell weapons to the First Order also do business with the Resistance. To her, someone selling X-wings or other material to the Resistance is a hero. When DJ sold out the Resistance to save his own skin, he was just following his own example. There was a populist political tinge to the Canto Bight sequence; critics at least got that part right. However, it wasn't so much about capitalism but rather commoditized suffering. Profiteers are arming two sides of a cold war, hoping to turn it hot--abusing the animals and children of Canto Bight for sport and profit.
Star Wars' Political Message Gets Drowned Out by Complaints
In 1983, George Lucas released his Vietnam War movie, Return of the Jedi. His most explicit allegory to the conflict that spanned his youth was the Ewoks, the indigenous population able to take down the most militarily powerful empire. The fan controversy that followed was not about making the fascistic villains analogous to the U.S. military, not even a decade after the fall of Saigon. No, angry fans hated the Ewoks, dumb teddy bears for babies meant to sell toys. History repeated itself much later when fans missed Lucas' six-hour epic about how fear turns good people into authoritarians. They were too busy complaining about Jar Jar Binks and the acting choices Hayden Christensen made.
Like the rest of the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, The Last Jedi faced more than its fair share of criticism, much of it directed at the Canto Bight sequence. Yet, it is a hugely important addition to the larger thematic narrative of Star Wars. In Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker, the Sith are only defeated when everyone acts together selflessly. Canto Bight is the exact opposite of that. War and suffering are good business, and there's always a place one can go to get away from all that unpleasantness. At its core, the political allegory here isn't even that controversial: War profiteering is bad. So is hurting animals and kids for money.
Is Star Wars Better Without Political Commentary?
The controversy stirred up by The Last Jedi's Canto Bight sequence raises an important question about whether Star Wars should have politics at all. The exploration of the New Republic's failures has been a subject of debate for many viewers after The Last Jedi was released. Moreover, some even take issue with the politics of the original and prequel trilogies. However, the fact remains that Star Wars is far more meaningful as a story when it tackles real-world political issues.
The acclaimed Disney+ series Andor proves that Star Wars thrives when it allegorizes real issues facing the world. The series was able to explore fascism, imperialism, and rebellion in a meaningful way that audiences could relate to because it has been seen so often in the real world. While this doesn't mean that Star Wars has to delve deeply into partisan issues that would alienate large chunks of its core audience, the franchise also cannot simply ignore the very basis on which it is built. Much like the Force itself must be balanced, so too must Star Wars' political commentary be balanced in order to do its best work.
Fortunately for The Last Jedi's legacy, Star Wars films typically age well. Today, fans talk about both Return of the Jedi and the prequel trilogy as equally beloved parts of George Lucas's vision. The older fans may not always pick it up, but the kids do. And, in the end, they have always been who these stories are for.