Much of next month's Star Wars: The Last Jedi is shrouded in mystery. There are a lot of lingering questions from The Force Awakens, and the new film brings with it new worlds, new secrets and new faces. A world(s) weary Luke Skywalker returns, as well as several new characters that we know very little about. One of those new characters is Laura Dern's Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo, who will shake things up in The Last Jedi when she's brought into The Resistance as its newest leader. Poe Dameron himself, Oscar Isaac, spoke about Vice Admiral Holdo and her relationship to with the X-wing pilot/Resistance hero, saying:
It's definitely appropriate that they've paired us because a lot of the friction and conflict comes between Poe and that relationship with Admiral Holdo, who is this person that's been --- at least temporarily --- put in charge of the Resistance
Poe and Leia seemed to have a tight bond in The Force Awakens, so it makes sense that for Poe, taking orders from someone else might be difficult. While Leia and Poe led the Resistance to successfully destroy the First Order's primary weapon, Starkiller Base, the victory did not come without cost. Hosnian Prime, the seat of the Galactic Senate and the capital of the New Republic, was destroyed by the First Order. There were bound to be consequences and new faces to take on leadership roles in the Resistance. New leaders often feel the need to shake things up and assert their authority. It is unsurprising that Poe and Holdo's dynamic will be fraught with conflict since the cavalier pilot can relate to General Leia and has a great deal of respect for her as a battle-tested military leader. But Vice Admiral Holdo is a different beast entirely, as Isaac also explained to Entertainment Weekly:
She doesn't particularly look like your typical military leader, and so I think there's a bit of distrust for Poe. He's not sure what to make of her, and then the way she speaks, the things she says.
Indeed Vice Admiral Holdo feels like she would wonderfully fit in The Hunger Games or the Prequel Era than in this galaxy at war. She looks more like a bureaucrat than a freedom fighter, so it will be interesting to see if she shatters Poe's perception of her. I imagine we may see her and Leia sparring a bit, with Leia taking a more militaristic approach to matters and Holdo trying the diplomatic route. As far as whether or not Poe can trust Vice Admiral Holdo, it will be fun to watch because if Star Wars history has shown us anything, it's that politician types are often puppet masters and pawns for the dark side of the Force.
Laura Dern is a welcome addition to the Star Wars universe, and Vice Admiral Holdo seems to be the kind of character who will bring some elements of the prequels back into the saga. Star Wars: The Last Jedi arrives in theaters on December 15, and you can pre-order your tickets for opening weekend now.
