It's been months since Star Wars: The Last Jedi flew into theaters, and fans and cinephiles haven't stopped dissecting every frame. Rian Johnson delivered a subversive sequel that shattered expectations, he'll soon dive into a trilogy of his own. In addition to the returning characters, Johnson introduced a trio of newcomers, including Laura Dern's Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo. Holdo played a major role in the survival of The Resistance, and was featured in one of the most stunning sequences in the movie. But it turns out that there's something we didn't know about her: she's actually Force sensitive. Laura Dern dropped this bomb herself, saying:
In their minds, and in their understanding of the origin story, we know that she was a true rebel in the Resistance, and in our culture we might have called her a hippie. But she was longing for peace, and a revolutionary in that way, and wanted to be trained by and led by Leia, who taught her everything she knew. She wanted to come up in the ranks to support Leia's mission, but also had this otherworldly side that does involve the Force.
It looks like a ton of thought went into Holdo's backstory in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, whether or not it actually was shown on screen. While we never saw Amilyn Holdo use any Force abilities or swing a lightsaber, it appears that she was indeed connected to The Force, and perhaps a closer ally to Leia than we thought.
Laura Dern's comments to EW definitely helped flesh out the new character, which was an intriguing presence in The Last Jedi. Her conflict with Oscar Isaac's Poe Dameron was both fascinating and a point of contention from within the community. Why couldn't she just tell Poe about her plan, and therefore avoid the mutiny? Ultimately her ending helped redeem the character, and the idea that she has a connection to The Force only helps make her more interesting.
Overall, Star Wars: The Last Jedi made a bunch of interesting changes to The Force, and what powers could be learned from proper training. While Luke was able to manifest a vision of himself all the way on Crait, Leia changed the game early into the sequel's runtime. When she was able to survive the vacuum of safe, Leia proved herself more adept in the ways of The Force than we'd ever seen her during the original trilogy. If Holdo was in many ways Leia's protegee, did she too have these abilities? She's not going to come back to life anytime soon, but it may explain why she had such a strong character and sense of self during her short tenure on the franchise.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is available On Demand and for home purchase now. Check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
