Re: Hot Toys - Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Luke Skywalker (Force Projection) - CONFIRM
A lot of this is great, but it really does amount to people filling in a LOT of pretty major blanks with their own creation.
Wouldn’t her telling Poe what’s going on not be him taking command and leading on his own? Sure, maybe if he NEVER caught on she would have said something, but he did. But it’s hard to read that she’s doing that for me. Never registered as what was going on, even if plausible.
Not clear on what you're saying. Do you mean she's literally standing there with everyone just watching Luke in his face off (knowing full well that Luke's whole plan is simply a distraction to allow them precious minutes to find an escape) but she says and does nothing as those precious 10 minutes or more pass...simply in order for Poe to figure it out?
Obviously the movie leaves details of Luke's projection up to speculation but in my mind Leia thought he was real and even really felt his touch and his kiss on her forehead just like Rey was able to feel the touch of Kylo's fingers earlier in the film. Regarding the dice I believe that the rain drops on Kylo's hand showed that there can be a physical "residue" of sorts that lingers even after a link is broken which in my mind is why the dice were able to continue on for a bit even after Luke let go of them.
Interesting. This was what I walked out of my first screening thinking.
And re: dice - even if you accept the quite strange logic of the dice, what about even the choice of them as the prop Luke uses? I mean what do the dice actually mean to Leia - they are never even referenced in passing in the OT. They were a prop master's gag that made it into magazines so fans could have a chuckle - "haha Han has fuzzy dice." As an item, they mean nothing to Leia, even if she vaguely remembers them hanging in the Falcon. Such a STRANGE prop choice for a "let's remember Han" Luke/Leia emotional moment (and also as a reminder of Han to Kylo later.)
Maybe if they were referenced in the ESB "my hands are dirty too" scene, or some other great Leia/Han moment, but they never are.
When Luke revealed to her that he was merely there as a projection, he rightfully assumed that Leia would understand that to be the same as him saying, "I'm only going to be able to distract and stall, so use this time to get out of here." Everyone else needed to believe Luke was actually there in person, if for no other reason than to provide them "a new hope" to keep them going.
But he doesn't - neither onscreen, or apparently, offscreen either. Because she doesn't take any steps to act on his plan - he distracts, while the rebels escape.
It's such a weird set-up and yet everyone seems to dance around this. Luke comes there with the intent of distracting Kylo/FO long enough for the rebels to try to escape but he never seems to tell Leia this, and she never seems to act on the "okay, he's distracting, so let's escape" side.
But Luke may not have accounted for how distracted and torn Leia would be to have Ben close enough (for the first time in a long time) to go run to and plead for her son to return. She was also recovering from . . . well, let's not dwell on that.
So, maybe she wasn't at her best as she was fighting just to keep herself together - and perhaps wrestling with the motherly conflict simultaneously.
The idea of focusing the whole moment on mother and son would have been really interesting - especially in the context of Han's death - a moment for Carrie to shine. Would have been great to see how Driver and Fisher would have played that.
Alas, that was nowhere to be seen.
For what it's worth, I just finished reading the TLJ novelization, and Luke's dice hand-off seemed to inform Leia that he wasn't there in the flesh. Quoting the novel here: "When they touched, she immediately understood. A slight smile played at the corners of her mouth, and her eyes shone with the secret the two of them now shared." I guess Johnson thought it'd be apparent enough to the audience using subtle clues and context.
This is a criticism of the ST in general though - that you have to read a book or comic in order to fill in the blanks of what was missing or was totally confusing onscreen. You shouldn't have to do that. The books and comics of the OT expanded on the story, they weren't
necessary for you to figure out what happened onscreen.
But I also understand why the scene, and Crait Luke in general, isn't going to work the same way for everyone.
I'm trying to figure out how it works at all in people's minds - I mean without them coming up with quite a bit of their own creation (as interesting as these thoughts are - I love seeing it.) As the movie stands, there just doesn't seem to be enough onscreen to figure out all these fundamental questions, so people are forced to make up really quite major/crucial plot and character points.
Pretty sure Rian already confirmed that Leia knew he wasn't there, from the little smile she gave when they touched.
But again - if she knows, then why don't we see some hint (no matter how minor) that Luke has a plan and its been communicated, even if it's Luke saying "I have something to tell you..." and cutting out to keep it under wraps from the audience.
Try what? As far as she knew they were cornered and there was no escape, and no waiting ships to escape on since her distress call had gone unanswered. And she had just watched most of the remaining Resistance get blown out of the sky and their ground attack fail miserably.
So I think she had good reason to be pessimistic at that point.
So... what the hell was Luke's plan then? What you're suggesting makes his plan look a bit like distracting the guards outside a locked bank vault where hostages are being kept. Like - 'distract all you want, IT'S A LOCKED VAULT, DUDE.'
And then not long after Leia's wallowing in pessimism....
Poe: "There's gotta be a way out of this mine. Hell, how did he (Luke) get in here?"
3PO: "But sir, it is possible that a natural unmapped area exists."
Jeez - even 3PO thinks there's a shot. Leia doesn't think of any of this possibility in such a backs-to-the-wall moment? That's not the Leia I know.
