Will ‘The Last Jedi’ Take Elements from ‘Empire Strikes Back’?

Drew Dietsch
Star Wars
Star Wars

The Last Jedi looks to be another popular addition to the Star Wars canon. However, fans are wary about one thing after seeing The Force Awakens. That film was criticized for taking a lot of its story beats and structure from A New Hope. And from what we’ve seen, it looks like The Last Jedi is continuing that method of imitation.

But, now it’s cribbing from what many fans believe is the best film in the franchise: The Empire Strikes Back.

“Why wish you become Jedi?”

Let’s get the big one out of the way. The Last Jedi is clearly copying the mentor/mentee relationship that Luke and Yoda had in The Empire Strikes Back. Mark Hamill even tweeted this image that references Yoda riding on Luke’s back.

Yes, it was a joke and taken in between shooting, but the sentiment is without question. But what does this mean for the story of The Last Jedi?

Well, it’s likely that Rey is going to spend a lot of the film away from the rest of the cast. Will she also feel the need to leave Luke because of a vision of her friends in peril? Or will she have to confront her dark side like Luke did when he fought an illusion of Vader?

star wars the last jedi rey
Does this shot occur right after Rey has had a vision like Luke did in 'The Empire Strikes Back'?

“One more pass…”

There are some other moments in the footage we’ve seen in The Last Jedi that hints at familiar story beats and imagery from The Empire Strikes Back. For example, take a look at this shot from The Last Jedi trailer.

last jedi star wars hoth battle gif
Hmmm, something seems familiar...

A bunch of ships in a barren landscape heading towards what seems to be some walkers in the distance, probably in anticipation of a battle. Huh, where have I seen that before?

Yes, this sequence bears a striking resemblance to the classic Battle of Hoth from The Empire Strikes Back. Is The Last Jedi going to try and match or top that iconic sequence?

“I saw a city in the clouds.”

One thing we know for sure about The Last Jedi is that we will see the city of Canto Bight. Canto Bight is described as a “Monte Carlo-type environment.” An opulent city where some of our heroes have to go? That reminds me of this other opulent city where some of our heroes have to go from The Empire Strikes Back

star wars cloud city
Cloud City, located on the planet Bespin.

Though we don’t see much gambling going on in Cloud City, it was a popular activity for tourists, according to Wookieepedia. So, a luxurious city known for its gambling is actually another element that The Last Jedi is nabbing from The Empire Strikes Back.

“Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.”

One of the biggest questions to spring out of The Force Awakens was the identity of Rey’s parents. There are plenty of theories but nothing confirmed as of yet. But, we do know that her parentage will be brought up and even revealed in The Last Jedi. A revelation about parenthood? You know where I’m going with this.

star wars darth vader father gif
One of the greatest twists in film history.

Familial surprises are not a new thing in the world of Star Wars, but they are a little played out. Will The Last Jedi really try to lift the biggest twist in Star Wars history? Or will it spin that reveal in a new way?

Is This All Bad?

star wars han solo shrug gif
Maybe! Maybe not! Han Solo doesn't seem to care.

There might be other connections to The Empire Strikes Back that we don’t know yet. I can almost guarantee that The Last Jedi will follow the classic three-act structure and this entry will be the low point for our heroes. But, even if there are more similarities, does this necessarily make them a bad thing?

It does make the narrative potential of Star Wars feel incredibly tiny. And as twisty as the story might try to be, it can’t help but feel expected. Just look at the death of Han Solo in The Force Awakens. It’s staged so much like the death of Obi-Wan Kenobi in A New Hope that everyone knew what was going to happen. It wasn’t truly shocking.

If a story can’t surprise you, it’s not doing a heck of a lot. If these similarities to The Empire Strikes Back means that plot points and character beats don’t carry any kind of surprise, it will be a bummer.

But, fans like familiarity. They like to be comforted with things they recognize. Maybe these elements actually make fans excited. If so, that’s not something to hate on.

Let’s hope these influences culminate into something brand new and unexpected in The Last Jedi. We’ll find out when the film releases on December 15.

Drew Dietsch
Drew Dietsch has been professionally writing about entertainment for over a decade. His bylines include FANDOM - where he was a founding contributor and Entertainment Editor - Bloody Disgusting, SYFY WIRE, and more. He created and hosts GenreVision, a weekly film discussion show at genrevision.com.