When Rian Johnson took the reins of Star Wars for The Last Jedi, he turned in a unique but divisive entry in the franchise, especially due to his handling of classic characters. However, when it came to the new spate of heroes, he found much more success. In one crucial scene, he transformed Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren into the defining science-fiction character of the last decade.
The film that became an unlikely lightning rod for 2010s-era culture wars and Hollywood nostalgia, Johnson’s sequel courted controversy through its dialogue and direction. As audiences still debate its impact on the franchise a decade later, there’s little disagreement that The Last Jedi saw Adam Driver deliver his greatest quote as Kylo Ren and one of the best lines in sci-fi history.
Kylo Ren Challenged the Audience To Let the Past Die
After J.J. Abrams gave the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy its first chapter, teeing up a brand-new saga, Rian Johnson took hold of the series for the middle film, The Last Jedi. Famously, he pursued his own vision for the franchise, using subversive storytelling and character deconstruction to drive the narrative. Between seeing Luke throw his lightsaber away and the sudden death of Snoke, the movie defined itself by doing what audiences least expected. For some, this was a stroke of brilliance, while others couldn’t stand it, even making a skeptic out of Mark Hamill.
Johnson’s view of the story and franchise cinema overall could best be summed up through Kylo’s infamous appeal to Rey midway through the film. Appearing in a force projection to Daisy Ridley’s Rey, he tells her, “Let the past die. Kill it if you have to. That’s the only way to become what you were meant to be.” The character later repeats his offer after the duo defeated the villainous Snoke and his guards. Standing in the throne room in a scene that could have determined the downfall of the First Order, he tries to implore her to join his own side, disregarding the Jedi and Sith alike.
This specific Ren quote gave the film a strong sense of duality, ultimately the ingredient that defines the whole story. Rian Johnson used the diminished side of the light against the rise of darkness to explore the Jedi code and the ethos of heroism. Which is why this particular sentiment remains one of the greatest sci-fi lines of all time.
It is perfectly personified in the movie’s version of Luke Skywalker. In his solitude, Luke has become an embittered representation of his own past, one that the audience is led to believe might never be redeemed. It isn’t until his discussion with Yoda’s force ghost that he finally comes to understand the need for balance between change and tradition. Kylo, however, sinks deeper into an almost nihilistic worldview, one in which his brute force alone forges a new future, divorced from history.
Rian Johnson Made the Sequels Memorable
When the Disney sequel era began, it pleased fans well enough to earn $2 billion at the box office, but it’s no secret that fans saw it as anything but original. People were quick to compare The Force Awakens‘ plot to Lucas’ 1977 original, making everyone hopeful for something different when they walked into theaters to watch The Last Jedi. After all, this movie was naturally being compared to the modern counterpart of The Empire Strikes Back, the subversive dark horse of the original trilogy.
Made at a time when Hollywood’s addiction to nostalgia was at an all-time high, Johnson’s message carried more weight than people realized. It went beyond the story itself, aiming squarely at the film industry’s constant recycling of the same old ’80s classics without originality.
Through scuttling J.J. Abrams’ trilogy plans, Johnson tried to force something new into a franchise that was clearly struggling to distinguish itself from its own past. Unfortunately, Lucasfilm leadership missed the point, falling back on reused characters in The Rise of Skywalker. The potential to do something completely fresh was scuttled by the resurrection of Palpatine and endless nostalgia bait with heroes like Lando.
Nobody can deny that The Last Jedi has its faults, but the direction for Kylo wasn’t one of them. In betraying Snoke and pursuing his own path, the villain becomes one of the most consequential foes in the franchise’s history, only for that potential to be wiped out by the final entry. For almost a full decade, the “let the past die” line has endured as the most important and memorable sci-fi quote of the modern era. After all, in a trilogy defined by being too safe, this particular line sounds like a lone voice calling out for a bolder and original direction for a franchise that Disney has struggled to do justice to.
Hollywood Should Have Listened to What Johnson Was Saying
Through Kylo Ren’s “let the past die” offer to Rey, Rian Johnson was speaking to both the movie business and audiences at large. Unlike what some would claim, this wasn’t contempt for the past. After all, those words were spoken by the story’s villain, not the hero.
Instead, through the juxtaposition of Luke and the other heroes, there was supposed to be a call to evolve with the times and break the shackles of convention. He tried to prove that the story didn’t have to end exactly as fans expected. After all, Empire Strikes Back refused to in 1980, so there was no need for his story to either.
The 2017 movie certainly had its share of plot holes and missteps, from poor character development for heroes like Finn to the derided space-flying scene with Leia. However, through his writing for Kylo Ren, Rian Johnson ensured Star Wars: The Last Jedi would send a strong message about originality and nostalgia in Hollywood.