Rian Johnson explains the significance of Rey’s Dark Side cave scene
Star Wars: The Last Jedi..Photo: Film Frames Industrial Light & Magic/Lucasfilm Ltd. via IMG Press
Director Rian Johnson explains Rey’s Dark Side cave scene at Ahch-To. Are there any similarities or differences to Luke’s cave sequence at Dagobah?
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After restarting the Star Wars franchise with The Force Awakens, Lucasfilm is back with another adventurous installment, The Last Jedi. Apart from making Star Wars a debatable topic again, Rian Johnson’s ambitious vision has also raked in $494 million, and counting. While critics have lauded Johnson for his originality, fans and the director himself has admitted The Empire Strikes Back‘s influence on it.
As J.J. Abrams’ The Force Awakens was berated for being too similar to A New Hope, it was obvious that Johnson had to do something radical. Considering how a significant portion of fans are suffering from a whiplash effect due to the changes, it’s obvious that Johnson is successful. However, that didn’t stop him from drawing parallels with Luke’s Jedi training at Dagobah.
"“Well, the idea that this natural place reflected […] The idea that if there’s a Jedi Temple up top, the light, it has to be balanced by a place of great darkness. We’re drawing a very obvious connection to Luke’s training and to Dagobah here, obviously.”"
Star Wars: The Last Jedi..Rey (Daisy Ridley)..Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. via IMG Press
The scene that Johnson is referring to is during a part of Rey’s Jedi training with Luke, where he tells Rey to sit upon a rock and reach out to feel the energy around her. This leads to a beautiful montage where Rey sees life and the Light side, the balance within her and a weed-filled pit that represents the Dark side of the island. But, while both Luke and Rey have a Dark vision in their Jedi résumés, there are some fundamental differences that should be noted.
How does Rey’s experience in the cave differs from Luke’s?
The most notable difference is the nature of the location where Luke and Rey underwent their training. As Yoda was hiding from Darth Sidious, he took refuge at Dagobah, a planet which was surrounded by the Dark side of the Force. On the other hand, Luke resided in an island, Ahch-To, that had an equal presence of Dark and Light, with the Light side being more prominent.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi..Rey (Daisy Ridley)..Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. via IMG Press
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Even though both Luke and Rey nose-dived into the Dark side to face their fears, the difference in location had a subtle effect on their respective visions. Due to the prominence of the Dark energy at Dagobah, Luke’s fear was heightened and manifested as Darth Vader. In addition to that, he saw himself as Darth Vader; which can also be interpreted as a foreshadowing for the reveal of his familial relationship with Vader.
Rey, however, had a surrealistic and less haunting experience in the Dark pit. After seeing multiple versions of herself, Rey faced a gigantic cracked mirror, where she asked it to show her parents. While the reflection did begin with two blurred individuals, building on the mystery around her origins, they united into one to reveal Rey herself. While this might’ve left many fans confused, Rian’s explanation certainly makes things clearer:
"“And so the idea was if the up top is the light, down underneath is the darkness. And she descends down into there and has to see, just like Luke did in the cave, her greatest fear. And her greatest fear is [that], in the search for identity, she has nobody but herself to rely on.”"
Due to the overbearing presence of the Dark side at Dagoba, Luke envisioned the worst version of himself. However, due to the balance at Ahch-To, although Rey faced her worst fear, she ended up relieving herself from the burden of searching for her parents. While only Abrams knows what will happen in Episode IX, it’s safe to say that this mental freedom will allow Rey to better adapt to the ways of the Jedi and tip the scales in favor of the Light side.
Next: How has history repeated itself in 2017 with Blade Runner 2049 and The Last Jedi?
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is currently in theaters nationwide.
Did you find any similarities or parallels with previous Star Wars movies in The Last Jedi? Let me know in the comments.