The Last Jedi, Part 1

The Last Jedi has a message, and it’s louder in 2026 than it ever could have been in 2017.

This week, in our loving and nontoxic recap, we cover the first half of this extremely long (and exquisite) film—covering themes of loss, wars of attrition, sunk cost fallacies, and the idea that failure is permanent. We parse character arcs for Finn, Rose, Poe, Kylo, Rey, and Luke, and discuss whether Snoke and Kylo are truly Sith or have moved toward something new.

We also cover the critical reception of this film and its central message: That you get into trouble when you allow unchecked capitalists to make their millions and watch the world burn. It’s a message that was probably a little too spicy for 2017, but feels all too relevant today.

Next week, we’ll cover the second half of the movie, focusing on Reylo, Finn and Rose, and the wreckage of the Resistance and the New Republic.

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Timestamps:

00:00:00 Who Are We?

00:03:03 Plot Summary

00:15:25 Critical Reception and Prescient Messages for 2026

00:21:53 Poe and Wars of Attrition 

00:32:12 Characters: Finn, Rose, and Poe

00:38:08 Snoke and the Sith

00:47:52 Rey, Kylo, Luke, and The Burden of Choosing

00:57:59 Bae Watch

01:08:45 Closing Thoughts