The Last Jedi Scenes You Didn't See

Editing is one of the most difficult and time-consuming parts of the moviemaking process, and director Rian Johnson certainly had his hands full putting together the final cut of Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. Clocking in at two hours and 35 minutes, The Last Jedi is easily the longest of the Star Wars films. Even with that much footage making it into the final cut, there were still a lot of scenes that ended up on the cutting-room floor.

The Last Jedi hit stores in 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on March 27, 2018, giving fans their first look at 20 minutes of deleted footage that didn't make it into the theatrical release. After watching these deleted scenes, it's much easier to understand why Johnson left them out — although a couple of them would definitely have made the movie even better. Here are all the tantalizing details — spoilers ahead!

Although she certainly plays an important part to the plot of The Last Jedi, we don't really learn much about Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo during the course of the film. This noticeable lack of characterization is probably due to the reshoots that director Rian Johnson decided to do with actress Laura Dern. While these reshoots didn't have a major impact on her story arc, they did effectively remove a lot of the personality that Dern (and the script) had injected into the character. Holdo originally didn't pull any punches with her total dismissal of Poe — calling him "flyboy," "honey," and just generally treating him like an insubordinate hotshot pilot (which to be fair, he totally is.)

Apparently Johnson was worried that Holdo was being a little too condescending, and wanted fans to better identify with the Admiral during her shocking sacrifice later in the film. Leia already knocked him down a couple of pegs with the demotion and that slap, so Holdo's verbal put-downs were probably overkill. They re-recorded Dern's dialogue and cut out some of the original scenes.

One frequently criticized aspect of The Last Jedi is the sudden development of Rose as a potential new love interest for Finn. Her crush is evident almost from the moment they meet, but this dynamic was reportedly explored further in a scene that ended up getting deleted later. In this cut footage, Rose and Finn discuss Rey and his complicated feelings for her. When Rose chides Finn and suggests that he's "pining for Rey," the former First Order stormtrooper vehemently denies her accusation. Finn claims that because of his upbringing within the military structure of the First Order, he was "raised to fight," but that he had never found anything worth fighting for until Rey became his friend — emphasis on friend. "Whatever," an unconvinced (and slightly jealous) Rose replies.

The deleted scenes on the Last Jedi Blu-ray kick off with a new version of the opening scene, beginning with Finn waking up in the medical bay and stumbling around the ship in his leaking water suit. Instead of the traditional "pan down to planet" shot after the opening crawl, this deleted scene opts to start the movie with an audience fake-out. The camera pans through the window of the medical bay and focuses on the planet-like dome of Finn's recovery pod. Parts of this scene did made it into the final cut of the film, like when Finn groggily shuffles out in the corridor as pilots race by to the main hangar. The rest of the scene is all new, but it doesn't really add much impact and would have probably upset some Star Wars purists with the trick opening. In the end, it's probably for the best that this one ended up being cut.

After Johnson removed the alternate opening scene, the following deleted scene introducing Rose's sister Paige Tico also had to be cut. The alternate opening ends with a short clip of Poe communicating with Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix (Billie Lourd) down on the surface of D'Qar. She frantically tells Poe they need more time to finish the evacuation, which sets up this extremely short scene. As TIE fighters swoop and dive around the Resistance fleet, the camera closes in on Paige, who is sitting in the gunner's seat on the Cobalt Hammer.

After several shots, her gun jams as a TIE fighter closes in. It looks like Paige and her MG-100 StarFortress SF-17 are doomed, but the jam clears and she's able to destroy the enemy craft at the last moment. Paige takes off her mask and looks down at her Haysian smelt medallion with a sigh of relief. It's an intense (if short) scene, but Johnson made the correct choice to introduce Paige and the bombers later in The Last Jedi. Meeting Paige only moments before her death makes a much bigger impact.

In this scene, Luke retreats into his hut on Ahch-To after Rey arrives and tells him of Han Solo's death at the hands of Kylo Ren. Luke keeps up his standoffish attitude with Rey until the door is closed, then he sits down heavily at a table and bows his head in sadness. The scene cuts to Leia, who is sitting at a table aboard the Resistance cruiser Raddus and mourning Han in similar fashion. It's a nice use of mirroring by Johnson, as these twin siblings are a galaxy apart but are still mourning the loss of Han together.

It's also a great moment for Mark Hamill and a testament to his investment in the character of Luke. Rey is hovering outside the door of Luke's hut, so he can't just let himself go and have a good old ugly cry. Hamill expertly makes that conflict evident, and the heavy emotions play across his face as he collapses in front of the table. Johnson ended up cutting the scene for pacing reasons, but it really deserved to make it into the film. Even Hamill himself thought that this scene should have stayed in, because it really could have changed how the audience viewed Luke in The Last Jedi.

If you were hungry for a little more interaction between Poe and Finn, this scene delivers the goods. The pair catch up briefly as they walk together down a corridor on the Raddus. Poe explains that the Resistance needs to regroup and attack, but Finn interrupts, saying, "I believe in what you guys are doing here, but I didn't join this army. I don't want you to think I'm something I'm not." Poe is just happy his friend is alive, and he gives Finn back his old leather Resistance jacket. The camera zooms in on the torn shoulder, which Poe has stitched back together. As he walks away to meet an angry Leia, Poe tells Finn, "I'm not much of a sewer, but, you know, I was busy saving the entire fleet."

This is a great scene, and it really deserved to be in The Last Jedi. It gives the audience more character development for Poe and Finn without the slapstick silliness of the leaking medical suit. Additionally, it clearly highlights Finn's deep fear of the First Order, which makes his later attempt to steal an escape pod much more understandable.

In this scene, Finn hangs out with BB-8 and frets over Rey as he looks forlornly down at the twin of the tracking bracelet she wears. BB-8 tries to cheer Finn up and get his attention with some silly antics, but the former stormtrooper is too lost in his worries to notice. Finally, BB-8 gets the idea to play a holographic recording of Rey for him. The recording comes from The Force Awakens, before Rey left for Ahch-To. She sits by Finn's bedside as he lays unconscious from the wounds he took on Starkiller Base. Rey kisses his forehead, telling him they'll see each other again. Finn tells BB-8, "It's kind of weird you recorded that," but thanks the little droid for inspiring him to use the homing beacon to find his friend. It's a touching scene, but also unnecessary and slow, so it's easy to understand why this one got cut from the theatrical release.

This brief deleted scene gives an extended look at what happens on Ahch-To after Rey freaks out during a "mind meld" moment with Kylo and shoots through the wall of her hut with a blaster. Outside the hut, the island's native caretakers are fretting about the hole in the ancient structure, and Rey sheepishly explains to Luke that her blaster "went off" accidentally. One of the caretakers stands nearby, and she tells Luke, "Ey! Chiki chaki choo," while gesturing angrily with a fish-gutting knife. Rey eyes her warily as she follows Luke, and the caretaker stares right back, silently cleaning the fish in her hands and sizing up the intruder on her island. The scene ends as Luke explains the history of the caretakers and the Jedi Temple to Rey. It's a cute clip, and from Luke's reaction to her tirade, it's easy to imagine some pretty strong caretaker obscenities. But it doesn't really add much to the movie, and doesn't hurt anything by being cut.

This long sequence is probably the one deleted scene that fans have been anticipating the most. Rey rushes out of the Jedi Temple and sees ships sailing into the Caretaker village. Luke tells her the ships are raiders, come to plunder the island. Rey wants to save the village, but Luke tells her a "true Jedi" would do nothing. "The books in the Jedi library say only act when you can maintain balance," he explains. Rey ignores him and rushes across the island with her lightsaber.

When she bursts through the village gate, she finds the caretakers are just having a bonfire and bagpipe party with their friends — including R2 and Chewie. She confronts Luke angrily, and it's obvious that his "lesson" on why she and the Resistance don't need a dead religion was a mistake. Some fans have criticized The Last Jedi for skimping on alien culture, and the caretaker party would have helped fill that void. But Luke's bad joke is misplaced, and Rey already has enough reasons to be mad at him, which makes this scene unnecessary in the end.

Just as the title implies, this deleted scene is the original version of the Fathier chase sequence with Rose and Finn on Canto Bight. We've seen a lot of this footage before, as a good portion of the chase ended up in the final cut of The Last Jedi, but there's plenty of new shots, too — which are pretty easy to pick out from the unfinished CGI effects on the speedy space horses. Finn and Rose crack a few more jokes along the way, and there are more interior shots of the Canto Bight casino as the creatures crash their way through the building and wreak havoc on the valet parking outside. There are also some additional clips as they escape from the police through the streets of the city and up the beachside cliff. The chase sequence in the theatrical release was already long, but this extended version clocks in at nearly seven minutes. This is one understandable edit — in fact, some fans may wish the sequence had been trimmed even further for the final version.

This deleted scene is an extended version of the sequence during which Finn, Rose, and DJ sneak aboard the First Order flagship Supremacy in order to disable its hyperspace active tracking system. The trio's undercover mission is plagued with problems, beginning with an inquisitive First Order commander, played by Ralph Ineson. After they successfully evade the commander, they end up riding in a crowded elevator with a group of stormtroopers — which include cameos by England's Prince William and Prince Harry.

Another stormtrooper (played by Tom Hardy) recognizes FN-2187, and things get tense as Finn nervously contemplates shooting the stormtroopers before their cover is blown. DJ stops Finn from drawing his blaster just before the stormtrooper cheerfully slaps Finn on the rear, saying, "I never took you for Captain material! Woo, look at you!" It's probably one of the most hilarious moments in the entire film, and the delivery and timing of the punchline cut expertly through the building tension.

After the slicer DJ betrays Rose and Finn to the First Order, the pair are captured and we get another look at Rose's feisty side. While struggling with a stormtrooper, her Haysian smelt medallion falls to the ground, and General Hux steps on the necklace before she can retrieve it. He picks up the medallion to examine it, correctly deducing that the pattern on the crescent represents the Otomok system and Rose's home planet of Hays Minor. The First Order subjugated the planet long ago, and Hux smirks as he taunts Rose, telling her, "You vermin may draw blood with a bite now and then, but we will always win." Hux places the necklace back over her head and condescendingly cradles her chin, until Rose strikes like a cobra, biting his finger and holding on tight while the General screams. While the funny scene reinforces what a pompous ass Hux is, it would have hurt the pacing of the action that follows if it'd been left in the film.

This deleted scene is the original version of Finn's showdown with Captain Phasma. In this version, Finn is trapped by Phasma and several stormtroopers on an elevated platform, like something out of a WWE "Hell in a Cell" cage match. Finn tries to win over the soldiers by reminding Phasma of her cowardice and how she "squealed like a whoop hog" and shut down the Starkiller Base shields. Phasma knows the stormtroopers behind her are thinking hard about what they just heard. Before they can act, she shoots all four of them, but Finn destroys her blaster and uses a fallen soldier's plasma rifle to blast her off the platform. John Boyega's performance feels a little stiff here, and the "whoop hog" line was just weird. Although Phasma could have had a lot more screen time in The Last Jedi, her reshot death scene that was used for the film is much better than this version.

This very brief deleted scene gives the friendship between Finn and Rose a little bit more development right after they escape the Supremacy. As the First Order Mega Destroyer explodes around them, the pair use a stolen shuttle to escape the destruction. Shaken by the close call, they both breathe a sigh of relief. When Rose asks Finn where they're going, he replies, "Where we belong," as the camera cuts to a view of the planet Crait in the distance.

It's a short clip, but it does reinforce that Finn's experience working with Rose during their mission has really changed him and his priorities. He now believes that fighting is the right thing for him to do and truly sees himself as part of the Resistance. While it's a nice scene, it's not really necessary in the end, as the same point is made with more impact later when Finn makes his kamikaze speeder run during the battle on Crait.

The final deleted scene found on The Last Jedi Blu-ray release is a short additional clip featuring footage of Rey and Chewie aboard the Millennium Falcon during the battle on Crait. After successfully leading away and destroying the TIE fighters supporting the invading First Order army, Chewbacca and Rey return with their ship to the Resistance bunker in hopes of rescuing the survivors inside. They swoop in heroically — until they see the intense beating that the bunker is taking from the First Order's blasters. "Let's go around back," Rey says. This leads to the later scene in The Last Jedi when Rey casually uses the Force to lift a bunch of boulders blocking the Resistance survivors from escaping. It's a funny little moment, but this deleted clip is so short — only a few seconds long — that it really didn't hurt anything by being left out of the final cut of the film.