SPOILER ALERT: This article contains information which may be considered SPOILERS for ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’. Proceed with caution!
Despite scoring a major win with the destruction of the Starkiller base in ‘The Force Awakens’, it appears that the Resistance is still struggling against the powerful First Order. The Resistance has fallen back to a previously uninhabited world called Crait, described as a “mineral world” covered in salt. Crait previously served as a Rebel Alliance base but was abandoned. While stationed there, however, the Rebels mined the valuable natural resources of the planet in order to fund their battle against the Empire.
‘The Force Awakens’ mirrored ‘A New Hope’ in many ways and it has been widely reported that ‘The Last Jedi’ will similarly throw back to ‘The Empire Strikes Back’. If that is the case, Crait may be the new Hoth. The trailer for this film shows a battle between the First Order’s new heavy assault walkers, At-M6s and the Resistance’s Sky Speeders, reminiscent of the At-At Walker’s assault on the Rebel base in Empire, where they were opposed by the Rebels’ T-47 air speeders.
The new At-M6s are different from At-Ats because of their bulkier, more armored appearance with longer front appendages, earning them the nickname “Gorilla Walkers.”
As for how the Resistance chooses to take refuge on Crait, it appears that the answer lies with a minor background character in ‘The Force Awakens’, X-Wing pilot Heff Tober. Tober, played by First Assistant Director Toby Hefferman, has a backstory which reveals that he had previously been a transport pilot for the Rebellion, stationed on the Crait base. When the Resistance needs a hiding place, presumably Tober suggests Crait.
There is also a connection to ‘Rogue One’ as revealed thanks to the Sphero app used to control the Bluetooth-enabled droid toys from ‘The Last Jedi’. One of the battle ships the Resistance uses against the First Order is the Raddus, described as “a heavy cruiser, retired from being used as part of the home fleet for the New Republic. The ship was then designed to be less crew intensive, eliminating unnecessary systems and computerization, making it an important resource for the Resistance’s cause.”
Admiral Raddus was the Mon Calamari organizer of the battle above Scarif, keeping the Empire occupied long enough for Jyn Erso and her crew to smuggle the Deathstar plans to the Rebel Alliance. It appears that Raddus’ efforts have been honored by the Resistance with this tribute.
‘Rogue One’ was widely viewed as a one-off standalone, so it’s actually a little surprising that there is any connection to a Legacy film.
What do you think of these references?
‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ directed by Rian Johnson premieres on December 15, 2017.
Source: ComicBook.com
