WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for director Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Seriously, MAJOR spoilers.


Over the past 40 years, generations of fans have grown up loving, and occasionally hating, the characters of the Star Wars franchise, many of whom have gained the status of pop-culture icons. However, filmmakers have seldom hesitated to kill off those legendary heroes and villains, from Obi-Wan Kenobi in A New Hope to Yoda and Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi and, far more recently, Han Solo in The Force Awakens. Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi continues that tradition, and increases the death count significantly.

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The film is packed with twists and turns, and many of those are a result of heroic acts by protagonists, or villainous deeds by antagonists. If the loss of Han in The Force Awakens was a punch in the gut to fans, then at least one of the losses in The Last Jedi is going to take some time for them to process.

So, who dies in Star Wars: The Last Jedi?

Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo

laura dern vice admiral holdo the last jedi

Played by Laura Dern, Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo was a surprise character in that she didn't always seem as good as she appeared. Brought in to lead the Resistance after General Leia is injured in battle, Holdo almost immediately butts heads with Poe Dameron. She won't allow him to continue with his "act now, think later" approach to survival, and becomes an obstacle to Poe's goals.

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It's plain to see, especially later in the film, that Holdo isn't attempting to play hero; she's simply doing what she thinks is in the best interest of the cause. Holdo is given an amazing exit from the franchise by deciding to take her vessel to light speed to ram and destroy Supreme Leader Snoke's flagship, Supremacy.

Admiral Ackbar

admiral ackbar

Best known for his debut in 1983's Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, from which his declaration of "It's a trap!" inspired countless memes, Admiral Ackbar returns in The Last Jedi to help the Resistance live to see another day. However, he unceremoniously perishes in the process, when his ship is damaged in an attack by First Order TIE Fighters.

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It's a shame that such a classic character wasn't provided with a more heroic sendoff, but at least he died to save his fellow Resistance fighters. It's not as if he had a lot to do in the new trilogy, so his loss won't place the Resistance cause at a huge disadvantage.

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Captain Phasma

Phasma sequel trilogy

Captain Phasma was criminally underused in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and unfortunately that wasn't rectified in the sequel. With Finn and Rose captured aboard Snoke's flagship Supremacy, Phasma (Gwendoline Christie) finally has an opportunity to exact revenge against Finn for betraying the First Order.

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As expected, Finn (John Boyega) can't be killed off that easily -- he's a central character, after all -- and he puts up a good fight. In fact, he holds his own to the point that he actually against the upper hand against Phasma. The ship's deck ruptures during an attack by the Resistance fleet, and Phasma (presumably) plummets to her death. She might've become a loyal and worthy right hand for Kylo Ren, but instead she's somewhere, floating among the stars.

Supreme Leader Snoke

Somewhat surprisingly, Snoke (Andy Serkis) is also a casualty of The Last Jedi. Following his introduction in 2015's The Force Awakens, fans assumed they'd learn more about the origins of the enigmatic Supreme Leader of the Force Leader, but that doesn't happen here.

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Just as Snoke's plan to capture and kill Rey (Daisy Ridley) seems to be coming to fruition, his disciple Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) demonstrates there are cracks in his relationship with the Dark Side by turning on his master instead of on Rey. The moment was built on the connection between the two rival proteges that had been established over the course of the film, but it leaves us with questions about Snoke that may never be answered.

Luke Skywalker

You likely didn't see this one coming: Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker, one of the most-beloved characters in the entire saga, also died in The Last Jedi. He's given a heroic exit, though, buying enough time for the Resistance to escape.

After years on self-imposed exile on Ahch-To, Luke suddenly appears in the film's final act on Crait, where the Resistance is forced into what very could well be its last stand against the Force Order. After brief but touching reunion with Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), Luke faces off against Kylo Ren. Seemingly accepting his fate, Luke permits his former pupil to take a swipe at his torso with his lightsaber, but the attack proves ineffective. That's because Luke never actually left Ahch-To, but instead had projected himself onto Crait.

Back on the ocean world, Luke's floats atop the meditation rock near the Jedi temple. Once Leia and the Resistance have safely evacuated Crait, Luke seemingly becomes one with the Force, fading away as Ahch-To's twin suns appear over the island. It's an emotional ending, but it doesn't necessarily mean fans will never see Luke again. He could always return as a Force ghost to guide Rey.


Written and directed by Rian Johnson, Star Wars: The Last Jedi stars Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn, Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, Andy Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke, Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux, Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma, Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, Lupita Nyong’o as Maz Kanata, Benicio Del Toro as ‘DJ’, Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico, Laura Dern as Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo, and the late Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa. The film is in theaters worldwide.