Since its release, The Last Jedi has been a source of controversy among Star Wars fans. Rian Johnson's film bent the established rules of the galaxy. It introduced new technologies, like hyperspace tracking, and new Force abilities, like Force projecting, into the Star Wars canon. Johnson's film brought fresh, genuinely exciting ideas to a franchise that's been playing the hits since 1983.
The Last Jedi seems to be a love it or hate it affair. Some say it's the best Star Wars film since The Empire Strikes Back. Others say that it's the worst film in the franchise and that it single-handedly ruins everything that makes Star Wars great. Johnson's haters tend towards hyperbole more often than not.
There are legitimate criticisms to be made of The Last Jedi. The film fails to deliver quality development to characters like Finn and Poe Dameron. It features the first example of Leia using the Force, but unfortunately, that scene is baffling and somewhat cringe-worthy. However, legitimate criticisms are rarely the sticking point for The Last Jedi's detractors. Their main complaint tends to be that the film simply didn't make the moves they expected. They seemingly want Star Wars to become nothing more than a nostalgia trap. One of the most controversial (for some people) moments of The Last Jedi has been dubbed the "Holdo maneuver." Angry fans claim that the Holdo maneuver permanently breaks Star Wars. Their complaints are almost laughable.
The Scene
Regardless of one's stance on its cohesion with established Star Wars lore, there's no denying that the Holdo maneuver is the most powerful moment in The Last Jedi. Here is a brief summary of what went down.
Throughout the film, the First Order ship Supremacy is aggressively pursuing the Resistance cruiser Raddus. The Resistance spends most of the film trying and failing to escape. Eventually, Vice Admiral Holdo finds a solution. Holdo orders her crew to leave the Raddus on smaller ships and escape pods. When they've left, she pivots the Raddus around to face its pursuer.
For a moment, all is silent. The film's score and sound effects fade away as the camera frames the tiny Raddus across from the immense Supremacy. Then, Holdo activates her hyperdrive and blasts her ship straight through the Supremacy. It's a moment so incredible, you really need to see it to properly experience it. Holdo's sacrifice is one of the most emotionally and visually stunning moments in Star Wars history.
The Problem
So why do some people despise the Holdo maneuver? Generally, they have two main issues with the moment. Neither is a satisfying complaint. First, they point to the fact that we've never seen anything like the Holdo maneuver in Star Wars. They claim that if the Holdo maneuver is so successful, it would be used constantly. At the very least, they say, there should have been a move like this in a past film. Of course, that assumes previous films have shown everything that's possible in the Star Wars galaxy. Wouldn't that be a sad reality?
The second complaint is that the Holdo maneuver goes against the rules Star Wars has established for hyperspace travel. Some may be asking, "What rules has Star Wars established?" but they aren't alone. The films have had very little to say about how and why hyperspace travel works, probably because it's not that important.
However, hardcore fans know that the Star Wars extended universe has established some sense of how hyperdrives function on ships. The general consensus is that while traveling in hyperspace, a ship is shifted into an alternate dimension, so it doesn't need to worry about stars, asteroids, and other ships in its path. Now that the Holdo maneuver has shown a collision, that rule is broken, and Star Wars is ruined, right?
The Solution
It's easy enough to write off those complaints as sad attempts at finding serious problems with The Last Jedi. Obviously, fans expect new movies, even in an established franchise, to introduce new concepts. On top of that, a vast majority of Star Wars viewers aren't at all familiar with the intricacies of hyperspace travel, and most honestly just don't care. The Holdo maneuver is cool, leave it be.
However, the complaints don't need to be written off without considering them. They fall apart easily enough anyway. Why don't fighters use the Holdo maneuver all the time? Well, most people don't want to kill themselves to win a fight. How can the Raddus hit the Supremacy if hyperdrives put ships into an alternate dimension? For starters, even canon entries in the extended universe are unclear about how hyperspace travel works. If that's an unsatisfactory answer, try this: Maybe a ship needs to speed up a little before shifting into hyperspace, and the Raddus made contact with the Supremacy at near-light speed, just a moment before entering true hyperspace. Nothing in The Last Jedi or the wider canon confirms or contradicts that statement.
Despite what haters of The Last Jedi want to believe, Star Wars isn't broken. The Holdo maneuver is as unprecedented as Force lightning in Return of the Jedi. Future films, shows, or books will deal with its implications one way or another. Despite the rage and debate, Star Wars continues to exist.