All The Major Star Wars: The Last Jedi Character Deaths

It goes without saying that there are MAJOR SPOILERS for Star Wars: The Last Jedi ahead!

The Star Wars universe is a dangerous place, and whether it's during the Clone Wars or the Galactic Civil War or the conflict between The Resistance and The First Order, people die. The Last Jedi was no exception, as there was a heavy body count on both sides during the movie. But along with all the minor and nameless faces who perished in the latest theatrical Star Wars theatrical tale, there were some major figures who passed to the great beyond, and we've gathered them together to pay our last respects. Well, for the good guys, anyway. In the case of the villains, the galaxy far, far away is a better-off place without them.

Supreme Leader Snoke in Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Supreme Leader Snoke

For two years, Star Wars fans wondered what Supreme Leader Snoke's deal was. Where did he come from? How was he so powerful with the dark side? Was he connected to anyone we've already met in this galaxy? It's possible some or all of those questions will be answered in Episode IX or another Star Wars media project, but Snoke himself won't be around when this trilogy concludes. After torturing Rey aboard his Star Destroyer for Luke Skywalker's location, Snoke ordered Kylo Ren to kill her, though he was unwise to continue tormenting and humiliating his apprentice in the process. Because although Snoke correctly sensed that Kylo was getting ready to ignite a lightsaber, he was mistaken about which lightsaber it was and who the target would be, and as a result, Snoke died with a look of surprise on his face when Rey's blue blade cut him in half. His overconfidence was his downfall.

Amilyn Holdo in Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo

Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo was one of the three main new Star Wars characters in The Last Jedi, alongside Rose Tico and DJ. While we may see the latter two again in Episode IX, not so with Holdo. After Leia was badly injured during the First Order's assault, Holdo took command of The Resistance, and a good portion of the movie was spent showing how skeptical Poe Dameron was on her strategies. Eventually we learned that Holdo was leading the remnants of The Resistance on Crait, and the survivors would make it to the surface aboard transports; a plan that had Leia's support once she awoke. But in order to ensure the safety of her allies, Holdo stayed behind on the Raddus to mislead Snoke's ships, but when the transports started being picked off one by one after DJ betrayed Finn and Rose, Holdo rammed her cruiser into the First Order fleet at light speed. We didn't get to spend a lot of time with her, but one thing is certain: she died a hero.

Captain Phasma in Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Captain Phasma

Captain Phasma didn't get that much more screen time in The Last Jedi compared to her appearance in The Force Awakens, but at least she finally saw some action. After Amilyn Hold rammed the Raddus into Snoke's Star Destroyer, BB-8 used the chaos to free Rose and Finn, who were about to be executed before all hell broke loose. But they weren't out of the proverbial woods yet, as Phasma wasn't going to let two Resistance enemies escape, especially since one of them was a First Order deserter under her command. Finn and Phasma soon engaged in a vicious brawl, and while Phasma put up a good fight, Finn eventually gained the upper hand and shattered part of her shiny helmet. After Phasma calling Finn Resistance scum, the floor beneath her crumbled, and she fell into the growing flames. While this certainly looks like the end of Phasma, it might be worth putting an asterisk on that for two reasons. One, it's possible Phasma's armor may be extra fire resistant, so even though she wouldn't walk away without being scarred everywhere, there's a slim chance she did make it off the ship alive. Two, just like in the comics, if there's no body, there's no guarantee they're dead.

Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Luke Skywalker

Like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda before him, Luke Skywalker is now one with the Force. Originally, it looked like the older Jedi Master was prepping for one final battle, as he walked onto the plains of Crait, ignited his old lightsaber was was ready to clash with his former apprentice. But after Kylo Ren slashed at Luke a few times, it was revealed that this was just an illusion, and Luke was expending his remaining energy on this projection back on Ahch-To so that the Resistance survivors could escape. At first it looked like Luke would walk away and continue living his life of solitude, but soon he disappeared into nothingness, leaving only his robes behind. However, as we've seen in the previous Star Wars movies, just because a Jedi is dead doesn't mean they can't continue hanging out in the land of the living yet. While nothing is confirmed yet, we wouldn't be surprised if Luke returns in Episode IX as a Force Ghost to advise Rey one last time.

Admiral Ackbar in Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Admiral Ackbar

While casual Star Wars viewers may not consider Admiral Gial Ackbar as a major character, hardcore fans know how important he's been to the saga outside of giving us the catchphrase "It's a trap!" From leading the Rebellion's space assault against the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi to fighting against the Confederacy in The Clone Wars, Ackbar was one of the galaxy far, far away's greatest heroes, and he was drawn back into military service during the first years of The Restance's conflict with The First Order. Unfortunately, early into The Last Jedi, Ackbar was killed with most of The Resistance's other leaders when Kylo Ren's wingmen blew up the bridge of the Raddus. We didn't get to spend as much time with Ackbar on the big screen compared to many other protagonist, but rest assured, he will be missed.

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Adam Holmes
Senior Content Producer

Connoisseur of Marvel, DC, Star Wars, John Wick, MonsterVerse and Doctor Who lore, Adam is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He started working for the site back in late 2014 writing exclusively comic book movie and TV-related articles, and along with branching out into other genres, he also made the jump to editing. Along with his writing and editing duties, as well as interviewing creative talent from time to time, he also oversees the assignment of movie-related features. He graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Journalism, and he’s been sourced numerous times on Wikipedia. He's aware he looks like Harry Potter and Clark Kent.