Rian Johnson was not discussing Star Wars when he reignited one of the franchise’s longest-running debates. The director was promoting Wake Up Dead Man (2025), the latest installment in his Knives Out series, when he began speaking about faith, belief, and the stories that shaped him.
Those comments quickly traveled back to a galaxy far, far away.
In an interview with Polygon, Johnson described Wake Up Dead Man as a serious examination of religion, hypocrisy, and moral distortion. In doing so, he acknowledged thematic overlap with Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), a film whose legacy remains deeply contested years after its release.
“Absolutely, on a couple of different levels,” Johnson said when asked whether the two films shared intentional parallels. He explained that Star Wars functioned as a formative myth during his Christian upbringing.
“Anyone who grew up with Star Wars deeply rooted in their childhood — it's almost a cliché to say it feels like a religion,” Johnson said. “I grew up very Christian, so when I was a kid, I was parsing Star Wars through my faith and through my Christianity.”
For many fans, the framing landed like fresh provocation. Star Wars: The Last Jedi has long been divisive, but explicitly linking the film’s themes to Christianity reframed old frustrations through a new lens.
What's So Controversial About ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi'?
Released in 2017 as the eighth film in the saga, The Last Jedi served as the middle chapter of Disney’s sequel trilogy. Rather than reinforcing familiar mythology, it questioned the Jedi Order, reworked Luke Skywalker’s role, and centered failure over triumph.
Those choices fractured the fan base almost immediately. Luke’s portrayal as a disillusioned exile challenged decades of heroic iconography. For supporters, it added complexity. For critics, it felt like a rejection of the character’s core identity.
Rey became another flashpoint. Her rapid command of the Force prompted accusations that the film sidelined established lore. The growing emotional and moral connection between Rey and Kylo Ren further unsettled fans who preferred clearer distinctions between hero and villain.
Over time, The Last Jedi became less about plot points and more about philosophy. Was Star Wars a modern myth meant to be preserved, or one meant to be interrogated?
Johnson has never shied away from that tension.
“I wasn't afraid of it per se,” he said. “Having grown up a Star Wars fan, I know that thing where something challenges it, and I know the recoil against that.”
He rejected the idea that controversy signaled failure. “The worst sin is to handle it with kid gloves,” Johnson said.
“The worst sin is to be afraid of doing anything that shakes it up,” he added, pointing to The Empire Strikes Back as an example of a film that initially angered audiences before earning long-term acceptance.
Online reaction to Johnson’s recent comments was swift and polarized.
“If Star Wars is like Christianity, then what Rian Johnson did to it was definitely blasphemy,” one user wrote. Another added, “I shouldn’t be surprised that Roundhead Rian understands Christianity as well as he understands Star Wars.”
Others were more blunt. “Which is why he ruined it,” one post read, while another claimed Johnson “should keep his big mouth shut.” Several dismissed his films as “shi**y” and irredeemable.
Some fans pushed back, arguing Johnson’s intent was being misrepresented.
“For those of you misinterpreting this, RJ brought his departure from the fundamentalism in [Christianity] to this story, not weaving evangelical values into Star Wars,” one X user wrote. “Luke’s arc is about dropping the baggage of fundamental Christianity.”
