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In a rare flashback for the franchise, Star Wars: The Last Jedi depicts a moment from the past where Luke Skywalker is tempted to kill his nephew Ben Solo after sensing how much of a hold the Dark Side has on him.The scenes have proven among the most controversial in a movie some Star Wars fans truly hate despite its overwhelmingly positive review s and strong audience exit polling Some fans who are bothered by these scenes claim Luke's temptation is out of character for the hero of the saga. But as The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson told IGN during a recent one-on-one interview, the point of these scenes is to show the lure of the Dark Side of the Force remains a threat even for such a noble Jedi master as Luke Skywalker.When asked if that moment is the closest Luke has ever come to the Dark Side, Johnson responded, "Absolutely. That was the embodiment of The Dark Side, is the quick and easy path, right?""It’s that glimpse of… and Luke has never been… it’s not like Luke is a Superman who’s impervious to that. Having just, even the brief moment of temptation of it," Johnson said, "because that’s what that moment is. He doesn’t give in to the Dark Side, it’s a moment of temptation to the Dark Side."Johnson continued, "It reminds me very much of when Vader is tempting Luke, when Luke is underneath the stairs in [Return of the] Jedi, lit with that very beautiful half-and-half, the duality of these two sides of him being pulled. And that’s really what that moment is for me, it’s a moment of temptation to the Dark Side for Luke."It can be argued Ben Solo might not have become Kylo Ren had he not witnessed his own uncle/mentor considering murdering him in his sleep. But if this moment of weakness on Luke's part is what propelled Ben's downfall then doesn't that suggest this damage could be undone? Rey may have seen potential for Kylo's redemption but Johnson believes that, for Luke at least, that proverbial ship has sailed: "He says, 'I can’t save him.' 'I can’t save him.' I don’t think Luke can save him."But when pressed whether he himself thinks Kylo Ren is potentially redeemable, Johnson shrugged and laughed, "Yeah." After all, the last Skywalker who fell to the Dark Side was saved in the end."Are you kidding? Vader was worse than Kylo ever was, I think, and Vader got redeemed," Johnson said. "Also, I should just for the record [say] that I’m not involved in the writing of the next movie. I’m an audience member in it, just like you, so when I talk about what’s going to happen next it’s in the context of, as a fan, what I’m thinking of."We'll have to wait until Star Wars: Episode IX opens in December 2019 to see whether Kylo Ren finds redemption. For more on Star Wars: The Last Jedi, check out our pieces on its epic lightsaber battle , o ur biggest WTF questions about the film, what's up with the Knights of Ren , our breakdown of the many ways hyperspace has been used in Star Wars, and our theories on what will happen in Episode IX And if you liked this chat with Rian Johnson and what he did with The Last Jedi then check out these five other movies and TV shows he directed.William Bibbiani conducted this interview with Rian Johnson for IGN. Follow him on Twitter