The Last Jedi trailer is here. I didn’t need to tell you that, but while everyone was going crazy for a screeching porg, some more Snoke action, and those big emotional beats, I was left with the shaking feeling that I was right about something.

The Last Jedi is definitely lifting from The Empire Strikes Back. And that’s a bummer.

The Newest Evidence

I’m not going to hammer on about the things I mentioned in my other piece — you should go read that and then come back here! — but this new trailer strengthened a lot of those theories and added one new (but familiar) beat.

And that’s the “join me” moment we see at the end of the trailer between Rey and Kylo Ren. This is clearly going to be a riff on the climactic moment between Luke and Vader in The Empire Strikes Back. The two of them will fight, become emotionally drained, and then the temptation to join together will be presented.

But, The Last Jedi is looking to flip the script and possibly have Rey join forces with our lead villain. That’s certainly a twist, but only in the most technical sense. If you can see it coming, it’s not really a good twist, is it?

Looks like we’ll also get another “Millenium Falcon in a cave” sequence like the Exogorth scene from Empire Strikes Back. And another snowy walker fight like the one on Hoth was confirmed with this trailer as well. And a moment where our lead Jedi character walks into a spooky place and probably has a vision. Cool?

Safety in the Familiar

Look, I don’t want to sound like I’m tearing The Last Jedi down. I haven’t seen the film yet, so it’s not worth saying whether the film will be good or bad. But, it can’t help but feel familiar.

Of course, familiar is safe. And safe is profitable. Disney knows that they need to cater to the nostalgic fans of the original trilogy, and just like the A New Hope beats from The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi is going to activate a Pavlovian response to fans who love Empire Strikes Back.

Yes, the direction, production design, costumes, effects, and all the other wizardry of the film looks wonderful. But, not even that is surprising anymore.

With all that said, I’m still excited for this movie. I trust that writer/director Rian Johnson has something up his sleeve that we’re not seeing. I certainly hope so. Because if this franchise is going to continue to be groundbreaking, it needs to step away from its predecessors and really do something brand new.