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Star Wars: The Last Jedi now playing at home: Everything we know

The newest Star Wars film can now be in your home movie collection. It's stacked with special features, including The Director and the Jedi documentary.

Mike Sorrentino Senior Editor
Mike Sorrentino is a Senior Editor for Mobile, covering phones, texting apps and smartwatches -- obsessing about how we can make the most of them. Mike also keeps an eye out on the movie and toy industry, and outside of work enjoys biking and pizza making.
Expertise Phones, texting apps, iOS, Android, smartwatches, fitness trackers, mobile accessories, gaming phones, budget phones, toys, Star Wars, Marvel, Power Rangers, DC, mobile accessibility, iMessage, WhatsApp, Signal, RCS
Mike Sorrentino
6 min read
Video screenshot by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNET

Oh my Skywalker! Star Wars : The Last Jedi has made more than $1 billion in theaters worldwide, and it's now widely available for purchase or to stream on Netflix. But you didn't expect Disney to stop telling the story of The Last Jedi with just the movie, right? Since the first trailer's premiere at the Star Wars Celebration in April through adaptations of the story into a novelization and comic book, Lucasfilm has been enlarging the latest tale of a galaxy far, far away.

While we reviewed the movie when it came out, we'll still start this off with the 100 percent spoiler-free details for anyone who's been avoiding online trailers, toys, complaints over the story or anything else that's since hit the web during the theatrical run.

Watch this: 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' trailer drops in full force

Where you can watch The Last Jedi

Star Wars: The Last Jedi hit theaters in the US, UK and Australia on Thursday, Dec. 14. The movie became available to stream on Netflix on Tuesday, June 26 as part of Disney's ongoing deal with Netflix that will end in 2019 when Disney launches its own streaming serviceRogue One: A Star Wars Story is currently available on Netflix too.

You can purchase a digital copy of the film, which has been available since March 13, via digital stores like iTunes, Google Play, Vudu or Amazon. You can also buy it through Disney's Movies Anywhere service, and link those stores to your Movies Anywhere account to view on whichever device you want. That way you can watch The Last Jedi from your iPhone , iPad , Android device, Roku, PlayStation 4, Xbox One , Amazon Fire TV or any other device that supports at least one of those digital stores.

Physical copies of The Last Jedi came out on March 27, making the movie available on Blu-ray 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD.

The home release is stacked with special features, including The Director and the Jedi documentary on director Rian Johnson's journey through the film's production, as well as deleted scenes and audio commentary.

Get your pause button ready if you need a bathroom break. The Last Jedi is the longest Star Wars film so far, with a runtime of 2 hours, 30 minutes.

Who's in it?

Nearly everyone in 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens returns in one way or another. That includes legacy actors Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker and the late Carrie Fisher in her final portrayal of Leia Organa. (No, Harrison Ford's Han Solo isn't back.) 

Newer faces like Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn, Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma and Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron also continue their stories. 

CGI-wise, Andy Serkis returns to embody Supreme Leader Snoke, and Lupita Nyong'o is back as Maz Kanata.  BB-8 rolls on back, and Chewbacca too.

Meet the stars of 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'

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Director Rian Johnson also helmed 2012's Looper and three episodes of Breaking Bad.

As far as new faces, we'll get to that below the giant spoiler warning.

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Hasbro's toy-edition of the porg is waddling into your heart.

GIF by Mike Sorrentino/CNET

Benicio del Toro joins the Star Wars universe as DJ, a shady codebreaker. It's still vague (even after watching the film) exactly what DJ is up to, but in the hands of an actor with a resume like del Toro's, the character could expand in future films. Kelly Marie Tran plays Rose, a maintenance worker for the Resistance who befriends Finn. They quickly get swept up in their own mission that takes them undercover at Finn's old employer, the First Order. Look out too for an appearance by Laura Dern as Vice Admiral Holdo.

Like The Force Awakens, the film features a few big names that might be harder to spot under helmets or makeup. Keep your eyes peeled for cameos from Rogue One director Gareth Edwards, Justin Theroux, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tom Hardy.

You'll also see new CGI characters in the form of the adorable, penguin-like porgs. Lucasfilm Story Group's Pablo Hidalgo said in July the creatures are native to Ahch-To. They live on the island where Rey and Luke meet at the end of The Force Awakens.

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BB-9E might be BB-8's evil twin.

Ian Knighton/CNET

Just as cute, but with a questionable allegiance, is the new BB-9E droid, revealed in August as part of Force Friday. BB-9E is painted in dark colors and has a flat head that stays on top of a rolling body similar to BB-8's.

A galaxy of 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' toys for Force Friday

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What's the story?

The narrative picks up not long after we left off from The Force Awakens -- with Rey meeting a worn-out Luke Skywalker, who makes quite clear his feelings that the Jedi order should end. As Rey pursues Skywalker to teach her how to use the Force, Leia and the Resistance are being chased by the First Order following the destruction of Starkiller base.

Kylo Ren and the First Order have the upper hand as the movie begins, and the son of Han and Leia is seen becoming torn between his original life as Ben Solo and his current life as a Sith.

Everything we spotted in that 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' trailer

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Other highlights to look out for: Poe Dameron and BB-8 reunite to fight a space battle, Finn and new partner Rose explore a new Star Wars planet full of rich people, the mysterious Vice Admiral Holdo makes potentially questionable decisions, a fan-favorite character returns and Force powers get used by all kinds of characters. There's also a gorgeous fiery battle featuring Captain Phasma, who we last saw in a trash compactor. (If you want to know how she escaped, there's a comic book for that.)

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The Last Jedi is Carrie Fisher's final Star Wars film.

Video by screenshot by Gonzalo Jiménez/CNET

And, of course, the late Carrie Fisher continues as General Leia Organa, leading her forces through much of this space adventure.

While she had shot all of her Last Jedi scenes before her death in December 2016 at age 60, it was rumored her character was expected to be a big part of 2019's Episode IX

Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy confirmed that sentiment to Vanity Fair in May. Kennedy said that movie would have put a focus on Leia in much the same way Han Solo was depicted in The Force Awakens. 

Meet the stars of 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'

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Instead, Lucasfilm said in January that it has no plans to digitally re-create her. "We cherish her memory and legacy as Princess Leia, and will always strive to honor everything she gave to Star Wars," the studio said. 

Who's the last Jedi?

Here's the biggest thing we didn't know before seeing the movie: Who is the title referring to? Is it Luke? Is it Rey? Or someone completely different? And yes, Johnson did say that Luke is the Jedi in the title, but it was a misdirect. 

Will I see anything after the credits?

Nope, this isn't a Marvel movie. BUT you should at least sit through the first few minutes of the credits, which include a brief memorial to Carrie Fisher.

What about 'Episode IX'? And that 'Solo' movie?

Have some patience, but you won't be waiting long. While both of these upcoming Star Wars movies have had their original director(s) replaced, the future of Star Wars movies is looking pretty bright. 

Director Ron Howard announced in October that he's wrapped shooting on Solo: A Star Wars Story, the movie all about a younger Han Solo played by Alden Ehrenreich. The movie will debut May 25, despite losing original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller during filming.

Meanwhile, J.J. Abrams is returning to the director's chair for Star Wars: Episode IX, allowing him to close out the trilogy he started with 2015's The Force Awakens. Abrams' return was announced a week after original Episode IX director Colin Trevorrow stepped away from the movie in September. Along with the director change came a delay, with the film now scheduled to debut on Dec. 20, 2019, instead of May 24, 2019.

And what's Rian Johnson doing after this?

He's hoping you love The Last Jedi, because after that, he's starting a whole new trilogy of Star Wars films that are completely disconnected from Luke Skywalker and his family. In case he's reading this, here are a few tips that we hope he'll consider while crafting this new corner of the Star Wars universe.

First published Nov. 22, 2017 at 10:16 a.m. PT.
Update Dec. 1, 7:53 a.m. PT: Adds cameos to look out for.
Update Dec. 11, 1:20 p.m. PT: Adds early social media reactions.
Update Dec. 12. 9 a.m. PT: Adds link to our review and whether there's anything after the credits roll.
Update March 13, 8:50 a.m. PT: Adds home release information.
Update June 26, 8:36 a.m. PT: Reflects availability on Netflix.

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