11 Ways Star Wars: The Last Jedi Was Basically The Empire Strikes Back
1. Villains Dominate
As should probably have been expected from a part two of three, as in The Empire Strikes Back, the villains took control throughout this movie. Some may even be surprised by how much the Resistance was left in tatters. By the end, they are in hiding, confined to starships and with very limited numbers indeed. They called for allies, and apparently got none. Key figures such as Admiral Ackbar were wiped out early on, as were so very many of their fighters and larger ships. We are told their number is in the low hundreds. Even though Snoke was killed, it really seems as if even this doesn't matter in the onslaught of The First Order.
In The Empire Strikes Back, the Rebel Alliance is left without a place to settle, and indeed right through to The Return Of The Jedi they appear to be baseless. Luke has been maimed, has lost his weapon and is at a loss as to Vader's "I am your father," revelation, and Han Solo has been sold off to Jabba the Hutt and entombed in carbonite.
It's a key theme of both films and a vital ingredient to set up the finales. Like its 1980s counterpart, The Last Jedi certainly didn't hold back in giving the good guys a hard time.