11 Ways Star Wars: The Last Jedi Was Basically The Empire Strikes Back

The destruction of the Death Star dealt a blow to the Empire which could have allowed the first Star Wars film to stand on its own if (God forbid) that had been the way it turned out. From the opening moments of The Empire Strikes Back, however, we are shown that while the loss of their planet killer was felt, it was going to take far, far more than that to overthrow the villains.

The rebels were in hiding, still far from ready to take on the Empire in all-out war. They feared detection, so had to make do and struggle to get by in a frozen, barren wasteland. Despite this, their hiding place was found due to the resources and size of Palpatine's fleet and Vader's Sith abilities. The Battle of Hoth was intense, but decisive: the rebels were back on the run well within the first hour of the film.

In The Last Jedi, the situation is exactly mirrored. Yes, Starkiller Base is gone. But here's a fleet of First Order star destroyers and a dreadnought. Even when Poe Dameron takes out the dreadnought in stunning style, it's still not enough. The Resistance is confined to a few starships, Battlestar Galactica style, and must simply attempt to outrun their enemies before their fuel expires. Like the rebels in Empire, their situation is truly desperate - so much so that they seem to take on a new moniker as they are referred to less and less as The Resistance and more and more as the rebels.