Star Wars: The Last Jedi - 13 Audacious Moments That Have Divided Fans

Given how dire the Resistance's situation has seemed from the outset, and how many unexpected developments the film has already thrown in by the final act, the stakes are high in the climactic showdown. That being the case, when we see Finn charge his speeder head-on into the First Order's weapon, we have every reason to believe he's willingly heading to his death.

However, Finn is thwarted in this by his new friend Rose, who crashes into him to send him off course; and when he angrily complains to her, she explains, "That's how we'll win: not by destroying what we hate, but by saving what we love."

There then follows a kiss which seems a bit out of nowhere, as there hasn't been any real sense of romance blooming between the two before then; but let's be reasonable, Rose probably thinks she's about to die anyway, so she might as well get her money's worth.

It's clear why this scene should divide opinion as - again, from a certain point of view - there might have been a sense of honour in Finn sacrificing himself in this way. After all, earlier on he was prepared to abandon the Resistance and run away to save himself, much as he threatened to do midway through The Force Awakens. Laying down his life for the Resistance would seem a convenient route to redemption.

However, Rose's intervention - not unlike Leia's anger with Poe over the attack on the Dreadnought - is based in the belief that any unnecessary loss of life, particularly among those on the side of light, is to be avoided at all costs, and that this is what must distinguish the Resistance from the First Order. We do not defeat our enemy by becoming them, as Kylo Ren would seem to believe.