Star Wars: The Last Jedi - 39 Things We Learned From The Director's Commentary

34. The Lightsaber Toss

The lightsaber toss that opens the Luke/Rey scene has been one of the many divisive elements of the movie, but the thing it does absolutely make clear is that this is not the Luke Skywalker we once knew and loved.

From Johnson's point-of-view, the first thing he had to do was figure out why Luke was on the island, which is where the toss comes from. The answer couldn't be cowardice, but had to be more something active and positive, that he thought what he was doing was the right thing. He needs to show that exile is taking its toll on him, and that he's carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. This was shot before principal photography began, and they had limited time to get it.