Following the destruction of the Republic capital, Supreme Leader Snoke aims to cement his grip on the galaxy and sends his forces to the Resistance base.

In his X-wing, Poe Dameron heads for the First Order fleet. After some creative stalling, he speeds toward the Dreadnought, eliminating its surface cannons so Resistance bombers can mount an attack.

With the bombers suffering heavy losses, General Leia Organa orders a retreat; Poe ignores the command, however, encouraging the pilots onward. One bomber makes it through, and Paige Tico delivers the payload with her final act, destroying the Dreadnought.

Aboard the Resistance command ship, Finn wakes from his coma, a result of his injuries suffered at the hands of Kylo Ren. He instantly calls out for Rey.

Now on Ahch-To, Rey has finally found Luke Skywalker, the legendary Jedi who vanished following a student's fall to the dark side and subsequent decimation of a nacent Jedi Order. She hands Luke his old lightsaber, which he quickly tosses over his shoulder. He will not help her.

Snoke meets with his top commanders. While initially angered with Hux, he is pleased that the general has the Resistance fleet "on a string." The Supreme Leader saves his true wrath for his dark apprentice, however, berating Kylo Ren for his failure to defeat Rey. Afterward, an enraged Ren destroys his helmet and readies his TIE fighter.

Rey and Chewbacca implore Luke to return and help the Resistance, but he refuses. Later, Rey is drawn to a massive tree and enters a cavern inside, claiming that she knows this place. Luke explains that it was built a thousand generations ago to hold sacred Jedi texts; Rey reveals that she feels the Force, but still, Luke will not teach her. "It's time for the Jedi to end," he says.

Leia demotes Poe for his actions, but soon the First Order arrives -- they've somehow tracked the Resistance through hyperspace! Poe runs to his X-wing, but the hangar is destroyed by Kylo Ren.

Ren closes in on the bridge of the Resistance command ship; sensing his mother's presence, he stops himself from firing. But accompanying TIE fighters do not hold back, landing a direct hit. Leia, floating in the cold dark of space and moments away from death, calls upon the Force and pulls herself back onboard.

While Chewbacca encounters the island's native porgs outside, Luke enters the Falcon. There, he collects Han's old dice and reconnects with his old friend, R2-D2. The astromech plays Leia's original message to Obi-Wan Kenobi as a means of inspiration. "That was a cheap move," Luke says, pained as he looks on. Following this, he tells Rey he will teach her three lessons -- and why the Jedi need to end.

The Resistance has suffered heavy losses. Admiral Ackbar and all leadership perished in the attack, with General Leia Organa, now unconscious, the sole survivor. Vice Admiral Holdo, next in the chain of command, says, "We are the spark that will light the fire that will restore the Republic." Their mission is to survive.

Poe demands to know Holdo's plan, but the vice admiral will not share. She is well aware of Poe's recent impulsive acts and demotion, and orders that he stick to his post and follow her orders.

Meanwhile, Finn looks for an escape pod so that he can find Rey. He's stopped, however, by Rose Tico, sister of the fallen bomber gunner Paige, and a Resistance mechanic. She's initially starstruck at this chance meeting with a Resistance hero, but when she realizes that Finn's deserting, zaps him with an electro-shock prod.

When Finn awakens, he explains his reasons for leaving to Rose, and they quickly deduce how the First Order is tracking the Resistance. They come up with a plan to sneak onboard the lead Star Destroyer to disable the tracker, and have Poe's support. Together, they contact Maz Kanata for help, and she advises that they can find the Master Codebreaker in the casino city of Canto Bight.

Without warning, a connection develops through the Force between Kylo Ren and Rey -- they can see each other across the stars. "You're going to pay for what you did," she angrily tells him. Soon, Luke appears, ready to teach Rey her first lesson. Ren cannot see Skywalker, but infers that Rey is with his old master.

Luke teaches Rey about the Force -- it's not a power, but a balance that binds the universe together. When Rey reaches out, however, her raw power and embrace of darkness unnerves Luke. In turn, she says that she could not see Luke; he has closed himself off from the Force.

Once again, Kylo and Rey connect. Rey tells Kylo that he has lost, as she has found Skywalker. The dark warrior asks if Luke has explained why he destroyed his temple. Rey claims she knows enough, and calls him a monster. "Yes, I am," he replies coldly.

Rose, Finn, and BB-8 arrive at Canto Bight, an affluent resort city filled with the galaxy's elite, from politicians to business magnates. When they finally find the Master Codebreaker, however, they're quickly hauled off by Canto Bight police for parking their ship on the beach.

After practicing with her lightsaber, Rey joins Luke for another lesson. He recounts the story of Ben Solo's betrayal: sensing that darkness was rising in his nephew, Luke went to confront him. Ben turned on his uncle, and when Luke came to, the Jedi temple was in flames. Rey says that Luke didn't fail Kylo; Kylo failed Luke. And she won't.

The Resistance fleet, running out of fuel, continues to suffer losses at the hands of the First Order. Poe anxiously awaits word from Finn and Rose...

...who remain in a Canto Bight jail. Discussing their options, they're interrupted by a fellow prisoner, DJ, who claims to be a codebreaker. He offers to do the job for the right price, but they decline...until he casually unlocks their cell.

The rebels make their way to the fathier stables, looking for a way out. Upon seeing that Rose and Finn are with the Resistance, the young keepers aid in their escape and release all the fathiers from their pens -- with Rose and Finn riding one of the creatures.

They tear through the casino and the city streets, destroying much of the gauche displays of wealth in their path. While the police destroy their shuttle, DJ, joined by BB-8, come to their rescue.

Finally, Luke stretches out with his feelings through the Force and receives a response: Leia, still unconscious, speaks his name.

Kylo and Rey meet again through their mysterious connection. Ren tells his side of the story about what happened at Luke's Jedi temple: his uncle feared Ren's power and came to kill him while he slept. Rey calls him a liar and Kylo simply says, "Let the past die. Kill it if you have to. That's the only way to become what you were meant to be."

A dark cave on the island calls to Rey and she enters, seeing mirror images of herself. At the end is a wall where she asks to see her parents. Instead, she just sees herself.

Rey recounts her story to Kylo, who tells her she's not alone. Rey reaches out and they touch, both visibly moved -- until Luke enters. "Stop!" he yells, destroying the hut in the process.

Rey confronts Luke, demanding to know if it's true that he tried to murder Ben Solo. They fight, until finally the Jedi acquieces. Luke says that he had sensed a great darkness in his nephew, one grown by Snoke, and believed he could stop it by killing him. It was an impulse that lasted only a moment, but it was enough to destroy everything. Rey claims that when they touched hands, she saw Kylo's future; if she goes to him now, he will turn from the darkness. Luke is unconvinced.

Upon Rey's departure, Luke decides to end the Jedi once and for all, resolving to destroy the tree and the ancient texts it holds. But someone joins him: his former master, Yoda. Ultimately, Luke cannot bring himself to commit the destructive act...

...though Yoda can, summoning a bolt of lightning down to the island. Luke is shocked, misunderstanding his master's intentions. "Time it is for you to look past a pile of old books," Yoda says. They watch the tree burn together, and Yoda tells his old student that while he lost Ben Solo, they must not lose Rey.

DJ will still do the job for Rose and Finn, but he wants a deposit. He eyes Rose's medallion, which is made of pure Haysian smelt and is the partner piece of one worn by her sister, Paige. Though it is difficult, she agrees, and they continue on to the fleet.

Meanwhile, Poe wants answers from Holdo. When he sees that her plan is to abandon ship, the hotshot pilot erupts in anger, calling the vice admiral a coward and a traitor. Holdo has him removed from the bridge; Poe relays the new information to Finn, who asks for more time to complete their mission.

The Falcon arrives at the First Order fleet, and Rey takes a pod to Snoke's command ship, where she is received by Kylo Ren and a squad of troopers. Shortly thereafter, Finn, Rose, BB-8, and DJ slice through the massive Destroyer's shields and gain entrance.

Poe discloses Finn and Rose's plan to Holdo, who will not change her current course of action. In response, Poe and other Resistance crew pull their blasters and relieve Holdo of her duties, effectively forming a mutiny.

Kylo and Rey travel to Snoke's throne room. Rey says that she saw his future and knows he will turn; Ren, however, claims that it is Rey who will stand with him -- and that he knows the identity of her parents. Finally, they arrive before the Supreme Leader.

DJ, Finn, and Rose, in First Order uniforms, get to the tracker. DJ uses Rose's medallion to short the door's locks, then returns it to her. "You're welcome," he says. But they don't make it far, as they're quickly caught by Captain Phasma and the First Order.

Poe preps the ship for lightspeed, but his plans are soon cut short. Holdo stuns her captors and Leia emerges to do the same to Poe, reclaiming command.

The Resistance moves forward with Holdo's plan to evacuate on transports...except she will stay behind to pilot the cruiser. She and Leia say their goodbyes.

Sitting atop his throne, Snoke claims that it was he who bridged Rey and Kylo's minds. He knew it would lead her here, and now she will give him Skywalker. When Rey refuses, Snoke sends her into the air, torturing her through the power of the dark side.

When Poe awakens, Leia fills him in. They're headed to Crait, a mineral planet with a heavily armored, abandoned rebel base. Holdo knew the First Order was tracking the big ships, not the transports. They can hide on Crait and wait for the First Order to pass.

Phasma brings Finn and Rose to Hux, along with payment for DJ. "You lying snake!" Rose says to the shady codebreaker. He betrayed them, and also disclosed the Resistance's escape plan. Hux gives the command to fire on the transports at will.

Snoke continues toying with Rey, having extracted the whereabouts of Luke from her mind. Now in possession of the knowledge he sought, he keeps Rey's lightsaber at his side and orders his apprentice to kill her. But instead of delivering a blow with his own lightsaber, Kylo ignites Rey's weapon through the Force, slicing his master in two.

Kylo draws Rey's lightsaber into her hands. She rises, and they stand together to battle Snoke's Praetorian guards.

Victorious, Rey asks for Ben to call off the attack on the Resistance fleet, but he will not. Kylo tells Rey about her parents, stoking her worst fears: they were junk traders who sold her for drinking money, and are now dead in a pauper's grave on Jakku. Kylo reaches out one last time, and Rey returns the gesture -- drawing her lightsaber from his hand. They both pull at the weapon through the Force as it hovers between them.

As Phasma prepares to execute Finn and Rose, and Rey and Kylo continue to struggle, Holdo makes one last desparate move to save the Resistance: she jumps to lightspeed, directly through the First Order fleet.

Fire and debris rain down in the command ship hangar following Holdo's maneuver. Finn and Phasma battle, with the former stormtrooper landing a devastating blow that knocks the First Order captain down, cracking her helmet. As the floor collapses around her, she plummets into a bed of flames.

The survivors of the Resistance regroup in the rebel base on Crait. But the First Order has followed them to the surface, bringing walkers, TIE fighters, and a powerul cannon that can crack their shield doors.

Utilizing rickety ski speeders from the era of the Rebellion, the Resistance meets the First Order head on. And while Chewie and Rey arrive in time to help, they cannot match the firepower of Ren's ground forces.

Poe calls for a retreat, but Finn is determined to destroy the cannon, even if it means sacrificing himself. He zooms toward its center, but before impact, he's hit -- and saved -- by Rose. "That's how we're going to win," she says. "Not fighting what we hate. Saving what we love." She kisses him before collapsing back into her cockpit.

No allies or systems respond to the Resistance's calls for help. All seems lost, until a shadowy figure enters the hangar: Luke Skywalker. He sits with Leia and apologizes, saying he came to face Kylo Ren -- but he cannot save him. "I know my son's gone," she says. "No one's ever really gone," Luke replies, handing her Han's dice. Kissing his sister on the forehead, Luke stands and walks toward the now-destroyed blast door.

After heavy weaponry fails to destroy Skywalker, Kylo Ren goes to the surface. Filled with anger, he aims to finally kill his former master.

Poe believes that Skywalker is doing this to give the Resistance a chance to survive. He moves everyone to the back of mine looking for an exit, but they come upon a dead end of rocks. Meanwhile, Rey has tracked their location.

Kylo lunges for Skywalker, but the legendary Jedi Master evades every attack. "The Rebellion is reborn today," Luke says. "The war is just beginning. And I will not be the last Jedi." As Rey lifts the rocks to free her friends, Skywalker powers off his lightsaber, allowing Ren to slice through him. But Luke still stands. Ren soon realizes this was all a trick, and Skywalker vanishes.

Back on Ahch-To, Luke watches the twin suns set, now at peace as he becomes one with the Force.

The entirety of the Resistance leaves on the Falcon. "How do we build a rebellion from this?" Rey asks Leia. "We have everything we need," the general replies.

On Canto Bight, the fathier stable children play with handmade toys, recounting Skywalker's feat at the Battle of Crait. When they're chased away, one walks outside and grabs a broom -- with the power of the Force. Wearing Rose's Resistance ring, he looks up to the stars, eyes filled with hope.