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Expect Vice Admiral Holdo To “Shake Things Up” In Star Wars: The Last Jedi

The introduction of Admiral Holdo will place the cat among the pigeons in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, as Laura Dern tells Entertainment Weekly.

The Force Awakens ended on a relative high note for the Resistance forces – Starkiller Base had been blown to kingdom come, forcing Kylo Ren and Supreme Leader Snoke to retreat, while Daisy Ridley’s Rey finally located the whereabouts of Luke Skywalker.

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So far, so good. But it’s fair to say that that victory rang a little hollow given the death of Han Solo – not to mention the total annihilation of the New Republic – which leaves the Resistance in a vulnerable state going into Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Enter Laura Dern’s Vice Admiral Holdo.

Poised to “shake things up” from within, Dern’s super-stylish commander has been placed in control of the Resistance, much to the chagrin of Poe Dameron, who remains fiercely loyal to General Leia Organa. It’s this dynamic that will seed tension within The Last Jedi, as Poe and Holdo come to blows once the war against the First Order begins to heat up.

Here’s what Oscar Isaac told EW:

Even if something seems like it’s not the most heroic thing to do in the moment, thinking about the bigger picture is sometimes more important. That’s something he’s trying to wrap his mind around, but at the same time, with the Resistance being in such a precarious situation, he wants to do the right thing, and doesn’t want to just wait and let things happen. He doesn’t necessarily agree with the way Holdo sees the role of the Resistance in this particular moment.

Dern, on the other hand, believes Admiral Holdo represents “stereotypes about women bosses,” while her violet hairstyle and regal gown is a way to subvert the norm and ultimately challenge audience expectations.

Like if she looks a certain way, she can’t achieve the job or she must be brazen. You know, all the different versions of what we label someone. I mean, there are reasons why I might look the way I look. I think it’s beautifully subversive. From the director to the producers, everyone was painstaking about not only the look, but even the exact color of hair, what it should be and trying different versions.

Will the Resistance be able to bring all of their forces into alignment in order to topple the First Order once and for all? That’s a storyline that will inevitably bleed into Episode IX – ditto for Kylo Ren’s arc, after Rian Johnson warned fans that it won’t be fully wrapped up until 2019.

Closer to home, Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens on December 15th.