Star Wars: The Last Jedi is in cinemas now, and getting praised by critics and consumers alike (mostly). Star Wars: Battlefront 2 is in stores now, and... isn't, but it's still a major piece of Star Wars entertainment - and impressively (most impressively) that are a lot of tie-ins between the two. In fact, Star Wars Battlefront 2 not only references but outright sets up many moments in The Last Jedi - here's our list of all of them!
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The Compass
One of more annoying things about The Last Jedi is its abandonment and outright derision of any questions posed by The Force Awakens, and one of those questions is "How did Luke Skywalker even get to this Ahch-To place?" Well, that one at least we can answer. In the middle of the movie, when Luke is going through his things, we see a circular metal object. This is a Compass, and while we don't know how it works exactly we do find out how Luke got it in Battlefront 2.
In Luke's mission in the game he is investigating a storehouse of the Emperor's artifacts on the planet Pillio, and the only item he retrieves is the Compass. It seems he was planning on tracking down the first Jedi temple on Ahch-To long before he even started training Ben Solo or created his Jedi Academy. Still, it's neat that such a specific thing gets to appear on-screen in The Last Jedi and get set up in Battlefront 2.
How Poe Knows How To Stop The Dreadnought
The main space battle of The Last Jedi happens right at the beginning of the movie, where the Resistance ships are attempting to flee from the First Order, and Poe Dameron leads an heroic charge against the Empire Wannabes' special Dreadnought Star Destroyer, described as a "Fleet Killer" by Poe. But how does Poe know about the Dreadnought, and is seemingly fully prepared for its arrival - and know how to take it down - at the Battle of D'Qar? Battlefront 2's campaign answers this.
At the end of the new 'Resurrection' Campaign DLC, that brings Iden Versio's story right up to the beginning of The Last Jedi, Iden's team are hiding in a First Order Star Destroyer and discover the plans for the Dreadnought, and that its coming to join the battle. The last act in the game is them transmitting the Dreadnought details to General Leia Organa, who says she'll pass them to Commander Dameron. So that's how Poe knew exactly how to disable and destroy the Dreadnought.
Why Starkiller Didn't Have Any Ships Defending It
At the end of The Force Awakens, leading into The Last Jedi, the Resistance stage a daring assault on the First Order's Starkiller Base system-destroying superweapon and manage to destroy it. But once Starkiller Base was being attacked, where were all the First Order's Star Destroyers? Clearly some Destroyers showed up afterwards to pick up General Hux and then start off the Battle of D'Qar in The Last Jedi, but where were those Star Destroyers a moment ago to protect Starkiller Base?
I'll tell you where - there was indeed a big Star Destroyer on its way to protect Starkiller and take out the Resistance forces attacking it, as Battlefront 2 reveals. But Iden Versio and her team stopped it. As we mentioned in the last entry, Iden, her daughter Zay, and fellow team member Shriv stow away aboard a First Order Star Destroyer - one headed to reinforce Starkiller Base and wipe out the Resistance fighters on it. A few shoot-outs later they disable the Hyperdrive on the ship, meaning it can't get to Starkiller Base in time or destroy the Resistance fighters before they return to their base on D'Qar. Quite an important part of the story, really.
Finn's Backstory
As we've already revealed, the 'Resurrection' DLC also contains information on John Boyega's movie character Finn and his backstory, which proves important in both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. Finn doesn't really get much of a backstory in the movie - he was a stormtrooper, whoop, great - so it's nice to see a bit more about him, even if it's in Battlefront 2.
The Battlefront 2 DLC focuses on Iden Versio and Inferno Squad investigating “Project Resurrection”, a scheme by the First Order to steal children from around the galaxy to brainwash and train as crack Stormtroopers. FN-2187, aka Finn, was part of this scheme - stolen from parents he'll never know (maybe, JJ Abrams is in charge of the next movie so who knows) and conditioned to fight for the First Order. He rebels of course and flees with Poe Dameron, but this sheds light on his simultaneous hatred and fear of the First Order.
How Kylo Ren Found Out About The Map To Skywalker
This is technically more setting up The Force Awakens than The Last Jedi, but as finding Skywalker is still Kylo Ren and Supreme Leader Snoke's ambition in the new movie it's still relevant. In the beginning of Force Awakens, Poe Dameron is meeting with Max Von Sydow's character Lor San Tekka, who has the map to Luke Skywalker's hideout on Ahch-To. Then Kylo Ren and the First Order show up, and they know all about the map. Battlefront 2 reveals how... sort of.
At the end of Battlefront 2's campaign (which leads in to the Resurrection expansion), Iden's husband Del Meeko has been captured by Kylo Ren who uses the Force to extract information from him. Unlike the movies, we get to see Kylo Ren's Force interrogation visualized, as Ren pursues Del through his memories. It's rather cool. At the end he gets the answer he wanted: Lor San Tekka has taken the map to the planet Bayora, and Kylo Ren immediately goes after him.
Now, this is interesting not just because it sets up how Kylo Ren knew where the map was going to be in The Force Awakens, but it's also not a direct connection to the beginning of the movie. Bayora is a new planet and not mentioned in the game or movies - could more Battlefront 2 campaign DLC be planned, set before The Force Awakens (and the Resurrection DLC)? One that leads Kylo Ren from Bayora to Jakku? That's down to EA.
So that's it, all the ways Star Wars Battlefront II sets up Star Wars Episode VIII: The Divisive One, er, The Last Jedi! Can you think of any other ways that Battlefront 2 ties in to Star Wars: 86 To 4.7, um, The Last Jedi? What were your opinions of Star Wars: Plummeting Audience Holds, gosh I did it again, The Last Jedi? Leave a comment below the Porg!
