| “ | Hey, take it easy. They blow you up today, you blow them up tomorrow, it's just good business. | „ |
| ~ DJ's famous quote. |
| “ | Let me learn you something big. It's all a machine, partner. Live free, don't join. | „ |
| ~ DJ to Finn. |
DJ (shortened for Don't Join) is a supporting antagonist in the 2017 film Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, the second film of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. He also appeared as the titular protagonist villain of the 2018 comic called Star Wars Most Wanted: DJ.
He is a code breaker who found himself stuck in prison on Cantonica. At first, he seemed friendly to Finn and Rose and helped them get inside the First Order flagship, but later in the film, he saves his own skin by selling them out to Captain Phasma.
He was portrayed by Benicio del Toro, who also played The Collector in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Fred Fenster in The Usual Suspects, Jack Rafferty in Sin City, Lado in Savage, the title character of the 2010 Wolfman film, Dario in Licence to Kill, Dr. Gonzo in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Aaron Hallam in The Hunted, and Swiper the Fox in Dora and the Lost City of Gold.
Personality[]
DJ is a manipulative, opportunistic, devious and charismatic individual who lacks moral principles and is ready to betray anyone for his own benefit.
Appearance[]
DJ has black hair and a beard that is mostly shaved. He has dark brown eyes and bushy eyebrows. Throughout the film, he is only shown with a black outfit, foreshadowing his true nature. He also has a scar on his right cheek.
History[]
Past[]
TBA
Role in the film[]
After Rose and Finn are put in prison, they meet DJ, who happens to be a hacker. After Rose and Finn escape, DJ comes with them. Soon, after being chased by the Canto Bight guards, the two find themselves trapped on a hill, when one of the guards space ships comes up behind them. They discover that it was piloted by DJ, and he helps them get away.
DJ in disguise with Finn and Rose.
Later, when Finn and Rose attempt to get into the Mega-class Star Dreadnought Supremacy to disable its light speed tracker, DJ uses his hacking skills to get them in. They disguise themselves as First Order officers to get inside and disable the tracker, but are captured by Captain Phasma and BB‐9E. After being captured, DJ saves his own skin by buying his freedom with information on the Resistance he overheard during their travels. This information proves useful to the First Order and he is awarded his freedom, money and a ship to escape with. Phasma and the stormtroopers hand over the money to him, then give him a ship, and he flies away with the money, getting away with his crimes along with escaping any and all punishment as a result (even though his final fate was ultimately left ambiguous).
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- It has been confirmed that DJ are not his initials, but stand for 'don't join' which is quite fitting, seeing that he betrayed Finn and Rose. It also reflects how the character is described as not believing in "big causes" no matter what they are and views the Resistance, First Order, and so on as all being the same. This explains why he had no compunctions about betraying Finn and Rose for personal gain.
- During the infiltration of the Supremacy, while he, Finn and Rose are disguised as First Order officers, DJ wears his stolen officer cap backward.
- According to the Star Wars Visual Dictionary for The Last Jedi, DJ deliberately arranged his arrest by the Canto Bight police because the holding cells were the only place where he could sleep in relative peace.
- DJ's hat has the words 'don't join' written on it, foreshadowing his true nature.
- He was originally going to be Lando Calrissian, but this was changed, because Rian Johnson (the director) wanted him to betray Finn and Rose, and that didn't seem like a thing Lando would do, so they created DJ as a replacement.
- That being said, his actions are similar to Lando's betraying Han Solo, Leia, Chewbacca, and C-3PO to the Empire in The Empire Strikes Back (the second film in the Original Trilogy to The Last Jedi's second film in the Sequel Trilogy). However, unlike DJ, Lando showed remorse for his betrayal and redeemed himself by saving Leia and Chewie, and attempting to save Han. Furthermore, Lando's motivation for his betrayal was to protect the people of Cloud City from the Empire, while DJ's betrayal was purely to save his own skin, as well as greed. Besides this, DJ didn't express any remorse and even got away with his actions.
- It was once speculated that he is Ezra from Star Wars Rebels, but it has been confirmed to be false; BB-8 has more close-ups in the film than him.
- Del Toro had expressed interest in reprising his role for Episode IX, but was not included. As a result, DJ's final fate has since been left completely ambiguous.
