Re: Kathleen Kennedy to step down from Lucasfilm?
If the "we only have enough fuel for one jump" referred to the whole Resistance "fleet", it makes sense. The weakest member is always the limiting factor. I always presumed they bugged out before fully fueling, because they knew the First Order would be on their way.
Prior to the Battle of Yavin, those weren't starter generators. Luke had no problem starting up his X-Wing on Hoth, Dagobah, or Tatooine without such.
Hoth is in the Hoth System, per movie dialogue. The asteroid field was in the Anoat System, again per movie dialogue. So they'd already managed to travel interstellar with a bad hyperdrive motivator, even before they hitched a ride on the
Avenger.
As @
Darth Lars posted above, fuel has been present all through. This is just the first time it's been part of the story. In a story, nothing is important until it is.
Yeah, it's been present, but it hasn't been front and center. And looking back at the past films, you'd kind of expect it to be. Introducing it to create the ticking clock just felt kind of out of left field to me.
Not a plot hole, just sloppy writing. Once it was decided to go to Crait they could have just jumped there, thus avoiding the loss of any ships due to running out of fuel. Sure they can be tracked, but the FO was pursuing them anyway so no difference there. But that would negate the need for the side trip to Canto Bight, which is the whole reason for the fuel issue in the first place. RJ wanted the casino planet story, so he had to have the chase to make it possible.
Actually, that part makes sense to me. But the problem is with the movie's reveal of Holdo's plan.
Here's how I recall it all playing out:
1. The Resistance flees D'Qar. They make their first jump to hyperspace, and pop out near Crait. I THINK this was their intent all along. They thought they'd be safe and could regroup in another system.
2. The Supremacy and the rest of the FO fleet pops out of hyperspace right after the Resistance, and launches an attack on the fleet. The attack destroys the bridge and kills virtually all of the command crew. IT also destroys the hangar.
3. The Raddus is able to stay out of cannon range of the Supremacy if it continues to run at top speed. Thus, we enter the stalemate that is the 18-hour chase.
4. The Resistance realizes that the FO must have tracked them thru hyperspace. It's the only way they'd have been found. This is where things get murky.
5. Holdo devises a plan of flying sublight to Crait, getting as close as possible, loading up shuttles with as many troops as possible, and crashing the Raddus into the Supremacy to cover the shuttles' escape. Along the way, as many troops as possible from the other ships will be shuttled to the Raddus. Ideally, everyone will slip away quietly, and resurface when the FO leaves and they have time to recouperate.
6. Poe is unaware of Holdo's plan, though, and works alongside Finn and Rose to try to disable the hyperspace tracker. He does this because Holdo hasn't revealed her plan to him, and refuses to do so.
7. Holdo reveals her plan, and Poe loses it and stages a mutiny, believing that the hyperspace tracker mission will guarantee the Resistance's safety if it works. But, the plan fails and DJ betrays the Resistance, revealing the Resistance plan and putting everyone in jeopardy.
This all makes sense to me, although it's also convoluted. The fuel aspect is introduced purely to create the ticking clock effect. It's not a major thing, but it got a "Wait, really? They'll run out of gas?" from me. The fuel aspect, I don't think, had to do with the trip to Canto Bight. You can include that even if the engines can run forever, because it'll be seen as the only way to escape the Supremacy by Poe & Co. But again, this part of the story gets confusing because of Holdo's secrecy and the different steps Poe takes and what makes him take them.