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When Luke taught Rey to meditate for the first time, her mind went straight to a hole in the ground. This scared Luke and he asked her to pull back, saying she had gone straight to the dark side.

Later on, we find that the hole is real. I was thinking it would be like the cave Luke saw in Empire Strikes Back, where you have to face your demons.

The movie even gave this impression, using scary and tension filled music when Rey finds a strange mirror inside. But then, nothing happens. Rey just sees herself.

Was there a point to this scene? Did I miss something? Why did the movie show this hole, representing the dark side in Rey's psyche, and then do nothing with it?

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    You know every Star Wars movie requires to have a pit.. Just this one was filled with water..
    – Dr. Doom
    Commented Dec 28, 2017 at 11:33
  • Wait... that's not the dark side... that's just a bunch of seaweed!
    – spacetyper
    Commented Jan 4, 2018 at 18:08
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    @spacetyper The seaweed is evil. It killed its Sensei and stole the family sword. Also, it uses off shore tax havens
    – Shantnu Tiwari
    Commented Jan 5, 2018 at 11:49

2 Answers 2

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The film's Visual Dictionary describes it as a

... natural blowhole where seawater has carved away a cave of polished rock.

This cave causes Force-visions that are very similar to those seen in Empire Strikes Back when Luke enters the cave on Dagobah. Both are natural vergence points for dark side energy.

A natural convergence of energy, strong in the dark side of the Force, manifests itself on the eastern side of the island.

The director described the scene thusly.

What is the black hole cave thing that Rey goes into?

RJ: Well, the idea that this natural place reflected […] The idea that if there’s a Jedi Temple up top, the light, it has to be balanced by a place of great darkness. We’re drawing a very obvious connection to Luke’s training and to Dagobah here, obviously. And so the idea was if the up top is the light, down underneath is the darkness. And she descends down into there and has to see, just like Luke did in the cave, her greatest fear. And her greatest fear is [that], in the search for identity, she has nobody but herself to rely on.

Daily Podcast: Listen/Read Our Rian Johnson ‘Last Jedi’ Spoiler-Filled Interview

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    @jakegould - A "vergence" is a thing in Star Wars.
    – Valorum
    Commented Dec 28, 2017 at 19:22
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    @JakeGould - Actually it's an actual word used to describe a geological feature where a deformation has occurred due to conflicting pressures.
    – Valorum
    Commented Dec 28, 2017 at 22:17
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    Yoda's cave, which was the death-place of a strong dark side Force user as far as I can tell, this is Legends only. I don't think the Disney canon gives a specific explanation for why the cave has a dark side presence.
    – user2752467
    Commented Dec 28, 2017 at 23:06
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    @JustinLardinois - Indeed. And (on checking) the current canon is that both are natural occurrences. See edit.
    – Valorum
    Commented Dec 28, 2017 at 23:34
  • I also thought it was interesting that this hole represented the "Dark Side" and when Rey went there she saw nothing but her own reflection. It seemed an apt metaphor for the inherent selfishness and shallowness of the dark side.
    – Bob Tway
    Commented Jan 2, 2018 at 9:29
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I believe the pit is a pit of fear, since that’s what the dark side feeds on. Rey’s fear was her parents were nobodies. Luke’s fear was he would become evil. It said Rey was pulled down the pit and showed her worst fear. Think about it. Han and Qi’Ra as her parents. Hmmmmmm

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