What Luke Skywalker Means To Me
I saw a post, and it made for a great idea for a blog post: What does Luke Skywalker mean to you? Well, (cracks knuckles) here I go!
Luke's journey starts with being separated from his twin sister Leia shortly after his birth and being delivered to his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru on Tatooine. He grows up wanting to be anywhere but there, as we would learn in 1999 his father Anakin would also like to be anywhere else. Unlike Anakin, Luke grew up a free person and not a slave, but at the age of 19 in ANH, we could see Luke beginning to rebel against his Uncle as his friends Biggs and Tank left already. His hero journey begins when his Uncle purchases 2 droids, who show him a princess. She leads him to Obi-Wan Kenobi who leads them to Chewbacca and Han Solo to rescue (unplanned) the princess who just happens to be his twin sister Leia. After his mentor sacrifices himself so he and his friends can escape, he doesn't rely on technology but the powers of The Force to destroy the Death Star after Han & Chewie clear off Darth Vader and his TIE Fighter escort. A hero journey begins, and the galaxy has a new hope.
In ESB, Luke has grown in powers, he can pull a lightsaber into his hand from a distance. Use the Force to slow down his fall from an AT-AT walker he just tossed a grenade in. But a trip to Dagobah and training from Yoda shows Luke not only failing, but not believing in himself. Sensing his friends in danger, we see Luke being arrogant, thinking he is strong enough to face Vader now. He soon realizes he is no match, and not only learns the truth about Vader, but loses his right hand and the lightsaber that once belonged to the man who just maimed him. His friends must now rescue him, and nearly do not succeed. The hero fails this time. But there is a next time.
In ROTJ, Luke is seen in an all black outfit and Force choking Gamorrean Guards. His plan to rescue Han works out, in part thanks to his newly constructed lightsaber. Going back to a now dying Yoda, who confirms his worst fear, Luke will only become a Jedi by confronting Vader, and learns from Obi-Wan the other Skywalker is his sister. Not wanting to place the burden of stopping Vader on her, he once again confronts Vader, and his master Emperor Palpatine aka Darth Sidious. Luke now has belief in his abilities, but also the belief in the inner good in Vader. However the hero has one last temptation: Vader tells Luke that Leia will turn to the dark side, and Luke for a moment gives in, chopping off his father's right hand. Once he sees it's the same as his, and with the Emperor goading him on, he turns off his lightsaber and throws it away. He's a Jedi. As the Emperor attacks Luke, Anakin Skywalker emerges to destroy the Emperor (or so we thought but that's a tale for another time). The hate that kept his shattered body alive could allow Anakin to die at peace, and become one with the Force.
So what does Luke mean to me? He's hope. Hope that can keep you going in a bad time. He makes mistakes, as we all do. He's reckless and emotional. Aren't we all? But he does what is right, although while Yoda and Obi-Wan hoped he would kill Vader, Luke sought a better path. His belief that good can exist in anyone is his best character quality, like his mother Padme had. It would pop up in Legends after he learned his nephew Jacen now Darth Caedus had killed his wife Mara, and before with Kyp Durron's fall to the dark side. Everyone DOES have good in them. Getting them to see that is also part of being a hero. The new Canon hasn't grasped that about Luke (Mandalorian, Battlefront 2, Shattered Empire have), which is a shame. Because Luke Skywalker shows the best of humanity. He's my favorite character, and his journey in the OT and Legends is epic. Luke Skywalker is all of us, at our best and at our worst. We relate to him, and we cheer him and his friends on in their adventures. May The Force Be With You.
Luke's journey starts with being separated from his twin sister Leia shortly after his birth and being delivered to his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru on Tatooine. He grows up wanting to be anywhere but there, as we would learn in 1999 his father Anakin would also like to be anywhere else. Unlike Anakin, Luke grew up a free person and not a slave, but at the age of 19 in ANH, we could see Luke beginning to rebel against his Uncle as his friends Biggs and Tank left already. His hero journey begins when his Uncle purchases 2 droids, who show him a princess. She leads him to Obi-Wan Kenobi who leads them to Chewbacca and Han Solo to rescue (unplanned) the princess who just happens to be his twin sister Leia. After his mentor sacrifices himself so he and his friends can escape, he doesn't rely on technology but the powers of The Force to destroy the Death Star after Han & Chewie clear off Darth Vader and his TIE Fighter escort. A hero journey begins, and the galaxy has a new hope.
In ESB, Luke has grown in powers, he can pull a lightsaber into his hand from a distance. Use the Force to slow down his fall from an AT-AT walker he just tossed a grenade in. But a trip to Dagobah and training from Yoda shows Luke not only failing, but not believing in himself. Sensing his friends in danger, we see Luke being arrogant, thinking he is strong enough to face Vader now. He soon realizes he is no match, and not only learns the truth about Vader, but loses his right hand and the lightsaber that once belonged to the man who just maimed him. His friends must now rescue him, and nearly do not succeed. The hero fails this time. But there is a next time.
In ROTJ, Luke is seen in an all black outfit and Force choking Gamorrean Guards. His plan to rescue Han works out, in part thanks to his newly constructed lightsaber. Going back to a now dying Yoda, who confirms his worst fear, Luke will only become a Jedi by confronting Vader, and learns from Obi-Wan the other Skywalker is his sister. Not wanting to place the burden of stopping Vader on her, he once again confronts Vader, and his master Emperor Palpatine aka Darth Sidious. Luke now has belief in his abilities, but also the belief in the inner good in Vader. However the hero has one last temptation: Vader tells Luke that Leia will turn to the dark side, and Luke for a moment gives in, chopping off his father's right hand. Once he sees it's the same as his, and with the Emperor goading him on, he turns off his lightsaber and throws it away. He's a Jedi. As the Emperor attacks Luke, Anakin Skywalker emerges to destroy the Emperor (or so we thought but that's a tale for another time). The hate that kept his shattered body alive could allow Anakin to die at peace, and become one with the Force.
So what does Luke mean to me? He's hope. Hope that can keep you going in a bad time. He makes mistakes, as we all do. He's reckless and emotional. Aren't we all? But he does what is right, although while Yoda and Obi-Wan hoped he would kill Vader, Luke sought a better path. His belief that good can exist in anyone is his best character quality, like his mother Padme had. It would pop up in Legends after he learned his nephew Jacen now Darth Caedus had killed his wife Mara, and before with Kyp Durron's fall to the dark side. Everyone DOES have good in them. Getting them to see that is also part of being a hero. The new Canon hasn't grasped that about Luke (Mandalorian, Battlefront 2, Shattered Empire have), which is a shame. Because Luke Skywalker shows the best of humanity. He's my favorite character, and his journey in the OT and Legends is epic. Luke Skywalker is all of us, at our best and at our worst. We relate to him, and we cheer him and his friends on in their adventures. May The Force Be With You.
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