Luke Skywalker has had quite the journey. Orphan farm boy. Jedi Knight. Saviour of the Rebellion. Fallen Jedi looking for redemption. Ever since Mark Hamill lit up the screens as the young Skywalker in A New Hope, he became a firm fan favorite and has continued to play a pivotal role in not only the films, but the expanded Star Wars universe explored in an array of novels, comics, and television shows. His popularity and impact are so great he even played a pivotal role in the latest feature film The Last Jedi.
On the surface, his character arc follows a traditional path but there is much more to him than being just a Jedi Knight. Throughout the Star Wars universe, Luke has played a major role in all manner of space battles, intergalactic missions, and universe expanding adventures. Did you know that Luke joined the dark side during his life or that he was once cloned by an antagonistic Jedi trying to rule the galaxy?
With Disney taking over the Star Wars franchise and reinventing its legacy, all of the previous Lucas owned Star Wars property is no longer relative and has been given the name Star Wars Legends. This article is going to shed some light on Luke's past adventures and some of the dark secrets he harbors from the Legends period as well as address the new era of Star Wars films along with facts about Mark Hamill and behind the scenes details that went on during filming.
25 The Hero With A Thousand Faces
When coming up with the idea for the Star Wars mythology, George Lucas has stated in countless interviews he was inspired by the vocabulary of Flash Gordon, the mythology of King Arthur and the samurai films of legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. But one of the other main influences for the film and the character of Luke Skywalker came from the theory of the monomyth from Joseph Campbell's The Hero With A Thousand Faces.
Luke's storyline during the original Star Wars trilogy follows this path
In the book Campbell delves into how stories about myths and legends over the years all follow the same pattern; a character embarks on a journey and encounters wild adventures and evil forces but ultimately triumphs and returns a hero to the people. It's easy to see how Luke's storyline during the original Star Wars trilogy follows this path, with the orphaned farm boy becoming a Jedi Knight and savior of the Rebellion.
24 The Dark Side Is Calling
Luke Skywalker has also been seen as the incorruptible shining light of the Jedi Order in the Star Wars films but this wasn't the case in the comic book series. Before George Lucas sold all the intellectual property of the Star Wars universe to Disney, one of the comics detailed Luke turning to the dark side of the force.
In the Dark Empire, the deceased Emperor Palpatine is cloned and brought back to life. Luke believes the only way to take him down is to join him and strike him down at his weakest, but the plan backfires when the allure of the dark side of the force is too much for Luke to take and he aligns with Palpatine and betrays the New Rebellion. Thankfully, Princess Leia leads a mission to rescue Luke, and although not a success, her presence allows Luke to shake Palpatine's hold, with the story arc ending with Luke finally defeating the evil Emperor once and for all.
23 Luke Is Younger Than He Appears
Luke Skywalker's age was never clearly defined in the Star Wars universe until Revenge Of The Sith let slip the exact time of his birth, making him 19 when he first appeared in A New Hope. That means in The Empire Strikes Back he was 22 and Return Of The Jedi, 23. With The Force Awakens set some three decades later, Luke was around 53 when he appeared in the films. Luke looks surprisingly rough and haggard for someone who is only half-a-century old, but when you take into account the life he's led and what he's been through, it makes sense.
The life of a Jedi takes its toll on the human body
Actor Mark Hamill is also a decade older (64) than Luke so naturally, the character has an aged look in the new films. It's safe to say the life of a Jedi takes its toll on the human body.
22 Is That You Anakin?
In the current Star Wars universe, Luke Skywalker only ever met his father after he became Darth Vader, but in the Legend canon, he may have seen his father when he was still Anakin Skywalker. In one issue of the comic book series, Star Wars Tales, a young Luke gets into an argument with Uncle Ben about who his father is and wanders off into the desert in a huff. A sandstorm hits and Luke gets lost and encounters some strange things. He first sees a Darth Vader looking shadow before a child named Annie appears. The two have much in common and spend the comic wandering the desert before a dragon attacks them. Annie disappears while Luke takes care of the Dragon and finds his way home.
21 Boys, Girls, Or Both?
In the Star Wars Legends literature, Luke Skywalker goes on to marry Mara Jade and have a son, but with Disney taking over the franchise's reign and taking the mythology in a new direction, we know very little about which way Luke swings. Considering he never has any romantic story arcs and the only person we ever see him kiss is his sister, it would make sense that Luke is gay. Speaking with The Sun in 2016, ahead of the release of The Force Awakens, Mark Hamill explained Luke could be in fact gay. “If you think Luke is gay, of course, he is. You should not be ashamed of it. Judge Luke by his character, not by who he loves.”
While Luke's preference isn't a big deal at the end of the day, it's great Hamill's views are shared by many fans and people can take what they want from his portrayal of Luke.
20 Sympathy For The Rebellion
Luke Skywalker became the hero of the Rebellion during the middle Star Wars trilogy but even before getting involved with them, he was on their side. A deleted scene from A New Hope showed Luke hanging out with his friends at Tosche Station. In the scene, his close friend Briggs Darklighter tells Luke he is planning on leaving Tatooine and joining the Rebel Alliance. We learn Luke, like Briggs, has sympathy for the Rebel's cause, even though he wants to enroll in the Imperial Academy and become a pilot.
Luke, like Briggs, has sympathy for the Rebel's cause
Despite the scene being cut Briggs did make an appearance near the films end when he greets Luke before the assault on the Death Star. Tragically Briggs perished in the attack but his memory will always live on with the Rebels.
19 Married An Assassin
In the latest Star Wars film, The Last Jedi, fans discovered Luke Skywalker had spent the last decade living as a hermit on a nearly inhospitable island, but in the Legends canon, Luke took a very different path and was actually married. The woman in question was Mara Jade, a former Imperial assassin who was tasked with the mission of knowing the Jedi off. As she stalked Luke and tried to find the best moment to kill him she began to catch feelings for him and couldn't complete the mission. Mara then joined the New Republic and came to learn the ways of the force, becoming a Jedi Knight in part of Luke's New Order. Working together in such close proximity, it wasn't long before Luke began to feel the same way and the two got together and eventually married in Star Wars: Union.
18 Luke Also Had A Child
As well as falling in love and getting married, Luke Skywalker also had a child in the Legends universe. While most of the original Jedi lived celibate and lonely lives, Luke's new school encouraged romantic relationships and having children, so he could help grow his school of Force-sensitive pupils. Just like his sister Leia and brother-in-law Han Solo, who had three kids together, Luke and Mara Jade also had an offspring named Ben Skywalker.
Ben was strong in the ways of the force and would follow in his father's footsteps
Ben was strong in the ways of the force and would follow in his father's footsteps and was involved in many adventures, even wooing a girl from the dark side like his pop. Unfortunately, with Disney taking control of the universe, we will never know if Ben would have become as powerful and loved as his father, but The~ Force Awakens did give him a shout-out, with the evil Kylo Ren's real name being Ben Solo.
17 Luke Skywalker Battled Darth Vader Before Cloud City
The moment Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader finally meet face to face in The Empire Strikes Back is breathtaking, but did you know they met once before that pivotal moment? The two first met in Splinter Of The Mind's Eye, the original Star Wars novel that kicked off the extended universe. The book followed Luke and Leia as they tracked down a powerful Force crystal known as the Kaiburr Crystal. It just so happened that Darth Vader was also after the crystal. He and Luke ended up fighting over it, with Luke getting the upper hand thanks to the spirit of Obi-Wan guiding him during the battle.
Interestingly, the meeting between Luke and Vader remains in the Disney Star Wars universe, except it goes down a little bit differently, with Luke taking on Vader for eliminating his father, only to be well and truly defeated by Vader and sent on his way with his tail between his legs.
16 That Voice Sounds Familiar...
Being cast as Luke Skywalker was a career breakthrough for Mark Hamill but also left him typecast as the good guy character going forward. While he struggled for on-screen roles Hamill soon found his niche voicing classic animated characters in a variety of television series. One of his most recognized roles alongside Luke is that of the iconic Batman adversary The Joker. He has portrayed the maniacal character in films, tv series, and video games, with many hailing his take on The Joker in The Killing Joke as one of the best voice-overs of all time.
Hamill has also lent his vocal talents to Dreamworks Dragons, Transformers: Rescue Bots, Ben 10: Omniverse, and Adventure Time
Hamill has also lent his vocal talents to Dreamworks Dragons, Transformers: Rescue Bots, Ben 10: Omniverse, and Adventure Time, while also voicing the Force spirit of the Sith Lord Darth Bane in the praised Star Wars: Clone Wars animated series.
15 Luuke Skywalker The Clone
Cloning technology has played a large part in the Star Wars universe and one of the most interesting accounts details the cloning of Luke Skywalker. Timothy Zahn's series of books in the Legends cannon involved the crazy Dark Jedi clone of Joruus C’baoth getting hold of Luke's severed hand from The Empire Strikes Back and using his DNA to create the evil clone Luuke Skywalker. C'baoth armed Luuke with the real-life Luke's old blue lightsaber and used him to try and persuade Luke to the dark side. He ultimately failed and Luke was able to defeat his clone with the help of his wife Mara Jade. Luke sure has been through a lot of turmoil in his life. It's no wonder he wanted to live as a hermit.
14 Obi-Wan And Luke Skywalker Have Met Before
The first meeting between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker is thought to be in the desert when Luke is looking for the droid R2-D2 and runs into the hermit Ben Kenobi, but the novelization of Episode IV tells a different story. Entitled A New Hope: The Princess, The Scoundrel, and The Farm Boy, the book explores more of Luke's past and how his adventures streak was encouraged by his Aunt Beru, even though her husband Uncle Ben didn't agree.
One tidbit of information the novel revealed was Luke had already had a run-in with Obi-Wan. When he was eight years old Luke got involved in a fracas with some of Jabba The Hutt's thugs and was knocked unconscious. Ben Kenobi swept in and saved Luke from any more danger and returned him home. Sadly, Luke couldn't remember any of this happening.
13 Luke Is A Self-Taught Jedi
Traditionally Jedi are trained from an early age when they are padawan and develop their skills over the years, but this wasn't the case for Luke Skywalker. He was already 19 years of age when he discovered he was force sensitive, some 10 years older than his father Anakin was when he first started training. While he was able to learn the basics about the Force from Obi-Wan before he passed, he was then left to his own decides.
Luke honed his skills with the lightsaber and learned to control the Force
There are three years between the ending of A New Hope and the events of The Empire Strikes Back and this is the time Luke honed his skills with the lightsaber and learned to control the Force. Various Legends books and comics detail Luke learning about the Jedi history from Taneetch Sonia and Obi-Wan's journals as well as visiting Jedi Temples and training himself in the ways of the Force.
12 Horrible Teacher
Luke Skywalker may have managed to teach himself the ways of the Force without much help but he certainly isn't good at passing on his knowledge. Throughout the Star Wars universe, both the Disney and Legends canon, Luke has had many students lose their way and turn to the dark side. Students Kyp Durron, Kueller, Brakiss, and Zekk all fell to the dark side, while Luke's niece Jaina also flirted with the dark side but was saved before she was fully consumed by the evil side of the Force. His biggest failure was Jaina's brother Jacen Solo who was seduced by the dark side and took on the mantle of the Sith Lord Darth Caedus. In The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren's fall from grace is a reworking of Jacen's storyline with Luke disappearing and becoming a hermit because he could not stop Jacen turning and wiping out the Jedi.
11 Luke May Have Been On Dagobah A Lot Longer
Leaving the Rebel Alliance, Luke flew to Dagobah where he undertook harsh training with Yoda before deciding to leave early to rescue his friend's from the clutches of the Empire. Luke's training occurred while Leia and Han encountered the Empire and Darth Vader at Cloud City, so it's assumed he was only on Dagobah for a short period of time. The Star Wars: The Role-playing Game tends to agree with this sentiment, estimating Luke spent close to six months on Dagobah, but this is in contrast to Lucasfilm Story Group creative executive Pablo Hidalgo. He believes Dagobah could be a force sensitive planet existing outside of the normal universe and shared a passage from the novelization of The Empire Strikes Back stating it's like "descending into some kind of dream" and could point to Luke having spent years training with Yoda.
10 Did A Car Accident Lead To The Wampa Attack?
One of the most talked about scenes of The Empire Strikes Back is when Luke Skywalker gets attacked by a Wampa. There's nothing overly interesting about the scene but it's the background behind it being shot that's interesting.
Mark Hamill was involved in a horrific car accident and required plastic surgery to his injured face
At the end of filming A New Hope Mark Hamill was involved in a horrific car accident and required plastic surgery to his injured face, altering his appearance. Carrie Fisher said that the Wampa scene was then moved to the beginning of the film to explain why Luke looked different than the previous movie. This is something George Lucas disputes. While he did agree the scene work well with explaining Luke's facial change, he also said Luke could have received injuries during the years between the films in various battles. Whichever view you take on the scene there's no doubt it worked and did the trick justifying why Luke looked different from the previous film.
9 The Force Awakens Script Reveals Luke's Current State
The release of The Force Awakens confirmed everyone's thinking that Luke Skywalker was finally back in a Stars War film. His whereabouts and current standing as a Jedi have been explained in the sequel The Last Jedi, but when Mark Hamill was rumored to take on the iconic role of Luke again in The Force Awakens many didn't know what to expect. A leaked script of the film helped shed some light on Luke's current state. When he first sees Rey the script details Luke as having "A kindness in his eyes, but there’s something tortured, too. He doesn’t need to ask her who she is, or what she is doing here. His look says it all."
A leaked script of the film helped shed some light on Luke's current state
It's almost as if Luke understands why Rey has come to see him, what's at stake and what the outcome will be, but the burning question is whether he is ready to get involved?
8 Luke Paired With A Sith Lord To Take On A Greater Evil
The old phrase, "keep your friends close and your enemies closer," is a good way of describing Luke Skywalker's alliance with the Sith in the nine book series Star Wars: Fate Of The Jedi. Both Luke and the Galactic Alliance were faced by a new and powerful enemy known as Abeloth. Luke and his son set out into the galaxy to find a way to kill Abeloth and along the way came across not one, but two secretive tribes belonging to the Sith Order. While Abeloth wiped out the Lost Tribe of Sith, the other's leader, Darth Krayt, joined forces with Luke and together they managed to defeat Abeloth. Both Luke and Krayt went their own ways after the battle but Krayt would become a thorn in the Jedi side centuries later when he came up against Cade Skywalker, a descendant of the great Luke Skywalker.
7 Rebuilding His Lightsaber On Tatooine
During his battle with Darth Vader on Cloud City, Luke Skywalker had a rough time. Not only was he soundly defeated, lost a hand, and discovered who his father really was, but he also lost the lightsaber gifted to him by Obi-Wan Kenobi. Collecting pieces for a new lightsaber, Luke finally returned to Tatooine and visited Obi-Wan's home where he found the final pieces needed to create his new green lightsaber along with a journal detailing how to put it all together. Once assembled, Luke headed to Jabba The Hutt's palace to rescue Han Solo where he put the lightsaber to good use before his final showdown with Darth Vader. This lightsaber would be by Luke's side for many more adventures and even made a brief showing in The Last Jedi.
6 Freddy Kruger Helped Mark Hamill Land Luke
During the 70s, Mark Hamill was a struggling actor trying to get his big break. Robert Englund (the man who went on to play Freddy Kruger in The Nightmare On Elm Street franchise) was a good friend of Mark's and used to let him crash on his couch after he'd been on the drink. One morning, Robert returned after an audition for Apocalypse Now (he didn't get the role) and told Hamill about another audition he saw for a film called Star Wars.
Telling Hamill they were after a young kid around his age and that he should have a look, Hamill rang his agent, got an audition and the rest, as they say, is history. That's an impressive friend to have on your resume!