Over a decade after Disney purchasedStar Warsand partially rebooted the franchise, I feel only one property has truly understoodLuke Skywalker. TheStar Warsfranchise initially had one primary continuity, once known as theExpanded Universe(which included the six saga films and most spinoff properties) and currently known as Legends, but April 2014 saw the initiation of a new timeline, which included the original six saga movies,Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and most materials going forward. With the franchise reboot came new properties that reinterpreted theStar Warsgalaxy, including a divisive new portrayal of Luke Skywalker.
Luke Skywalker is not a difficult character to understand, let alone portray correctly. In theStar Warsoriginal trilogy, Luke’s journey from simple farmer to renowned Rebel pilot to Jedi Knight is compelling and complex, resulting in Luke becoming one of cinema’s most beloved protagonists. Of course, while the Legends continuity’s continuations of Luke’s story are nowhere near as popular as the original trilogy films themselves, nobody, myself included, questioned their authenticity to Luke’s characterization and trajectory in the original trilogy, even as they had him continue to grow and change in the decades followingReturn of the Jedi.
Battlefront’s Luke Skywalker Is The Perfect Continuation Of RotJ
After its reboot, the modern canon always seemed reluctant to depict Lukeafter the events ofReturn of the Jedi– with most stories either taking place between the original trilogy films or making him a living MacGuffin, asStar Wars: The Force Awakensdid.Star Wars: The Last Jedifinally dove into Luke’s post-original trilogy characterization, and the film was met with widespread criticism from numerous viewers and even Mark Hamill himself. From then on,Luke’s authenticity in future properties would be heavily scrutinized by viewers hoping for a more authentic representation of Luke.
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AlthoughStar Wars: Battlefront IIcame out shortly beforeThe Last Jedi,mostStar Warsviewers who have seen or played Luke Skywalker’s brief section of its story mode agree that the game portrayed Luke perfectly. The mission begins fairly predictably, with Luke traveling to Pillio to find an artifact of the seemingly-deceased Emperor Palpatine and cutting down a massive contingent of Imperial troops along the way. Everything changes, however, when Luke discovers Del Meeko – an Imperial Special Forces commando who is trapped and defenseless. Luke chooses to save Meeko’s life, and the two become brief allies.
On their journey to the Emperor’s observatory, Meeko questions Luke’s kindness and why he cut down the other Imperial troops. Luke explains that Meeko gave him a choice not to kill, while the other Imperials did not. The most resonant element of Luke’sBattlefront IIportrayal isnot his ability to defeat a small army of enemies, but instead, his choice to show humanity to another person in need– even an enemy in a way. I believe thatBattlefront II’saccurate depiction of Luke is partially owed to the game being written before the release ofThe Last Jedi.
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Luke is portrayed as a humble and kind person more than an ultra-powerful Jedi inBattlefront II. His choice to spare Meeko, fight alongside him, and ask him for permission to keep an artifact reminds me of characters like Peter Parker and Clark Kent. In theSpider-Man 3video game, Spider-Man similarly rescues one of Luke Carlyle’s henchmen when he is trapped under rubble. InMan of Steel, Superman surrenders to the US military and allows himself to be handcuffed. Like Spider-Man and Superman, Luke’s humanity is a far more defining trait than his powers, especially in the Legends continuity.
One of the key problems with the modern Disney canon’s portrayals of Luke Skywalker is that properties see Luke as a legend far more than a person.
One of the key problems with the modern Disney canon’s portrayals of Luke Skywalker is thatproperties see Luke as a legend far more than a person. Luke Skywalker did not resonate with viewers because of his larger-than-life presence or impressive displays ofForce power, it was his humanity and relative naturalism that made him so beloved. Of course, a common criticism of Luke’s portrayal in the Legends continuity – a criticism that became especially popular afterThe Last Jedi– is that he became “overpowered” and overidealized afterReturn of the Jedi.
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Having read much of Luke’s Legends-era stories, I find this to be a reductive and oversimplified misinterpretation, at best. Luke continues to grow in the Legends continuity – often through failure, as he did throughoutThe Empire Strikes Back– andhis humanity never takes a backseat to his incredible feats. I see whatThe Last Jedimight have been attempting to do – deconstruct Luke as a character and a “legend” – and feel that Matthew Stover’sLuke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindorachieved this far better, in large part due to Stover truly understanding Luke’s characterization.
Is It Too Late For Disney To “Fix” Luke?
I believeit is too late for Disney to undo the damage to Luke Skywalker. Viewers were enamored byLuke’s appearance inThe Mandalorian, yet this was little more than an action scene.The Book of Boba Fettdepicted Luke as being on track to become the iteration seen inThe Last Jedi– with Luke abandoning healthy attachments and forcing Grogu to choose between Din Djarin and Jedi Knighthood. Future portrayals of Luke must, by necessity, align withThe Last Jedi, separating Luke from his characterization in the originalStar Warstrilogy and his authentic continuations in Legends.
June 15, 2025
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
