Lit SOS: Save Our Skywalker, Luke Skywalker (v3)

DarthJenari :

That's a good point, DJ.

I agree. I just hope that Disney and JJ can see all of the potential money to be made from the character. I just keep getting worried because the Luke missing junk and the search for Luke seems to be part of every rumor out there. Now, I know that many of those rumors will eventually be proven wrong, but some will likely turn out to be right. Can all of the people who put out rumors be wrong? I certainly hope so, but I'm afraid that maybe they're not....

Now, if Luke has only been missing for a very short time, fine. I can accept that, though I'm still not terribly happy about the fact that most of the film would involve the SEARCH for Luke, which means we likely wouldn't be seeing very much of him. In that case, he's more of a plot device than a character. But at least that means Luke would be available for other stories between the trilogies. He would also then have time to train some Jedi between RotJ and Episode VII, AND to have a family. If he has been a prisoner for 30 years, there would be no trained Jedi and no kids for Luke.

Unfortunately, a lot of people think that's exactly what Disney is going for. These people think that Disney wants to have the beginning of the Jedi Order shown on film. I happen to think that's silly. First of all, it would be a waste of 30 years of Luke's life. Secondly, it would mean that Luke would be training his first student and he would be a brand-new, inexperienced teacher. I'd like to see Luke know what he's doing when we see him train someone in Episode VII. AND, as long as we're seeing Luke train someone in the film, why should it be so important to DIsney and to the audience that we see Luke teaching his FIRST student? Lastly, creating a flourishing Jedi Order is going to take a LONG time... many, many, many years. I'd like to see that Luke has made a start on that during the 30 years when we haven't "seen" him, so that there is at least a small beginning toward that future "flourishing" Order. Otherwise, again, 30 years when the Order could have been started, will have been wasted.

Again, good points. I agree that it would be silly to throw away all of that potential revenue just to have Luke train his first student in Episode VII. It would be pretty stupid. Unfortunately, they just might want to make Daisy and whoever else is trained look more important by making her/them Luke's first, so they might keep Luke from training Jedi prior to episode VII by having him stuck as a prisoner.

Yes, it does, and I really hate that!








Nobody145; Hi, N! Welcome back!

It's my fear that this may be exactly what they're planning to do, and I think it would be very disrespectful of Luke's character to diminish him that way in order to make the new generation look more important. I always hate it when authors degrade one character in order to raise another and make him/her look better. Let these new characters stand on their own feet and merits and not make Luke look bad or take away his Legacy and give it to someone else. That would be a sure-fire way to get me to dislike the new characters: if they diminish Luke to push the younger generation. Can't both generations be heroes and have worthwhile roles and accomplishments?

Sheesh! It's almost like the same thing that happened in the first half of the NJO. The older characters were made to look stupid and useless in order to make the next generation look like shining stars.

I'm right there with you after all of the terrible rumors about Luke. It's ridiculous! EVERY rumor we've heard about Luke has been TERRIBLE. Yet, for every other character the rumors appear to be great. For example, the rumors about Han are

Spoiler

that he is the head of the military; he leads the search for Luke; he has the most screentime; AND, he has at least one kid.

Doesn't seem fair for one character to get everything and another to get nothing. I really, REALLY hope these rumors are wrong!







Cushing's Admirer :

Unfortunately, you're probably right.

I feel the same way, CA!

I'm curious: What kinds of stories do you think they could tell about Luke if he has just been held prisoner for 30 + years? I can't think of much of anything, and definitely, nothing GOOD!








Matt Skywalker:

So what kinds of stories do you think they could tell about Prisoner Luke?

I would amend that by saying that all of the rumors concerning Luke have been "cynical to negative to downright outrageous." As I said above, I've heard great rumors for other characters. Leia is

Spoiler

rumored to be head of the new government.

Very definitely. So do *I*!








Cushing's Admirer: :

Luke isn't Obi-wan. I definitely don't want them to portray Luke as Obi-wan 2.0!

Sadly, you could very well be right.







ThreadSketch :

So true!

..

 

I disagree with this. Star Wars, at least the films, has featured many aging characters. For instance: Qui-Gon, Palpatine, Chancellor Valorum, Count Dooku, Jocasta Nu, Ben Kenobi, Owen, Beru, Yoda, Mon Mothma. There's also Cliegg Lars, Mace Windu, and Bail Organa, not to mention all the other characters on the Jedi Council.

I think casting Luke in the role of hermit just because he's older is actually the most offensive thing they could do in terms of portraying aging actors.

 

It doesn't fit his M.O.if the OT has taught us anything.


@Child,

Nope, sorry I won't entertain rumors. I don't make deals with....rumorists But it goes without saying, that isolating your one jedi would bite Disney in the back. Not having an animated series with Luke using his saber n the Force would be a waste.

 

And the deal always gets worse every time!

 

CoW:

It seems many assume there can't be any stories of the prisoner time itself. I disagree. I even think they could be really strong and evoking tales. It could be used to let Luke's heart shine. To showcase what he's learned so far and how it might affect those keeping him. He would also learn new things as a prisoner growing more aware and empathetic. The potential to learn is vast. The problem lies in that most dismiss such possibilities out of hand as' dull' or it won't 'sell'. For me a story shouldn't be about the bottom line. It should be about the characters and message.

I likewise don't want Luke to be Obi 2.0 but it wouldn't surprise me if they attempt to force it.

 

While I can totally see that in certain fiction and non-fiction(a few stories come to mind) as an uplifting, sometimes spiritual rewarding obstacle over a huge trial and tribulation, I still doubt that the SW universe is the best place to do it or Luke is the best choice to have go through that particular story angle. At least when it comes to the movies.

Star Wars is after all a space opera, summer blockbuster, B movie, "Flash Gordon/Kurosawa" inspired franchise which touches upon numerous cultural themes. While the series can reflect upon deep themes, at its core it's popcorn fare designed for its target audience, kids.

I think Abrams will do his best to capture that but I do believe he will play with audience's expectations and do hopefully something unique that naturally follows the course of the original trilogy.

Also, ditto! Luke should be his own man. Influenced by his mentors, maybe his father in the right light. But at the end of the day he should his own balanced unique self.

 

Ah unintended puns are always the best.

 

Okay, I need help from some folks who either have a much better memory of the [Legends] EU than I do or still have their book copies - and I apologize in advance for the absurd specificity of this question, but: can anyone 'splain to me whether Han feeling creeped out by Luke near the beginning of Specter of the Past is justified or out of left field? The closest significant book series right before this was the Corellian Trilogy. I mean...was Luke extra trippy in this series or something? Or it just because of Luke's Force wonkiness building up over several years and rubbing Han the wrong way? I don't have all my old books anymore, and rereading the beginning of SotP leaves me scratching my head a little. (I know this tied in to Mara's lecturing later on, but...yeah, did this make sense or not?)

 

yes, most of it is bs. Zahn wanted to have the idea based on that he was tainted by the events of DE, and Mara gives him the big speech in VOTF as if that is true, but it is left field.

There is practically nothing to lean on that supports this, but for some reason people want Luke to be darkish, and I dont get it. In the Black Fleet crisis, Luke did have moments where he seemed to invade minds a little easier than he should, and he did kill first, ask question later at times, however there is no real cause for Han being freaked out by Luke. Luke was growing much more powerfully, and there was a good lesson learned in SotP, to learn how to see all of the force, and appreciate the subtle benefits of it. Because he learned that lesson, he became a true Jedi Master and discovered the Unifying Force for himself. But the cause that led to those important changes is mostly unfounded. It is basically add to provide drama and character development

 

To me, there is an important distinction between "haven't seen Luke since the Ewok party because Luke reasons & now we know he's captured and have to get him" and "haven't seen Luke since the Ewok party because bad guy grabbed him while we were hungover" reasons. the former is more mysteriously Jedi-business and the latter makes him seem weak. Honestly, I'm open to anything and I would have to see how the movie plays the story out, but I'm partial to the first notion.

 

I think the first moment of Han being a little freaked by Luke was in Darksaber - when he's seen Luke conceal Han and himself for weeks from the Tusken with illusions.

There's another moment in The Crystal Star when Luke's been using illusions (again) - and when he shows his "illusion-enhanced appearance" to Han, he says "Don't do that".

Han and Xaverri later talk about it (and allude, in passing, to Dark Empire).

"I demanded some proof that he was a true representative of the New Republic. He removed his disguise."
"So he did look different to you, at first?"
"Very different. But he released me from his influence." She shivered slightly. "He is very skilled, Solo. I did not even know he was affecting me, until he let me go."
"He's talented," Han said. "But he never had the chance to finish his formal training."
"Ah," she said. "That's said to be very dangerous."
"Yes. And he's had occasion to realize it."
"I had heard ... some rumors on that subject," Xaverri said.
"Did you?" Han said. "We thought we'd managed to keep it from public knowledge."
"Perhaps you did," Xaverri replied. "But I am not precisely the public ... and I put considerable energy into cultivating many lines of communication."

 

Meh, it's still kind of an artificial moment. Though I'd say it's more Zahn using Han to express his concerns about how other authors have written Luke then it is anything about DE.

 

Yeah. Crystal Star. Not even gonna go there. I don't really acknowledge this as a legitimate EU book except for MST3K entertainment. (Although I always greatly appreciate your ability to quote from the novels, Iron_lord.)

Because of the rather wild inconsistency of Luke's character from most of the older EU, as much as I love him...it didn't really offend me to have Zahn Jade take him down a peg, lol. Over the years I've just grown to have affectionate judgey side-eyes at Weird!EU Luke, so when one author came along to try to handwave away a bunch of other authors' work - I know it's rude and egotistical, but I didn't care all that much. I was like, "Eh, go ahead, let him have it."

With that said, it strikes me as a little goofy that Han almost seems afraid of Luke. Irritation and annoyance I can see, because Han has never related well to the Force. I can understand him thinking something like, "Y'know, I miss that loud green kid he used to be, before he got all complicated and wonky." And Luke apparently being obsessed with illusions is pretty, um... But at this point in the timeline it's been years after Dark Empire and you'd think he'd know better than to fear his own brother-in-law, after all the other stuff they've been through. I still see this part of the book as being a little awkward. I dunno, maybe I'm not interpreting it the right way.

 

It might not be so much fear of Luke as fear for Luke. Han's heard from the Diamala that "Jedi who use the Force as much as Luke does always end up falling to the Dark Side" - and while he trusts Luke, he can't put the possibility out of his head.

 

There was a Force incident in TaB too, when Luke thought Han was about to do something rash. As I recall, Han didn't like it at all.

 

When it comes to "getting flashy" in front of Han, I think Luke's rebuild of Vader's castle is one of the better candidates. Even if Han didn't see it happen, Han has still been in the castle and knows Luke rebuilt it with The Force.

Luke telekinetically bringing down the AT-AT in Dark Empire might also count.

 

Han made a reflex reaction to go for his gun, and Luke stopped his hand with the Force. Afterwards Han told Luke to never do that to him. Overall I actually thought that was a really, really good moment in the book, and for both characters. Showed how Han still wasn't fully comfortable with the entire Force business, and also how he was personally offended that Luke would use it on him. Others, Imperials is one thing, but he's different, because Luke's one of his best friends/brother. Good stuff. Though it also wasn't just because or anything, Luke did it because they were in the middle of peace talks with the people of Bakura, and he didn't want Han to jeopardize that. So it's understandable on both sides, and there's nothing malicious about it.

I can understand Han being creeped out by Luke at later points down the line, like right after DE, when realistically speaking their relationship should be at its absolute worst (Would've been nice to get an adventure detailing the two of them together, where they hash things out over what happened on Byss. I'd say such a story would actually have a solid foundation to go on, and not by a preachy speech nitpicking at incidents that one party had little to no involvement in, and in general seems to spitballing as they go, pulling things from the depths of space) but by the time of the Thrawn Duology I expect that to be gone again, as Luke's since then spent the intervening years getting over that incident and moving on from it, and has in the interim saved Han and his family many times.

 

I was thinking of another scene, where Luke suppresses Han's anger rather than Force-grabbing his hand.

 

Don't remember that scene.

 

Maybe it's the same scene from a different perspective:

Page 100:

The Imperial captain reached for her hand. Han pressed his palm to his blaster, barely keeping his trigger finger disengaged. She met the handshake and let him smooch her fingers. Immediately Luke glanced in Han's direction and flicked his hand. He must have done something with that Force of his: Han's jealousy cooled a hundred degrees, but it didn't go out. Leia led them up the echoing hall toward the roof port.
Following with Luke and Chewie, Han glared at Luke. "Don't do that to me," he said. "Don't ever do that." He'd been jealous before, of Luke. That'd been unnecessary. This probably was too.
"I'm sorry," Luke murmured, eyes ahead. "I had to. We couldn't afford what you wanted to do."
"I'll control myself, thanks."

 

Yeah that's the scene.

Like I said, good stuff.

 

maybe Luke could tell that he would not cool himself down.

 

That's true, it could have that spin. (Funny thing is, who made the Diamala Jedi experts? )

Yeeeeeah, that...that took the cake right there. Force furniture. Mmmmmkay, y'all.

I'm guessing there was never official EU material covering that scenario between them (yes, shame), but there's a good little fic about a conversation they have shortly after DE (just pardon a couple of minor typos): The Grey Space.

Thanks for your thoughts, everyone; I appreciate the input. (And thanks for sharing that excerpt from TTaB - I agree, that was a good moment.) That novel's grown a lot on me over the years.

 

Since on the topic of Luke's OP skillz I found this rumor that I hope is kind of true.

It sez Luke can move mountains and ships, that he grown sooooo powerful in the Force and rebuild the order

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/notyetamovie/news/?a=107507