Why isn't Luke Skywalker being Luke Skywalker?

Fair enough! at least your honest!!! Use the plasma cannon Luke!

 

"If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem."

Then tell me, smart-ass, what would be the solution???

Luke and the few Jedi around taking their lightsabers and starting to fight Vong?
One Jedi against 100 Vongs? Thousands? It would be a slaughter.

The force is an asset, but no "deus ex machina".

 

I think character change for Luke is inevitable...and as many others have mentioned, it hasn't just happened in the NJO (compare TTT with Hand of Thrawn to see how Luke has grown). I think people's main gripe has been in regards to his supporting role, but that can't be avoided since this series is essentially about passing the baton.

At least we will always have the classic Luke books like TTT, and of course the OT.

 

"think character change for Luke is inevitable...and as many others have mentioned, it hasn't just happened in the NJO (compare TTT with Hand of Thrawn to see how Luke has grown). I think people's main gripe has been in regards to his supporting role, but that can't be avoided since this series is essentially about passing the baton."

Note, characters including luke commenting on the only reason they don't act is because mara wouldn't be happy if they did. Or discuss how they don't want to contradict mara because she won't take it lightly, that isn't character change, that is being stifled by another person. It's one thing to change, it's another to be stifled and not allowed to have an oppinion. That isn't character change that is stiflization. Let me tell you there is enough commenting in HOT and VP on up about how mara makes people fear to discuss alternate oppinions, because she can get rather bitchy if people disagree with her. So alot of people would rather not say anything then have her come down hard on them.

 

And remember, she's also not only simply being negative - she's commented/joked about murdering people as well, some of them have been very dear to the OT characters. The woman is psycho! Such behavior is easily going to affect those characters around her, especially those who care for her for whatever reason like Luke.

 

Oh, and she still talks about palpatine's lessons to her as being the the perfect model for a modern master jedi, when it comes to making up analogies to try to drive a point home to people(which includes assasinations and murder as good analogy tools, according to her in Onslaught).

 

That isn't character change that is stiflization.



Stifilaztion. Hey, it ain't in the dictionary, but it should be...

I agree, after SBS, screw Mara. I can't wait til she dies. Luke saw in his vision of the future that Mara was nowhere to be found. GOOD!

Just when I started to like her, too.
She's a scourge on the whole order, because of her ridiculous influence on Luke. And he allows it. He's so mindless. At least in HOT he answered her back, now it's just yes dear..... Why in the galaxy does her opinion mean so much? IMO, it's not worth the breath she uses to extol it. Lousy darksider. Luke should be more concerned with the unity of the Jedi, than whether Mara is going to through menopausal hot-flashes. He should tell her to zip it. I guess he's too busy changing diapers to understand these things.

What really needs to happen is that Leia get serious and take over the Order. Why does that woman have to do everything? Who knows, but she's the only one that seems to be able to get things done. She was more together after her beloved child's death than Luke was with precious Mara being ill.
Leia is the one who can put things right. She's the one who inherited her parents' spirits and willpower.

If you think about it, what has Mara ever contributed? She bosses everyone around, but ultimately everyone around her has to carry her. Even her fifteen year old nehpew, Anakin. Everyone has to be put out because of her and her crummy non-team-player attitude. Oh, but she gave birth, that makes her above everyone, though Leia had three, blind-folded with one arm tied behind her back, and still ran the galaxy.

Well, I could go forever. Luke's happines might be ruined for a bit while he mourns, but he'll find someone else. He always manages to. She should go before Luke's inaction forced upon him by her destroys the whole galaxy.

 

Luke saw in his vision of the future that Mara was nowhere to be found

She left with Kyle Katarn!

 

i agree with those saying that mara is stifleing(sp) Luke. He should at least try to make his point heard and argue with Mara. I liked her in the thrawn trilogy but now she gets on my nerves.I wouldnt mind if she met with the sharp end of an amphistaff. I didnt really care about the skycrawler however he has potential like all babys do.

 

"There are no supressors, only people, who let themself be supressed."

And if the Jedi are that afraid of Mara Jade, what good would they be against the Vong?

 

In the HoT duology Luke sees a vision of darksiders, particularly palpatine, laughing at him when he was going to overuse the force. That is why he took Maras rants so seriously. Because the force is not a crutch or tool its something more.

 

In the HoT duology Luke sees a vision of darksiders, particularly palpatine, laughing at him when he was going to overuse the force. That is why he took Maras rants so seriously. Because the force is not a crutch or tool its something more.


Like he wasn't screwing with Luke's head when that happened.

Besides, Palpy was laughing because he knew Luke was going marry Mara and ruin the whole darn thing. He was telling Anakin Skywalker he died for nothing........hahaha.......

 

Crazy Idea but I think if they kill off Mara this will lead Luke into a Darker path.

Basically I think if Ben Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker are killed (which is possiable) this may lead to a Darker Luke.

Maybe even the same fate as his father.

DARK LUKE!

 

quite frankly i find the 'new luke' to be a fair bit more likable and believable then, let's say, kja's luke. he has mutured and progressed from the hast and rampant individualism of his more youthful days and relized that the role of a jedi is not as the sole saviour of the galexy, but to assisst in the defense of the galexy. i believe mara says something about this to anakin in one of the dark tide books, that the force is to be used to go where other's can't go or where you yourself could not go without any enhanced skills. i believe that luke had most certienly lost focus of this point in many of the bantam books, in which he was found using the force to fling starfighters around and to transform himself into a omnipotent lord rather than a simple guardian. also, people are complaining that he has not been embarking on any real adventures, however, i believe this to be a sign of his aging and growing awareness of the 'big picture'. let's face it, luke skywalker is a one of the kind guy, if he were to die is there anyone as qualified or as powerful left to take over the nurturing of the growing jedi order? if he vainly and foolishly ran off sacrifice himself on every mission, confident in his own immortality, he would, quite frankly, have ended up like his nephew by now. i believe that luke recognizes the the YV threat is not something that one gallent mission can take care of (no single super weapons here ) and that it will be a long term battle. as such, i believe he realizes that, in the long run, he will be doing far more to save the gallexy by taking a less warlike role and a more political one, he knows that, in order for the NR to stand, he must integrate them peacefully with the jedi to form a united front. this is his job now and there is no one else as qualified so he has risen to the situation and is now working as hard as he can to save the gallexy, just as he allways did, but in a different way.

wow.....that was pretty rambling and incoherent, hope you can at least get the general gist of it....

 

*Hopes somehow out of the impossiable that Luke Skywalker joins the DS and stays*

 

i don't think you give Luke credit at all. He has to deal on a daily basis with a pack of kids who want to run off and get themselves slaughtered by fighting the Vong. Luke's come to the realisation that you can lose battles and still win the war. yes, some poor civilian might gain a few weeks more of life because Luke sacrifices himself aginst 20 Vong to save that person, but the Jedi fall apart and without sufficient organisation, cannot win the war. During the first 8 books of the series, Luke had various pressures acting on him. He had to keep the Jedi coherent for one thing, not an easy task when faced with the likes of Kyp running every which way wanting to be a hero. He had to liase with Borsk and his unhelpful government and he had to keep the Jedi's public image alive. And he didn't do the best possible job, and gets a lot of flak from ppl about that.

Believe it or not, this was predicted. Remember Ambush at Corellia when Mon Mothma advised Luke to learn how to do politics and how to deal with administrative details rather than focusing on action and techniques, relying on Force visions to see him through. This from the woman who managed to run a hopeless organisation and bring down the Empire. And Luke obviously doesn't listen to her the way he should have. But i suppose he had reason not to. A reason that has helped bring the war into the stage it is.

Leia.

The master diplomat. Who needs to become a political genius when you already have one in the family ? And Leia avoided her responsibilities. She devoted herself to refugees, a noble cause. But not one to win the war, and in the end, her very work was used to bust open Coruscant. Imagine how things would have been different if Leia had chosen Jedi before now. She could have saved some of their public image, she could have helped Luke maintain the Jedi. She chose not to, and thus we have entered our peculiar stage of the war. The Jedi are in a position to do things that can disrupt Vong operations, but they could have reached that point sooner. Luke's a great guy, but he just wasn't qualified for the job that was given him. He can train, he can fight. But as mon Mothma so succintly put it, he needed to become a leader. To his credit, he gave it his all and came out of it with some success, but would have much more if Leia involved herself, as she should have.

 

FTiek:

Look boy, the simplest way I can put this is "If you have the means I highly recommend you use them." If it was up to this Luke Skywalker he'd sit around debating the life expectancy of mynocks and their place in the Force until the Vong walked in the door and sycked a biologically advanced mynock on his butt that would suck the life right out of his pasty white self absorbed butt.

You can pow-wow all you want about what the Force is for or what it's not for. Where did you get? The same place the Jedi Council of the OR got - nowhere. What if Truman had held back using Fatman and Littleboy because he was concerned about human rights? Wouldn't you have liked to have awoke every morning of the last 40 years to saturday morning cartoons about Japanese super heros and hearing the daily report of the Axis Powers conquest on the last stronghold of democracy?

Point: why let the Vong walk all over them? The Jedi are quite clearly more capable fighters than 98% of everything else in the galaxy, and they are needed. So, what? You want them to gather information for a Republic that does not have the weapons, manpower, resources, or sheer willingness to sacrifice what it takes to beat their enemy? What good would that be?

And to answer your question I take 1 lightsaber to 100 Vong anyday. The Jedi might not win, but he'd "give them one humongous of a repair bill." And at least then the NR would be inspired by the faith and determination of the Jedi, rather than disgusted by their lack of it. Men have won wars on faith alone, and giving them a figure head to believe in may be all they need to drive the Vong back out of their galaxy.

mirax_T: what's not believeable? This is science fiction.

 

I take 1 lightsaber to 100 Vong anyday...

A little kinky isnt it?



Sorry, couldnt help myself.

 

Doesn't anyone agree with, or even notice my Leia theory ?

 

It make sense DaJames2

Had Leia used here Leadership for the Jedi they may have turned out a bit different. I do think the NR needed here more during the time she was the prez.

Luke is a good leader. Just not as good as leia. Luke being non political is one thing I like about him. He leads well and his reasons are sound. Luke has seen what the darkside can do on a large scale. He can see this war has a high risk for Jedi going over to the dark side. Maybe he feels the Vong are easier to handle than 12 dark Jedi Masters. Sure maybe he took to passive of an approach trying to slow down the potential for dark side slippage but his concerns are valid. Jedi shouldn't just go around swinging lightsabers randomly. They need to pick and choose where they use the limited resources they have. I think if all the Jedi where doing things Kyp?s way, there would be a lot less of them now. Leia agrees with Luke?s thoughts I am not sure how different the Jedi would be under her leadership. My guess is they would be somewhere in-between Luke's and Kyps's way.

 

This quote of Luke was posted in the Luke Fanclub recently:
I'l post it here.



The speech given to the first students of the Praxeum:

"Your training will be a landscape of self-discovery. Learn new things and share what you have learned with others. I will call this place a praxeum. This word , made up of ancient roots, was first used by the Jedi scholar Karena, distilling the concepts of learning combined with action. Our praxeum, then, is a place for the learning of action. A jedi is aware, but he does not waste time in mindless contemplation. When action is required, A Jedi acts." (Luke skywalker)



He forgot about the content of his own speech later in the NJO imho

 

"when action is required" means exactly what it says. There are times when individuals must undertake action, and it must be the right action, especially for the Jedi. However, when faced with the pure fear, terror and hopeless of war as well as anger and loss on an untold scale, one must be particularly cautious. The majority of the jedi were facing something completely new, even Kyp has not been active or even observant of an actual war not to mention a hopeless desparate one. Luke should have been concerned, and his concerns were fully justified with the events of DJ.

Luke Skywalker can kick @rse like no one else in the galaxy, but who else was going to take up the mantle and demonstrate to and lead these young hotheads ? Well, i've already mentioned one, but recall that through quite a bit of the war his wife was either incapacitated or unavailable or what have you and could not provide him with support. One of his top men, Corran Horn, was also unavailable. His access to one of his most powerful allies (Talon Karrde) was somewhat restricted. He needed help, he couldn't do the job alone but he was forced to, and i personally think he didn't do a bad job.