ST Why was Luke important after all?

Wars not make one great...

 

Yeah, but that guy wasn't sitting on his couch at home and Tweeting a ghost self at the last minute.

 

I cannot believe people are asking this question. It is very difficult for me to read these questions and respond honestly without coming across as crass or offensive. I seriously have to question whether some people even saw the movie, and if so, paid any attention. Maybe some people are just simple and aren't used to thinking whatsoever.

Luke accomplished a feat that no Jedi has ever done on screen. He arguably showed us the most powerful mastery of the Force we have ever seen in a Star Wars film.

Luke, the man, became a true legend beyond the man. Not only did he literally save the entire current and future rebellion, but he also became a legend around the galaxy. A beacon of hope. The hero, standing in front of an army of machines, alone with his laser sword, while the rebellion escaped.

Why was Luke important?

If you consider Rey, Leia, Poe, Finn, BB-8, C3PO, Rose, the remaining troops and other rebels, the hope of the galaxy and future of the rebellion to be important... then Luke is important. Without Luke's epic and selfless act, you no longer have any of those things.

(Why does this have to be explained?!)

 

An entire solar system was just destroyed in an instant. Not just any solar system, but multiple planets with billions of people and the ENTIRE current/new government, known as The Republic. Gone. Fear was winning again, and there weren't many good guys even left.

 

They had to get rid of Luke because they are desperate to market Rey as they main character, and as long as Luke is around everyone wants to see Luke. That is why Rey was instantly the most powerful character in the history of the Star Wars universe.

I saw an opinion poll done a few months ago where people overwhelmingly wanted to see more of Luke in this movie than Rey, Finn and Poe. That is a problem for Disney. They have put a ton of money into developing these new characters and they don't want to put anything more into the old Star Wars. As long as Luke was alive, he was a problem for them moving forward because people would want him to be a major part of the movies.

 

I'm not sure if this is the reason, but I agree on the fact that there might be something "behind the scenes" going on, because Luke's death was IMO an obstacle for a smooth development of the plot.

 

It has to be explained because the film failed at delivering the point especially when viewed in light of TFA. TFA set it up so that Snoke, the FO, and eveyone was racing to find Luke. Why? Because he could inspire hope? It kind of falls flat. I am certain that Snoke and Kylo were not worries that Luke would "inspire hope". They wanted to destroy Luke so that the new Jedi would not rise. They wanted to get to him first to eliminate their most significant threat. The Resistance wanted to get to him so that he could help. So he could bring the new Jedi into the fold and turn the tide of the battle. They weren't looking for someone to inspire them. During TFA they were well equipped, they had numbers, they destroyed Starkiller Base.

Nobody was looking for Luke to "inspire" during TFA. As it turns out finding Luke was like Canto Bight, a story that in the end didn't amount to much. I see what RJ was trying to do, but it is NOT dramatic or plot changing at all. It falls completely flat just like Rey's parentage, Snoke, and a host of other things in TLJ. Differednt directions, but safe ones.

 

Obviously they want Rey to be the big superstar moving forward. If Luke showed up and had a big lightsaber battle, that ruins their narrative. They have been very careful to make sure no one helps Rey do anything--she has figured out everything on her own--how to fly the Falcon, how to fix the Falcon, how to use the Force, how to fight with a lightsaber, EVERYTHING. Rey is a self-taught wunderkind. THAT is what they want the narrative to be for whatever reason (maybe so that the kids watching the movie think that THEY could be an entirely self-taught Jedi as well?), and as long as Luke was around it was a potential fly in the ointment of that narrative.

 

First of all – sorry for my horrible grammatics. Usually I don't post on English-speaking forums and only read, but today mine desire to reply became stronger than mine shame.

In TLJ final act Luke has been shown as strongest of all jedi ever existed. As the Jedi.

He could take his green sword and commit a massacre to made Darth Vader jealous of his bloodthirsty. And by doing that he would make same mistake PT-era Jedi did. They became generals, warlords, instead of guardians of the peace. That was one of the causes of their extinct.

But Luke has deeply understood what's truly mean to be a jedi. Instead of bloodbath he once more let legends back to living - by cost of his own life. Remember TPM, when young Anakin said something like “nobody can't kill a jedi"? Of course, that wasn't the truth. But it's very important that little slave boy from backyard of the Galaxy (not even the Republic!) knew that jedi are invincible warriors who have a habit to free slaves.

In several years Clone Wars has started with death of 150+ jedi in one day. After that was Order 66. In eyes of society Jedi became dangerous, treacherous losers – or poor and betrayed victims. They weren't legend anymore – at least outside the Rebellion. Yeah, later Luke destroyed DS and Empire has fallen – but that was his personal deed as Luke Skywalker, rebel pilot. His attempts to recreate Jedi order failed – and judging by the books, New Republic wasn't worth it anyway.

So, what happend on Crait? Luke didn't crush walkers – why, if tomorrow FO might build another 100. He didn't kill Kylo Ren – probably he couldn't win against entire army, he was a jedi, not a superhero. And even if he could - it wouldn't solve the problem. But he came out in moment of great desperation – as immortal, non-aging hero. As demigod, who didn't left blood footprints on the ground, like Kylo did.

That changed everything. Jedi is no more wizard who are able to threw rocks – why would someone need to do that, when you have Star Destroyers? Jedi is someone who cannot be hurt, cannot be defeated. And again slave boy in backyard of the Universe telling his frends story about mighty master Skywalker. Luke as warrior couldn't even dream about that – generations of Jedi worked for such reputation only to be wiped out along with it. Luke as the perfect Jedi did it. It's same mythology that was created by Lucas - but from other point of view. It's really good piece of writing - even if it's not what I have waited nor wanted.

 

I also think the motivation for Luke's research has changed from one movie to the other.

Ok.

 

You're completely right. Nobody was looking for Luke to inspire them. The FO wanted to kill him and Leia wanted to find him so that he could help the resistance. The reason why Luke feels important in TFA is because the characters think he is. In TLJ he appears and helps the resistance, just not in the way anyone predicted. He fights Kylo selflessly, as a Jedi, and in so doing he inspires the resistance and the rest of the galaxy to continue fighting. This act has so much more weight to it than if he had just come out, lightsaber blazing, at least for me it does.

 

Snoke doesn’t know that Luke is never going back. No one has known how to find Luke before. Now the map to Skywalker has been found Snoke cannot risk what eventually happens in TLJ. Luke Skywalker passes on what he has learned and the new Jedi return. It may not have gone how Snoke expected but what he feared has now come to pass. And Leia and co wanted the Luke they once knew to return. He does, but again, not in the way that was expected.

If you think this has all gone nowhere after TFA you were not paying attention. I know that suggestion winds people up but as Cronus has already pointed out, it’s kind of the truth and a hard one to get around. The rest of us can only explain what is actually in the two movies so many times.

Hate the story choice by all means, prefer they’d gone with physical Luke on Crait, sure, but arguing this stuff is not in the movie, or that TFA and TLJ don’t line up with the broad strokes is not a ditch worth dying in.

 

Luke was important because he drew in money from fans of the original trilogy.

 

True, I’ve been back to see the film three times and a key part of that is how well they nail Luke’s arc. Bravo.


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True, I saw the film once solely because of Hamill. I wouldn't have bothered otherwise.

 

exactly it can only be explained so many times just say you don't like the choices they made in the movie and move on. but acting like everything was thrown out or The Last Jedi and the force awakens don't line up is just factually not true at all. because once again nowhere in the force awakens does it ever say they are trying to find Luke to start a new Jedi school that is something you made up in your head my friend

 

The very basic arc as laid out in TFA is that the Jedi are needed for balance, and that Snoke is trying to prevent the good guys from finding Luke Skywalker - an event all believe will lead to the rise of the new Jedi. Those events may not pan out the way we think but that arc remains in play after TLJ. Especially given that all signs point to Luke’s role in the story not being over yet.


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You're right, they never say "Jedi school". However, you should acknowledge that this line

This will begin to make things right.
I've traveled too far, and seen too
much, to ignore the despair in the
galaxy. Without the Jedi, there can
be no balance in the Force.

would kind of make sense if the purpose of finding Luke was bound to the concept of keeping the Jedi's order alive. And please, stop behaving like if we are all somehow doing our best to boycott TLJ because it is absolutely not the case. We're just having an honest discussion.

 

that is in the opening crawl to some extent but when you actually watch the movie I believe the dialogue of Han and Leia both paint a pretty clear picture that they don't expect Luke to come back and be like sure let me start another Jedi school because it turned out so well last time. they both have some idea of why Luke vanished, and it was bc of what happened to ben. Like I said at the start of TFA it was still unknown just how big the FO had gotten

 

Agree. I've seen the film now 7 times, and each time I become more appreciative of Mark Hamill's ability to hit all the different range of mediums needed to sell the performance of his acting career. His performance was the best he's ever done as an actor. In any medium of performing arts.

 

then you need to stop acting like it don't line up bc it does, Jedi could be one or it could be many or morph into a new concept, like it has been confirmed by JJ himself that snoke and kylo are not sith. Light and dark can take on new meanings.

 

Sorry that message is not clear to me. Don't you think that is at least a reasonable guess that the old man was saying: we need Luke because we need the Jedi?
I am not "acting", stop using this verb. I am just writing what I honestly think.

 

That's one advantage of virtually no-one knowing about Force Projecting. As far as anyone in the Galaxy but Rey and Leia know, Luke literally faced down the First Order long enough to get the remaining Resistance out, and died in the process.

One guy facing down the First Order is going to build a Legend around the act. Then toss in that the same guy stopped the Empire's first super-weapon, and defeated the scariest pair of guys in the galaxy (again, as far as anyone knows)... Its a HELL of a way to go out, and as far as anyone in the galaxy knows, that's how Luke died.

 

Of course, with Han and Leia personally, I think they just wanted to see their friend/brother again. Han sounded wistful and sad in TFA when he recounted "yes, I knew him, I knew Luke". And not at all like he was expecting to see him again. And while Leia obviously wanted him back in the fight in some capacity, she also missed her brother.

Personally, I think in TFA Luke having vanished and the search for Luke was basically the McGuffin to get the plot started. With the map hidden in a droid, later found by a young force-sensitive on a desert planet, yada yada, everyone commented on the similarities. In that vein, Luke was like the Death Star. It was just paid off differently and in another movie.

Again, how would they know he died? Are Leia and Rey really gonna be so stupid as to tell people that part and let it get it spread? Because that would be anti-propaganda. The feat only becomes amazing if Luke doesn`t die by FO.

Someone who is seen not to be affected by a barrage of blaster fire and a lightsaber to the gut who then just vanishes from the battlefield, why would the necessary assumption to be "oh well, he croaked, not so powerful after all" and not "wow, so powerful, they couldn`t kill him". As a trooper in the FO, I would think that he got away, point blank.

If his limp and beaten body had been left behind on Crait, then yes, the certainty was that he died. And if would be no cause to hope for anyone because it would clearly tell the story that no matter who you are and how much power you have or what a fight you put up, the FO will win anyway.

 

Yes, but unfortunately I know the truth, and as a result am much less impressed with the depth of Luke's heroic resolve.