Something I have been debating for a while is when Luke obtained Knighthood. He says he is a Jedi Knight at the beginning of Return of the Jedi, and Yoda says Luke requires no more training. On the other hand, Yoda says Luke still has to face Vader. So did Luke obtain Knighthood before Return of the Jedi, or did it happen when he threw down his lightsaber and refused the dark side?
I would say that it was the moment that Luke rejected the Emperor's offer to further give in to the Dark Side after he defeated Vader.
That whole encounter with the Emperor and Vader aboard the second Death Star was basically Luke's final trials to be a fully fledged Jedi Knight. Of course, Luke wasn't afforded the tradtional ceremony that was given due to the near extinction of the Jedi Order.
Strictly speaking, "Jedi Knight" as a title is something not really applicable anymore. Such ranking systems seemed only to exist in the old order Now, as for if Luke had any titles like that in mind before his own order was destroyed, he probably would have granted himself the rank of Master rather than Knight (and understandably so)
As Seagoat pointed out, the ranking system was a bit redundant at the time of the OT, but for all intents & purposes, he became a fully-fledged Jedi - as opposed to a mere apprentice - when he tossed his lightsaber away and rejected the Dark Side. When Luke says "Then I am a Jedi", Yoda is quick to say he isn't just yet. The Vader issue hadn't been dealt with - not Vader's existence as a dangerous threat, but the conflict within Luke regarding it. Once he'd confronted Vader and turned away from the Dark Side, however, Luke says with complete confidence, "I am a Jedi, like my father before me", and he was. He knew it, Palpatine knew it, Yoda & Obi-Wan probably agreed if they were watching. A ceremony wasn't required - he'd completed his training and passed a major trial/test. That's effectively the same thing as becoming a Jedi 'Knight' - the titles below it (padawaan, youngling) clearly denote apprenticeship. Past that, however (something that may crop up in the ST), it's a bit more controversial. To my understanding, not all Jedi Knights necessarily became Masters as a matter of course, and apart from being granted the title by the long-dead Jedi Council, it's unclear just what was required to take the step from Knight to Master.
YODA Stopped they must be. On this all depends. Only a fully trained Jedi Knight with the Force as his ally will conquer Vader and his Emperor. If you end your training now, if you choose the quick and easy path, as Vader did, you will become an agent of evil. It's obvious that prior to his encounter with Vader Luke is not a Jedi Knight, yet (and Vader says so, too, although he just says "Jedi").
Luke calls himself a Knight before the ROTJ final confrontation - but this may be largely for intimidation purposes: "I am Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight and friend to Captain Solo."
Iron_lord But then Luke must have told Chewie the same: HAN A...Jedi Knight? I--I'm out of it for a little while, everybody gets delusions of Grandeur. It's inconclusive why Luke now thinks he's a Jedi Knight. Because he built his own lightsaber? VADER (indicating lightsaber) I see you have constructed a new lightsaber. Vader ignites the lightsaber and holds it to examine its humming, brilliant blade. VADER Your skills are complete. Indeed, you are powerful, as the Emperor has foreseen.
Given that he believes he has to go back to Yoda to "complete the training" the "intimidation purposes" may become "reassurance purposes" for his friends.
As others noted, it's the moment he throws away his lightsaber in defiance of The Emperor. Calling himself a Jedi Knight in the message to Jabba I agree is probably partially for intimidation, and of course makes Luke sound pretty bad ass. As far as they are concerned he is as close to a Jedi as they are ever going to meet. However, I think in the "Old Jedi Order" logic now that the PT is finished, I wouldn't be surprised if this is technically more the moment Luke becomes a Master. He arguably really surpasses the PT Jedi with his actions here, becomes "his own Master" and brings back the true spirit of the Jedi Anakin that once was. The Emperor thinks he is Luke's master, but Luke really schools him by rejecting The Emperor in the end. Palpatine getting angry and attempting to kill him sounds a lot like "I told you so".
Yeah, that's the way it always seemed to me - on a deeper level, it may have reflected a certain arrogance on Luke's part, yet another indication of his straying a bit too close to the Dark Side at that point, along with his 'Vader-ish' outfit (as Hamill himself described it, & GL confirmed to him as being deliberately so) and his use of Vader's trademark Force Choke on the Gamorrean Guards. As far as I'm concerned, Yoda can be taken as the ultimate authority on such matters, and he tells Luke in their final meeting on Dagobah that despite Luke's training being complete, he's not a Jedi yet. Luke accepts this, which would suggest that his prior claims to being "Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight" were just bluster anyway. However, while it would seem to make sense threatening Jabba with such a claim, it does seem odd that he'd say the same thing to his friends. We're probably just reading a little bit much into it by picking up on the Han/Chewie dialogue (which strikes me as an oversight), but it could play into the idea that Luke's becoming overconfident.
between esb and rotj. he is symbolically different at that point. he's faced vader and lived. he's built his own new saber, etc. obi was made a knight just after the maul duel. anakin after the dooku duel. ahsoka was to be made a knight after her trial but she quit.
I assumed he was equivalent to a Padawan at the beginning of RotJ and after he defeats Vader and redeems Vader he is a full-fledged Jedi Knight.
It worked. Jabba was intimidated. I first got that when I was a child. The way he says, "Oh!" and widens his eyes.
Jabba was intimidated? He started laughing as soon as the message ended. He didn't consider Luke to be a Jedi, much less a threat to him and he's met Jedi himself.
Maybe not intimidated, but perhaps provoked - at least to contempt, then carelessness as a result. Luke's initial message to Jabba via the droids was all part of a trap, anyway. Luke & co. would have been fools to think that Jabba the Hutt, the galaxy's most notorious crime boss, would have backed down from any sort of threat, let alone some kid in a black cloak claiming to be a Jedi Knight. It'd be like sending a video message to the head of the Sicilian Mafia requesting a friend be released from torture - while claiming to be Batman. Wouldn't work at first, but it could cause some distraction while an actual rescue plan was being enacted. The sheer audacity of Luke's request/threat may well have caused Jabba and his goons to forget to search the 'gifts' for hidden weapons - like a newly constructed lightsaber.
I believe there's a cut scene from RotJ where Luke became a knight when he said, "Ni!" to an old woman.
