Summary
- Luke Skywalker's death scene in The Last Jedi perfectly concludes his iconic character arc.
- The movie's divisive nature stems from a departure from George Lucas' original vision.
- The Star Wars movies will likely face similar criticisms as the franchise moves forward.
Star Wars movies will likely face similar criticisms, as the franchise moves away from the timeline of the Skywalker Saga.
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After Luke Skywalker's return in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, Star Wars TV shows could see his return in the New Republic era. That said, Star Wars: The Last Jedi depicted a vital point in the character's journey: his death. After facing off with his former student Kylo Ren, Luke revealed himself to be a Force projection before peacefully becoming one with the Force. This plot point was one of the more controversial in an already-divisive movie, yet remains thematically perfect, not only in the context of the sequels but Star Wars itself.
Luke Finally Faced His Mistake Before He Died
Luke's last living act saw him make amends for a major past failure.
Where Luke Skywalker and Kylo Ren are concerned, the core story of Star Wars: The Last Jedi revolves around a pivotal scene involving the duo. The scene in question is told from varying perspectives, though contains a common element: Luke considered killing Ben Solo. After sensing that Snoke had corrupted Ben, Luke contemplated ending the darkness before it negatively impacted the galaxy and those he loves. This scene forms the basis of Luke's inner conflict throughout The Last Jedi, as Ben assumes Luke is going to kill him, ultimately pushing him to the same darkness Luke initially wished to prevent.
It is a common misconception that Luke physically attempted to murder Ben. Luke briefly considered this before overcoming his own darkness, though Ben was unaware of this.
By linking Kylo Ren's origins to Luke’s mistakes, Star Wars: The Last Jedi allows the Jedi to find redemption through his death. Luke apologizes to Ben, telling his former student that he had failed him. This, as well as buying time for the Resistance to escape, redeems Luke not only for the aforementioned scene that created Kylo Ren but for his failure to fight the First Order. Adhering to Yoda's teachings, Luke confronting his failure and making amends with Ben allows the former to become one with the Force without the haunting burden of his mistakes.
Luke's Death Made Kylo Ren Confront His Anger
The death of Luke has an impact on Kylo Ren's redemption in The Rise of Skywalker.
Luke Skywalker's death in Star Wars: The Last Jedi was perfect for his character, but also for the lasting effect it had on Kylo Ren. As with Star Wars' other powerful Sith Lords, Kylo's dark side powers stem from his intense rage, which is largely obsessed with his uncle and father. Luke engaging Kylo Ren peacefully proves that the villain's anger is uncontrollable, forcing him to examine his own lack of control. Even though death is not the end for Luke Skywalker, the consequences of Kylo's fury are permanent.
This is evidenced before he personally engages Luke when Kylo rains fire down on the singular Jedi from his First Order battle-walkers. The attempts at striking down Luke himself are then dodged by the Master Jedi with ease, further forcing Ren to confront the anger that the dark side has long provoked in him. This starts Ben on the path to redemption, as confronting the anger toward his father in The Rise of Skywalker sees him turn back to the light. This began with Luke, as evidenced by the Jedi’s parting words to his former student: "Strike me down in anger and I'll always be with you. Just like your father."
Luke's Star Wars Death Parallels Obi-Wan Kenobi's Death
Luke Skywalker emulates his Master in his final moments, continuing Star Wars' poetic nature.
Luke Skywalker's death in Star Wars: The Last Jedi is perfect within the narrative of the sequels, while also linking Luke back to the Jedi that came before him. The climactic confrontation with Ben before fading into the Cosmic Force draws parallels with the death of Luke's own mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi. This only adds depth to the scene in The Last Jedi and proves that the film as a whole continues one of the best aspects of George Lucas' Star Wars rather than disregarding it: "It's like poetry, it rhymes."
Lucas' now-iconic saying was found in the special features of the Star Wars prequels.
Concerning the similarities between Luke's death and Obi-Wan's, it begins with whom both were facing. In the context of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Luke and Kylo Ren were once Master and Padawan. This mirrors the same relationship between Obi-Wan and Vader, who was once Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan's Padawan. Furthermore, Kylo Ren had distinctly modeled himself on Vader, while Luke always tried to embrace Obi-Wan's teachings. These similarities make the two duels go hand-in-hand, only decades apart.
Similarly, the duel itself plays out in much the same way. After a brief scuffle, in A New Hope, Obi-Wan tells his former apprentice that if he is struck down, he will become more powerful than Vader can possibly imagine, something Luke's words to Ben in The Last Jedi echo. Obi-Wan then accepts his own death, allowing Vader to strike him before becoming one with the Force. Luke's death transpires in much the same way, with the Jedi Master having accepted his death and fading into the void to become a Star Wars Force Ghost like his Master before him.
Canon Jedi Force Ghosts |
First Appearance |
|---|---|
Anakin Skywalker |
Return of the Jedi |
Obi-Wan Kenobi |
The Empire Strikes Back |
Yoda |
Return of the Jedi |
Qui-Gon Jinn |
Obi-Wan Kenobi |
Luke Skywalker |
The Rise of Skywalker |
Leia Organa |
The Rise of Skywalker |
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Luke Accepted His Fate Like A True Jedi
The goal of every Jedi in Star Wars manifests through Luke Skywalker during his death.
As Star Wars has long indicated, one of the primary goals of the Jedi is to find inner peace. The of the Jedi Order have been the guardians of peace for millennia, while the words of the Jedi Code insist "there is no emotion, there is peace." This all proves that Luke accomplished the true goal of a Jedi through his death in Star Wars: The Last Jedi due to the endless state of inner peace Skywalker was in.
After facing his former student and confronting his own failures as a Jedi, Luke finds the inner peace that he, and the Jedi as a whole, have been lacking for so long.
As explored in the prequel trilogy, the Jedi of the Republic lost their way. This led to war and the militarization of the Jedi Order, allowing the dark side to rise unchecked and forcing the Jedi to meet a significantly warlike end. In contrast, Luke dies much more peacefully than most other Star Wars characters, indicating just how perfect the moment was for Skywalker's ending. After facing his former student and confronting his own failures as a Jedi, Luke finds the inner peace that he, and the Jedi as a whole, have been lacking for so long.
This is an important moment for Luke's character, as it signifies that he understands his strength is spent, and he resigns to his death as a happy man. Knowing he has attempted to make amends with Ren allows Luke's death in The Last Jedi to feel earned, as his last piece of unfinished business was completed. Luke's decision to allow himself to into the Force indicates that he believes he has reached the end of his journey, signifying a deep-seated inner peace that any Jedi reveres.
Luke's Death Exemplifies Yoda's Jedi Teachings
Luke's death honors another of his Masters by calling back to Yoda's lessons in The Empire Strikes Back.
Just as Luke's death in Star Wars: The Last Jedi reflects Obi-Wan's death, it has a link to another of Luke's Jedi Masters: Yoda. In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke begins learning the ways of the Jedi with Yoda, leading to many different lessons about the Order being imprinted on both the character and the audience. One such teaching has long been raised in Star Wars for the reasoning behind the Jedi Order's failures in the prequels, that being Yoda's insistence that "A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack."
Luke never issues an offensive attack against Kylo Ren, nor the standing army behind the young Supreme Leader.
In Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Luke Skywalker's final act epitomizes these teachings more than anything else in the franchise. Luke uses the Force to appear in front of the First Order, stalling the army and biding time for the soldiers of the Resistance to escape from Crait. Luke never issues an offensive attack against Kylo Ren, nor the standing army behind the young Supreme Leader. Instead, Luke Skywalker simply distracts Kylo using his knowledge of the Force, simultaneously defending the warriors of the Resistance as a true Jedi should.
Why Fans Hated Luke Skywalker's Star Wars Death
Several elements of the scene caused controversy upon The Last Jedi's release.
In the years since The Last Jedi's release, some have embraced the poetic nature of Luke Skywalker's final moments staring at the sunset of Ahch-To just as his journey began in A New Hope. However, others still affirm that the way Luke was killed off in the Star Wars sequels was a missed opportunity, with many finding his death underwhelming. Although it is debatable whether it was the right decision for the trilogy as a whole, Luke's peaceful yet powerful death is a perfect way for his arc to conclude in the film itself.
The feeling that Luke's death was underwhelming can largely be attributed to the various stories of Star Wars Legends. In the decades since the original trilogy, several stories have been revealed that depict Luke Skywalker as an almost immeasurably powerful being capable of incredible Force feats. This led many to wish for the same from the canon continuation of Luke in the sequels, with many hoping he would walk out with his lightsaber and tear the First Order army apart with these amazing powers from both Legends and canon.
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While there is certainly an argument that The Last Jedi could have given Luke Skywalker a more conventionally exciting narrative conclusion, the ending written by Rian Johnson was fitting for a film focused on accepting failure. If Luke Skywalker had overpowered the First Order as a Jedi warrior in his prime, this would have been exciting. However, it would not have reflected the film's themes, nor the franchise's wider commentary on the failures of past Jedi. For this reason, Luke’s death in Star Wars: The Last Jedi continues to be perfect.
The Star Wars Disney+ Shows Give Luke's Last Jedi Death More Weight
Many criticisms of Luke's Sequel Trilogy arc, especially how Luke dies in The Last Jedi, stem from the huge jump in his progression from the black-robed Jedi Knight in Return of the Jedi to the grizzled hermit Luke of The Force Awakens. It is understandable how some could find this change jarring, but the 30 years between Episode VI and VII offer plenty of time for Luke to have changed as a person. Nonetheless, Star Wars did not show this change, leading many to be upset over Luke's more jaded, depressive depiction in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
The CGI version of Luke Skywalker that appeared in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett filled in more of Luke's journey...
However, the TV shows of the New Republic era in Star Wars are exploring exactly this time frame. The CGI version of Luke Skywalker that appeared in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett filled in more of Luke's journey to rebuild the Jedi Order. Through this exploration, the weight of Kylo Ren's betrayal becomes more tangible, and the poignancy of Luke's death and final conversation with Ben is heightened. As such, the Disney+ shows are retroactively making Luke Skywalker's death more meaningful, yet - even without them - his fate in Star Wars: The Last Jedi would still be perfect.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi
- Release Date
- December 13, 2017
- Runtime
- 152 minutes
- Director
- Rian Johnson
Cast
Rey
Kylo Ren
WHERE TO WATCH
Star Wars: The Last Jedi continues the saga as Rey hones her powers under the guidance of Luke Skywalker. As her abilities unsettle her mentor, the Resistance faces the First Order in a pivotal battle.
- Writers
- Rian Johnson
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