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-breathes in-
Ok so here's the thing about Luke Skywalker. He's always been a failure. He's a stupid kid from the farm that gets it into his head that his dad was this cool space knight and he's supposed to follow in his shoes. But then it turns out, well his dad is evil. https://twitter.com/EllaLisa15/status/1327640216367214592
Ok so here's the thing about Luke Skywalker. He's always been a failure. He's a stupid kid from the farm that gets it into his head that his dad was this cool space knight and he's supposed to follow in his shoes. But then it turns out, well his dad is evil. https://twitter.com/EllaLisa15/status/1327640216367214592
Luke has been flailing around all his life. He's been rife with chronic self doubt, whiny petulant attitude, constantly leaping before he looks, and is just a dramatic...dramatic boy. And he's great. He's wonderful. Because he's a person. He's a mess of flaws but gets better.
But here's the thing: the moment you assume that after the Original Trilogy somehow Luke becomes this flawless demigod that can do no wrong is the moment you betray the character and what makes him human. The part where you believe in the "hype of Luke" is when you miss the point
And the funny thing is: SO DID HE.
Luke was blinded by arrogance. He thought he could fix everything. He was led to believe himself to be the answer to the Jedi's failings. And in a moment of sheer panic, when confronted with potentially losing it all, he messed up.
Luke was blinded by arrogance. He thought he could fix everything. He was led to believe himself to be the answer to the Jedi's failings. And in a moment of sheer panic, when confronted with potentially losing it all, he messed up.
He made the next Darth Vader! He failed. And he hasn't learned from it - so he did what the other old dudes that taught him did - run away from his problems! No one's getting mad at Yoda or Obi-wan for pulling that shit. But Luke is just no different.
In TFA we're led to believe that Luke is off in hiding with a big plan. But let's be real here: everyone who speaks on what Luke is up to doesn't know what he's planning. It's conjecture. Good faith. A belief that the miracle Jedi has some cool trick up his hat. It's a lie.
TLJ makes it very clear where Luke is at: he is depressed. The man has given up on everything. His constant acts at making himself look like a joke or disinterested are him putting up a front. The man is so broken right now he doesn't dare want someone to help him.
Because the last thing he wants to confront is that darkness. The abyss in his soul. And the nephew he failed. Rey's complete surprise and heartbreak and betrayal at seeing this seemingly awesome hero be... HUMAN is felt throughout the audience. We're supposed to feel with her.
Luke's greatest battle is the truth. The truth that there are greater impossible things out in the universe. The truth of his father. The truth of his struggle with the dark and the light. And the ultimate truth: that failure is the greatest teacher and he needs humility.
Only by talking with Yoda's spirit for one last time do we see the embers of that hero reemerge again. He's a Jedi Master. But he's still learning more about himself. Because it's not all about him anymore. He did his service. He can go. And give the next generation some hope.
Luke's final act of projecting himself on the battlefield when all seems to be lost is him taking back the heroic ideal again. The impossible Skywalker. The man who TOWERED over the First Order. The man who fought the Supreme Leader without swinging his blade. And won.
But ultimately, he knew full well that this isn't his fight to win. He was a distraction for the Resistance to leave. And with peace and purpose. He tells Kylo that he did fail him. But the Jedi will ALWAYS live on. He has not given up. Even when he finally crosses over....
People claimed TLJ "ruined Luke Skywalker", I call bullshit. Luke is as human as we are. Luke is allowed to make mistakes and feel soul crushing self doubt. And TLJ didn't make it worse. Hell, it made his own depression harder. But sohe can stand even stronger. Like a true Jedi.
