Editorial: Just how Powerful is Luke Skywalker?

Luke_SkywalkerAll of us have had our Luke toy at some point in our life. Mine was modeled after the classic Episode IV poster, open chest and all portraying skinny Luke as some sort of He-Man. His journey was our journey as we watched him develop from a whiny farmboy to a Jedi Knight. The shadow of Luke Skywalker looms large over The Force Awakens, how much of him will we see? How has our hero changed in the 30 years since redeeming his father? Just how powerful is Luke now anyway? Hit the jump to read Bluestreaking’s argument concerning the power of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker.

 

 

Luke Skywalker has been on many people’s minds leading up to Episode VII, rumors and leaks concerning Luke are some of the great hot button topics in our community. Behind all of these rumors is the desire to see how Luke has grown as a Jedi 30 years after proving his Knighthood in overcoming the influences of two Sith Lords and redeeming one of them. Many fans desire to see Luke take the throne as the greatest Jedi in history and bring the order to its former glory. But let’s stop think just how powerful Luke is compared to other Jedi we know. Now he is of course a vitally important figure in being the last of the Jedi and the one who finally defeated Palpatine… well wait, did he truly defeat Palpatine?
Luke Force Lightening

 

Luke’s job wasn’t to defeat Palpatine, he wasn’t the chosen one, his father was. Luke wasn’t powerful enough to defeat Palpatine and his powerful moment is rejecting the dark side. Here is how I sometimes describe it, Luke was a better Jedi but Anakin was more powerful in the force. Luke had to brush the dark side and attack Vader in a blind fury in order to gain the upper hand and I always felt like Vader was toying with him in a sense, more so with their duel at Cloud City but also somewhat on the Death Star. In Episode III Palpatine even says that Vader will become more powerful than him and Yoda.

 

Darth-Vader

 

What evidence do we really have that Vader/Anakin was more powerful than Luke? Sadly the idea of power levels seems to exist only in the world of Dragonball Z but here is my argument. In countless times throughout the PT and TCW it is expressed how powerful Anakin is and how unprecedented his abilities are. His midichlorian count suggests an even higher connection to the force than even the great Master Yoda. Anakin was a child of the Force itself and as such I feel he held an attunement to it unmatched before or since. In time Anakin would’ve become a master beyond even Yoda or Mace Windu, but he was unable to overcome his emotions. This lack of emotional control is what made Anakin a poor Jedi compared to his son.

Luke’s attachment to the Force is still stronger than usual but isn’t to the level of his father, he has too much of his mother in him. This is why Leia doesn’t really display a strong aptitude to the Force, Luke struggled somewhat compared to a young Anakin who effortlessly passed every test of Force Sensitivity. I don’t think Anakin would’ve been snuck up on by a Tusken Raider as easily as his son would be.
Anakin Test

 

The question of is Anakin strong enough was never really a plot point, Luke struggled with the idea of being strong enough to confront Vader and Palpatine. Luke never stood a chance until he succeeded in mastering his emotions, and redeemed his father who was the one who truly could defeat Palpatine.

 

Palpatine Death

 

How does Luke compare to other great Jedi of the past such as Yoda, Obi-Wan, or Mace Windu? Some of the great masters of their day. In the swamps of Dagobah I feel Yoda proves a greater attunement to the Force than Luke could have, although that may also stem from Luke’s self doubt at the time. Mace is rarely given the credit he deserves since his mastery was depicted through martial skill as opposed to Yoda or Obi-Wan’s wisdom. Mace was a superior swordsman to Yoda as evidenced by the fact he defeated Palpatine in combat which Yoda could not do. If not for Anakin’s intervention Palpatine and the Sith would’ve met their end, we will never know who was more skilled between Mace and Anakin at the time but I feel that Mace would’ve won the duel. That aside Mace didn’t have the Force potential of Anakin just more experience.

 

Mace and Sidious

 

That’s the kicker really, experience. Luke is made a fool by Yoda and Vader in Episode V because of a lack of experience. With 30 years to develop I am certain Luke has closed the gap concerning his abilities and those of other famed Jedi. I feel his potential isn’t quite that of his father’s or even Yoda’s and lacking any masters of the Order to guide him Luke probably is suffering from a similar crisis of confidence that plagued him in Episode VI. This confidence would be completely shattered if he lost an academy like has been rumored before.

 

Screenshot_33

 

I didn’t mention Obi-Wan earlier because I feel that is the sort of power Luke has attained. I believe he will be as powerful as Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, highly capable and holding a wisdom virtually unmatched, but not an all powerful Force God as some have speculated. Luke doesn’t have the natural ability of his father but that doesn’t mean he is not a gifted Jedi Master.

 

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282 thoughts on “Editorial: Just how Powerful is Luke Skywalker?

  • August 18, 2015 at 6:50 pm
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    Could Luke’s mother have been Force sensitive?—something I’ve always wondered. If so, Luke’s Force capability may be ‘nearly’ as strong as his father’s.

    Darth Vader did say to Luke, “Indeed you are powerful.”

    • August 18, 2015 at 6:56 pm
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      If Padme was force sensitive, someone would have felt it. She spent a lot of time with the Jedi.

      • August 18, 2015 at 7:23 pm
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        Also Qui-Gon-Jinn was powerful and very wise. he found anakin and trained him. plus hes lliam neeson lol I think luke was just under trained he didnt have the council and a proper master apprentice relationship like all the other jedi. he learned what he could from obi wan and yoda. so he had a massive task to defeat the emperor and redeem his father. luke and vader were trying to defeat or turn eachother but had a special father son bond that helped complete the prophecy. i think luke is tru e chosen one and he will be one of the greatest jedi ever lived in the force awakens

        • August 18, 2015 at 8:06 pm
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          Qui-Gon also discovered ‘force ghosting’and taught that to Yoda and Obi-Wan. That is mega wisdom/force power

          • August 18, 2015 at 8:30 pm
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            I don’t think that Luke will have the confidence issue he had previously. He now has 3 force ghosts who he can counsel with and learn how to be a proper jedi. Through their triumphs and failures.

          • August 18, 2015 at 11:32 pm
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            After ROTJ, Luke had 3 masters to train with. He had 3 Force Ghosts: Anakin, Kenobi, and Yoda. if Kenobi was able to guide him in the Original Trilogy, who says the 3 ghosts didn’t train him for the last 30 years?

          • August 19, 2015 at 2:15 am
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            Will Hayden Christiansen come back as force ghost anakin? I wouldn’t mind this at all, actually I’d love to see him get a chance to redeem himself

          • August 19, 2015 at 3:26 am
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            Aw hell no.

          • August 19, 2015 at 9:26 am
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            The last Jedi by definition is the greatest! Think about it.

          • August 20, 2015 at 2:43 am
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            Luke is more powerful than Anakin for the simple fact that Anakin submitted to Sidious, whereas Luke had the strength to resist. Luke was never a slave to the Dark Side.

          • August 20, 2015 at 7:17 am
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            Depends on your definition of powerful, but I feel like others in the comments have addressed that definition far more eloquently than I could

          • August 19, 2015 at 11:34 pm
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            That is the worst suggestion I ever heard. Still, it makes me wonder how they will deal with the ghosts.
            I hope they are just gone. They create too much of a headache plotwise:
            Where is Qui-Ghost? Why was Anighost young? How is being a ghost unimaginably powerful?

            Who is Luke Skywalker?

          • August 19, 2015 at 7:27 am
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            QG-jinn didn’t really discover that method himself though. Just sayin. The force chose him as a vessel to teach yoda. At least that’s what the Clone Wars told us, which is canon now. If anyone hasn’t watched it I really suggest you do

      • August 18, 2015 at 7:36 pm
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        Palpatine also spent a great deal of time with the jedi, and not one of them suspected.

        • August 18, 2015 at 7:48 pm
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          Clouded my visions the dark side has –Yoda

        • August 18, 2015 at 10:13 pm
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          Why bother comparing Padme’s theorized power in the force to Sidious’ undeniable mastery of the subject?

          • August 19, 2015 at 9:28 am
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            The Force manifests in different ways, not just the fighting skills. Leia could sense people from far distances.ROTJ

          • August 19, 2015 at 6:44 pm
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            She did know Luke wasn’t on the Death Star when it blew up. Will be interesting to see how her force powers develop.

        • August 19, 2015 at 1:45 pm
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          Palpatine/Darth Sidious was a Master of deception. Your argument is completely void.

      • August 18, 2015 at 8:00 pm
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        Maybe she “spent sometime” with ObiWan as Anakin thought sometimes. He may have introduced her to the midiclorians.

        • August 19, 2015 at 1:34 am
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          Ahem… so to speak. Ahem.

      • August 19, 2015 at 2:44 am
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        Why would anyone need to ‘feel’ it? As we learned in the PT, the potential for Force sensitivity is quantifiable. Surely Padme, who was born within the bounds of the Republic, would have had her blood tested at birth. No one had to ‘feel’ anything. They could simply look at her medical charts. Yay midi-chlorians? Ugh.

    • August 19, 2015 at 12:57 am
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      Vader said that because Luke had constructed a lightsaber for himself, and without having a former Jedi training. It doesn´t necessarly means that he is as powerfull as Anakin

      • August 19, 2015 at 9:25 am
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        The ability to make a Saber is part of Jedi tradition. Who else in the galaxy would require one? With Blasters, speeders, lasers etc.

      • August 19, 2015 at 5:43 pm
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        Creating a lightsaber requires mastery of the Force. You don’t necessarily need to be powerful, but you need to learn very precise control, something that only comes through much discipline and training in the Force. To build his own saber, Luke had to have come a VERY long way between Episodes V and VI. Basically, Vader is commenting that he must have a very strong connection to the Force to be able to do so in just a couple years without the decade of formal training a Jedi usually receives before they can construct their own lightsaber. That’s how I see it anyway.

    • August 19, 2015 at 1:50 am
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      I would like to point out that the fight between mace and palpatine didn’t prove mace to be the better swordsman. I’ve always believed the palpatine threw the fight when he sensed anakin approaching so as to force him to choose light side or dark.

      • August 19, 2015 at 1:51 pm
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        Exactly, Sidious was a Master of deception. As soon as Anakin enters he puts on the fearful chancellor act… why Anakin didn’t question how/why Palpatine would be involved in a duel with Mace shows just how far Anakin had already fallen/was deceived.

        • August 19, 2015 at 11:37 pm
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          No it shows how shitty the scriptwriting is

          • August 20, 2015 at 2:29 am
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            Or it could just be shitty scriptwriting…

        • August 20, 2015 at 6:48 am
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          The how and why is Anakin found out Palpatine was the Sith Lord, reported him to Mace, and he knew Mace and others had gone to arrest him. When he walked in he should in theory have also seen the corpses of the Jedi that Palpatine took out at the start.

          The deception at that point was that Mace had the upper hand.

    • August 19, 2015 at 2:51 am
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      Luke’s mom, Queen Amidala? Has there ever been one hint that she’s force sensitive? The woman that passed after birth because she was too emotionally distressed? Sounds like no connection to the force, at all.

      • August 19, 2015 at 6:17 am
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        Just a POTJ action figure that came with a Force File. Among other attributes and character description Force Power was shown for each figure. On this Padme did have force ability – more than a typical person, but not Jedi levels.

        Anyway that’s just a toy pack in and by no means official.

    • August 19, 2015 at 7:34 am
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      I disagree that him not “being taught by masters” will hinder him. Cause first off he was taught by masters, just for a very little time in terms of a Jedi. But I think it’ll actually be what makes him even more powerful. It’s obvious that the Jedi council, and the system they fell into was not the way. The PT was basically all about that. How the Jedi and the council were it’s own downfall and worst enemy.

      Luke is already extremely gifted to have picked up what he did with hardly any training. And now he has 30 years of learning by doing again. That’s how you learn best. He was not corrupted by the emperor or vader and showed how pure of a Jedi he could be. He was taught the fundamental ideology of what the force and being a Jedi is at it’s purest. He will not be hampered by the systems of the Jedi council, and how things were done before. So I feel like he could become even more powerful or at least, even more successful at being a true master of the force.

      • August 19, 2015 at 1:56 pm
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        OMG, that comes dangerously close to validating the PT…

        • August 19, 2015 at 2:09 pm
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          I believe Lucas has always maintained that Luke is the most powerful Jedi… period. If you want a link then please feel free to Google away 😉 Oh, I do realise that Lucas has sold out, and has reasoned that it was (past) time to hand over to someone else (yes, Google has the answers) but we, as Star Wars fans, surely are looking for the purity that is Star Wars, it’s essence, and that will always be Lucas’s original vision. Here’s hoping Disney/JJ and company can boost Star Wars into Hyperspace.

          • August 19, 2015 at 10:32 pm
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            Yeah, Lucas said that Luke was equal to Anakin.

            That being said, the most important thing to remember is this: “Wars not make one great.”

        • August 20, 2015 at 9:08 am
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          Hahaha how dare I validate the PT?! Look all the people butthurt and fighting about what’s best…they’re both completely different in every kind of way. I loved both trilogies. There were definitely problems in the PT but most just seemed to be contagious negativity and feeling some need to belittle either trilogy because of what generation you are. And anyone who says the PT is only for morons I STRONGLY disagree.

          To be honest it took MUCH more brain power to compute what was going on, what Lucas was trying to show, and the morality to it all. The PT is all about the hubris and pomp of the Jedi, political scheming and an entire galaxy of things to keep up with. Where the OT was a much more black and white, good Vs evil classic story. Hate Lucas for the PT all you want but the man was simply trying to please all the old fans by showing them what they cried for. And don’t even try to tell me that fanboys for decades were not crying for more jedi’s and more of what they can do, and where did the empire come from. Oh and more jedi’s and more jedi’s. Fans should be ashamed for how they bash Lucas. How dare him TRY to give fans what they whined for?!?!?

    • August 19, 2015 at 11:30 pm
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      I read some where that Lucas said that Luke is the most powerful jedi ever. Luke is the one that brought Vader back to the light then killed Palpatine thus restoring balance to the force. Therefor Luke might technical be the chosen one. Anakin was to bring balance to the force not necessarily be the most powerful.

    • August 20, 2015 at 3:32 am
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      Well she did somehow know that Dooku’s ship was at that hangar in AotC.

  • August 18, 2015 at 6:58 pm
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    Very well written & reasoned. I’m certain we will still see a conflicted Luke. I have thought that all the secrecy around Luke might indicate that he has undergone shift to the dark side in the movie. It would be fascinating if this trilogy focused on his redemption

    • August 19, 2015 at 10:35 pm
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      I disagree with that, but to each their own.

      IMHO, Luke faced the dark side and rejected it. One of the things that killed me about the early EU was Luke “going to the dark side” to “save” clone-Palpatine. Sorry, but he rejected it on the Death Star II, knowing that the cost might be his own life, and maybe even the lives of his friends.

      Nothing, in my opinion, could make him go dark without invalidating RotJ.

  • August 18, 2015 at 7:01 pm
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    Why is Luke not the chosen one? cause lucas said its anakin? Cause even with the prequal story it seems that he brought balance. or is it cause its anakins sperm that made luke and leia.

    • August 18, 2015 at 7:18 pm
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      Anakin is the chosen one. He brought balance to the force thru his son’s love for him. Yet again tapping into his emotions.
      Also sperm.

      • August 18, 2015 at 9:39 pm
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        Who said Padmé got pregnant specifically from him? She could have lied to him cuz she fornicated with that Palo boy and turned into a single mom and needed a dad to raise the kids and pay the bills.

        To be honest Anakin+Padmé love story is the most true love story I ever seen on the movies, and I am not kidding now.

        • August 18, 2015 at 11:35 pm
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          Knowing JJ Abrams, and how he was able to re-invent Star Trek, he can totally just reveal that Luke and Leia are really Kenobi’s. Obi-Wan slept with Padme and the twins are really his! lol

        • August 19, 2015 at 1:36 am
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          I guess the PT are the only movies you have ever seen then…

    • August 18, 2015 at 7:22 pm
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      I was iffy on it too, but it actually makes Luke more intriguing. A main character who is NOT the chosen one, it’s a Christmas miracle!

      Yeah, I actually like the whole “Darth Vader is STILL the chosen one” dynamic, one of the few ret-cons that actually added depth to the OT.

      • August 18, 2015 at 7:46 pm
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        Obi wan and yoda knew it. So did vader and palpatine. If anakin were to have any offspring they would be a threat. Palps got greedy and tried to turn luke. Vader knew he was doomed and not living up to evil expectations, thus, he knew he would destroy palps. Was it a grand plan of vader? probably not, but luke felt the conflict in him. Vaders lust for galactic power spared lukes life in empire. TFA should be pretty rad if they keep the “force” flowing thru it.

    • August 18, 2015 at 7:34 pm
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      Well, for one, Anakin was conceived by the Midi-chlorians, Luke wasn’t. For another, Anakin kills Palpatine.

      • August 18, 2015 at 10:43 pm
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        I think Kylo Ren is Luke’s son and him turning to the dark side broke Luke and he is living in seclusion I. TFA

        • August 18, 2015 at 11:42 pm
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          Kylo being Luke’s son is possible. Or maybe he was one of Luke’s best students. Maybe Luke created the Knights of Ren.

          Just ask yourself “If you were JJ Abrams and was asked ‘Who is Lukeskywalker’ what would you think?”

  • August 18, 2015 at 7:04 pm
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    As I posted in the forum, I think there’s a good chance that Luke hasn’t even started a Jedi academy yet and this film serves as a launchpad for it. Hence, the “awakening”.

    • August 19, 2015 at 4:19 am
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      Force users didn’t exist because there was a Jedi Order. The Jedi Order existed as an asylum for force users. Force sensitive children would have been exploited in mass by evil people as weapons if they hadn’t become part of the Order.

      “Wild Talents”, would gradually discover their powers. And for many of those, the lure of the dark side would have been impossible to resist. Without the Jedi Order, such force users would have been a destructive influence within the Old Republic.

      It’s possible that Kylo Ren is such a wild talent. And it’s possible that he’s Luke’s fallen apprentice, or even his child.

  • August 18, 2015 at 7:07 pm
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    I’m guessing over 9,000. Just a guess.

    • August 18, 2015 at 9:26 pm
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      Shortly after the events of RotJ…

      Curious about his potential as a Jedi, Luke has his blood tested at a space clinic on Coruscant. When it’s discovered he has an abnormally low MC count, he loses his will to live (gasp!) and retires to a small monastic island off the coast of Ireland where he waits for the sweet relief of death.

      • August 19, 2015 at 1:23 am
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        Low MC count. Also, space syphilis.

  • August 18, 2015 at 7:11 pm
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    I agree with your analysis of Luke. I think he has the potential for great wisdom, which his father did not have. Anakin/Vader desired to solve problems and right wrongs through power. Luke is not like that.
    Maybe Luke did inherit that from Padme, who was in general a compassionate and wise person, if you ignore her choice of husband.

  • August 18, 2015 at 7:15 pm
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    I think you are wrong. Anakin had less of a life before he started his force training. He had an imagination which gave him the viewpoint to believe that all things were still possible. Luke once said to Yoda “you want the impossible”. Secondly, the span of the movies was over just a few years. When we meet Luke he has no experience and no training but when we last see Luke he is a Jedi Knight/Master. How can you gain that title and level of force mastery in such a short time if you aren’t the most powerful jedi to ever live? He accomplished what most jedi take an entire childhood-adulthood to learn. just sayin, he is more BA simply because of how quick he learned. No natural ability? Please.

    • August 18, 2015 at 8:06 pm
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      I think part of Luke’s arc is he self proclaimed himself a jedi. Yoda put the stomp down on that and told him he has to beat vader first. Then he beats vader, believing he is a jedi (cause yoda told him as much), and self proclaims yet again. So it kinda makes luke sound set up by yoda for one purpose, get the chosen one to do his job. The same job yoda failed at as well as obi wan. Although obi wan was set up too by qui gon to train the chosen one. So who is to say who yields more power, if you can just say “i am jedi” and then all of sudden it is…?

      • August 18, 2015 at 9:48 pm
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        Spectacular point of view, you should reveal yourself!

    • August 18, 2015 at 9:13 pm
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      I always felt like Yoda felt that he was nearing death and knew that Luke was going to face Vader again, so he told Luke that his training was complete because he understood Luke’s uncertainty of his power and knew that he needed the confidence that he was a trained Jedi in order to stand a chance against Vader. I don’t think Yoda really believes Luke has progressed to the level of Jedi Knight, but Yoda’s about to die and there’s no one else to train him so, “what the hell?” Might as well tell him he’s a Jedi.

      • August 18, 2015 at 10:11 pm
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        If Like hadn’t at least progressed to the level of Jedi Knight he wouldn’t have been able to stand up to Vader and Palpatine. Even though he got his ass handed to him he lasted far longer than some other full Jedi did.

        • August 19, 2015 at 1:29 am
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          vader also wasnt fully trying to kill him until late in the fight

          • August 19, 2015 at 2:02 pm
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            Yea and vader even got his ass straight handed to him. It was an attempt to get lukes hatred out, and when luke lashed out, vader got beat the fuck down. You can even tell in vaders body language he was shocked, surprised, and knocked the fuck out. Vader was done for if luke fully went all dark side on his ass. But he didn’t. He checked himself and used his wisdom. So ergo, Luke was definitely powerful enough at the end of ROTJ to absolutely beat down vader.

            Furthermore anyone who says luke got beat down by palps, it definitely wasn’t all that clear. Everyone seems to forget that luke threw his weapon down and refused to fight anymore. Then palps shocked his ass. So for one if Luke had chosen to fight, he might have killed the emperor but I think he did what the smartest move ever was….purposely throw yourself at the mercy of your father to please help. Really quite genius. He would rather die than see his father stay on the dark side or risk joining.

  • August 18, 2015 at 7:16 pm
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    I just watched ROTJ last nite and the struggle between luke and vader is so awesome to watch. i love how they know that eachothers goals is to destroy or turn the other but deep down they still have a bond of father and son. Its a very emotional scene when he finally sees his fathers face and he dies in his arms. I think luke will be extremely powerful now in 7 and he has had time to grow and truly become one with the force.

    • August 18, 2015 at 7:27 pm
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      BEST. ENDING. EVER.

      Like, for all the ewoks and bad musical numbers, ROTJ’s ending eclipses TESB IMO. Luke vs Vader is just so good, even the buildup throughout the film, Luke and Vader as they enter [moon of] Endor, and Luke / Vader at the transport terminal.

      • August 18, 2015 at 8:49 pm
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        As a child, Return of the Jedi was my favorite film of the bunch. Most due to the duel in the throne room.

        Even now, I still see the throne room as the single most powerful sequence in any Star Wars film.

    • August 18, 2015 at 7:29 pm
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      I still tear up watching that end scene like I did over 30 years ago

    • August 19, 2015 at 10:29 pm
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      People can complain about ewoks all they want but return of the Jedi is still the best Star Wars movie in my opinion. Everybit of it, especially the throne room scenes and ending is amazing. It’s genius and beyond emotional.

      And as a side note, who of any of us fans can say that an entire town of ewoks can’t take down one legion of storm troopers? That argument has always pissed me off. First off they did have help with the rebels. Second there are TONS of them. Yea they’re throwing rocks and using tree trunks to take out superior armed people, but that’s hardly the first time anyone has pulled off those feats. You throw a friggin BOULDER from well above someone, I don’t care if they’re a storm trooper or not, that shit will knock you the eff out or kill you. And let’s not forget the superior numbers.

      Then people say, “only one ewok died, that’s ridiculous”. We only saw one ewok die. Of course there were tons I’m sure that died but making a PG movie back then ya can’t very well show them getting slaughtered. Rant over. Just bugs me people can’t let their imagination actually run, while watching movies. And can let one thing ruin a movie. Ridiculous.

  • August 18, 2015 at 7:20 pm
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    We were having this debate in the forums recently, and I hold the same basic view of Luke.

    Luke knew that his mission to save his father was certainly doomed. He even admitted as much to Leia when she tried to convince him to run.

    His response is important.

    “I have to try.”

    What did Yoda tell him? Do or do not, there is no try.

    Luke believed he would fail. He knew he wasn’t strong enough, well trained enough, or attuned to the Force enough to win that fight.

    What Luke did have was moral fiber. The Force strengthened his being, which was essentially good, so that not only could he resist the temptation of the Dark Side, primarily because he’d accepted his fate and was not afraid of dying, but his moral victory was the catalyst for Anakin’s redemption. Luke and Anakin together destroyed Vader, and Anakin killed Palpatine, thus ending the Sith.

    It’s a more complex character arc than I think we as kids realized, and I believe it’s ALL Lucas. For all the hate the prequels engendered, you cannot deny the underlying characters and the complexities of their relationships were fairly profound.

    Anyway, bottom line, Luke was not well trained. All of his abilities stemmed form his innate abilities as the son of Anakin, and also his inherent qualities as a good, moral person. Maybe over time the spirits of Yoda, Obi Wan, Anakin, possibly Qui Gon, instructed him further. I don’t think that training was as a warrior, but as a spiritual or philosophical leader.

    Luke is not a warrior, but the guru on the mountaintop.

    • August 18, 2015 at 7:31 pm
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      Agreed. Luke’s morality made him strong and in the end was the reason he won. He was willing to die for his father even though Vader seemed unredeemable. It was Luke’s sacrifice that gave Vader his true strength. Strength enough to reject the dark side and destroy the Emperor. Even after everything Luke had forgiven him and showed him a way back to the light, that is where the real power lies.

    • August 18, 2015 at 7:41 pm
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      Please J. J. Abrams, please let this be the answer to “who is Luke Skywalker?”

  • August 18, 2015 at 7:21 pm
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    may the force be with you

    • August 18, 2015 at 7:25 pm
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      always…

  • August 18, 2015 at 7:25 pm
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    The dark side is not stronger just faster. Obi-Wan was a much more powerful Jedi than Anakin because of his wisdom and rejection of the dark side. As soon as Anakin fell to the dark side any real potential he had was lost. Obi-Wan defeated two Sith Lords in combat and probably could have defeated Anakin a second time if that was his intent, which it wasn’t. I see no reason why Luke could not have surpassed Vader. A Jedi’s potential flows from the force not from the Jedi. Mastery of the light side of the force is the true test of power. If you do that you cannot be defeated even in death. I don’t see any Sith force ghosts do you? The one important thing we learned from Anakin was that it’s never too late to go back to the light no matter how far you fell. Lifting the biggest rock with the force does not make you the most powerful Jedi. Luke will hold amazing power I think.

    • August 18, 2015 at 7:36 pm
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      Anakin wasn’t less powerful because he chose the dark side. It was implied he was less powerful than his initial potential because of how much of his true person/body he had lost. “He’s more machine now than man, twisted and evil”. His life support suit hampered his natural force ability

    • August 18, 2015 at 8:36 pm
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      I always feel that Obi-Wan had to touch the dark side to defeat Maul, and even then it was luck (ironic) and arrogance by Maul. Against Anakin he was being outclassed and had to use his coolheaded wits to overcome Anakin. Finally it was Anakin’s own arrogance that led to his defeat. If you compare the first Obi-Wan v Anakin duel with the second Vader v Luke duel you will find that Luke does a similar move that Obi-Wan did, even lands similarly. But Vader learned his lesson and just threw his lightsaber at him that time, he also probably couldn’t do a jump like that in his cybernetic body anyway.

      But otherwise yes the Dark side is a quick path to power but the Light Side is a path to greater power in the end. don’t assume that the Dark Side is automatically weaker though, just look at the insane amount of power Palpatine had who in his far shorter life surpassed Yoda.

      • August 18, 2015 at 9:58 pm
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        Curious, what makes you think the Light side is stronger than the Dark side? Sure, the Dark side is faster as one immerses themselves in emotion while the Light side is learning about temperance. However, it’s not obvious to me that one is stronger than the other. Yoda said that the Dark side is not stronger than the Light side but that doesn’t mean the Light is stronger than the Dark. They both can be equally powerful.

        • August 18, 2015 at 10:14 pm
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          I feel that manipulating the force like the Sith do causes the Force to lash back at you and weaken your body. So while you may grow stronger in the force your body atrophies. Perhaps merely tapping into the powerful emotions of the dark side without seeking to control the Force won’t be damaging. I think using your emotions and thus the dark side can be used in a pinch when you’re behind see Obi-Wan v Maul and Luke v Vader 2. We haven’t really seen anyone gain complete mastery over the emotions, just the ability to suppress them like say Obi-Wan. If Luke was trained by the Order at its height he may have been able to achieve that sort of mastery since he has Qui-Gonn’s compassion without his stubbornness.

  • August 18, 2015 at 7:26 pm
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    Actually I think you could make an argument that Padme was force sensitive as well. I mean how else could she just know it was Dooku who was behind her attempted assassination when even Mace Windu could figure that one out. I am only half joking by the way.

    Anyway the possibility for Luke to be on a power level on par with Yoda by now is there but it will largely depend on how he spent his time in the last 30 years.

    • August 18, 2015 at 7:42 pm
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      awwwww I just gave birth to twins..i am so happy!! I will name you Luke! I will name you LEiA!!! you are so beautiful…awwwwwwww…ok..i have lost the will to live.. bye. ( she force chokes herself)…lol GAWD!!! Padme is the worst character ever created..

      • August 18, 2015 at 8:26 pm
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        Padme losing the will to live after giving birth was completely out of character for her. It was a weak part of the plot, for sure. Lucas should just have made her injuries so great she could not survive the birth.

        • August 18, 2015 at 9:49 pm
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          Agreed… what the hell was GL thinking on that one?

          • August 18, 2015 at 10:11 pm
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            The ‘lost the will to live ‘crap’ and the romance dialogue remind me of why I have a different opinion to people that love the prequels

          • August 18, 2015 at 11:03 pm
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            I always assumed that Palpatine basically killed her through the force to complete the Anakin’s turn to the dark side. She can no longer be an obstacle to his control over his new apprentice.

          • August 19, 2015 at 12:06 am
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            I always thought that it was originally planned for Anakin to cause more injuries to her which ultimately caused her death. But then GL realized that this would be too harsh for younger viewers…

      • August 18, 2015 at 11:52 pm
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        I disagree. I like Padme more than Leia.
        Luke is like Padme. Luke has her wisdom.

        In my opinion Padme was killed with force. Maybe by Palpatine.

      • August 19, 2015 at 12:51 am
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        I never took that “lost the will to live” shit literally.
        I think people read a little too much into the dialogue. I know it’s Star Wars, but you can’t expect every single line to have some deep meaning. They are movies after all.

    • August 18, 2015 at 8:00 pm
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      Yoda was nearly 900 years old! There’s no way Luke has become a better jedi than Yoda in 30 years there’s just no way I don’t care who his father was. Luke may have a great connection to the force but his best trait was his compassion. Not his connection to the force or his fighting skill. He was pure of heart. Sure 30 years later I’d say Luke should be a far better Jedi than he was in ROTJ, but I find it hard to believe he would be a better jedi than even Obi Wan as far as skill. More powerful in the force sure but as far as jedi skill with light saber and experience with the dark side etc he isn’t there yet. I believe he will have the philosophy down and hell maybe the force ghosts even taught him differently than jedi had been taught throughout thousands of years because they know how to retain their identities after death and in The Clone Wars we see Yoda’s quest to learn this…so its a whole new philosophy or an old one only select few jedi knew…but with Luke being the last of the jedi if he was to open a jedi academy it would probably be included in the new jedi philosophy…not to mention the strength he found through his emotions could lead to slightly different teachings. He embraced his compassion and other emotions when facing his father yet firmly resisted the temptations of the dark side.

      If The Force Awakens makes Luke a bad guy it would probably ruin everything for me. I highly doubt when Kathleen Kennedy asked JJ who Luke is that his answer was sith. But I highly doubt JJ said the most powerful jedi to have ever lived either because
      A) Yoda was 900 years old
      B) Most jedi before Order 66 trained in the ways of the force and jedi philosophy and light saber combat for decades…i mean there were 10,000 jedi knights protecting the galaxy and how many of those were Jedi Masters? Trusted and/or revered enough to sit on the jedi council?
      C) The only real advantage Luke had over all other jedi was the fact his father was The Chosen One and so his sensitivity to the force was naturally strong. He’s had disadvantages as far as everything else except maybe the fact he could speak to Yoda’s, Obi Wan’s and Anakin’s force ghosts.

      Luke should be a wise old man powerful with the force, pure of heart (perhaps so much so its burdened him over the years) with his own ideals about jedi philosophy and driven to preserve the religion and the knowledge. Definitely NOT an all powerful jedi master

      • August 18, 2015 at 10:52 pm
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        More years =|= more power, when it comes to a Jedi.

        Hell, it took Yoda 870 something years (during the lost mission TCW episodes) to realize something that I realized at the age of 17, that darkness (or the Dark Side) is a part of every living being, and the first step to controll it is to accept this fact.
        Also, don’t forget, that the Jedis by the time of the PT have long lost there way. The only members that started to go back to the true, old ways were Qui-Gon, and eventually Yoda and Obi-wan.

        But the first one who started his training in the “new” philosophy was Luke.

    • August 19, 2015 at 6:34 am
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      I like how Padme is the first one to notice the Clone Gunships arrival at the arena. My guess is Yoda used the force to hide them from Dooku and the other Jedi. But Padme noticed them first with regular scenes.

  • August 18, 2015 at 7:29 pm
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    Making Luke “the greatest Jedi of all time” reeks of fan service. Just make him great in his own sense.

    I hated the idea of comparing Jedi anyway, especially through midi-chlorian counts. I never got that vibe from the OT Jedi.

    • August 18, 2015 at 7:35 pm
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      I never understood what is wrong with fan service.
      The movies are made for the fans so why should they do something the fans wouldn’t like just so that it is not “fan service”? Would fan service not please the fans and make them want to watch the movie over and over again?

      • August 18, 2015 at 7:40 pm
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        @anon 19:01

        Who killed Palpatine? It wasn’t Luke Skywalker, silly.

      • August 19, 2015 at 6:55 am
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        Fan service is fine as long as it doesn’t interfere with the overall story or alienate the general audience. After 30 years though, Luke should be pretty powerful in his own right. Certainly more so than Kylo Ren.

  • August 18, 2015 at 7:30 pm
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    With the apparent lack of guidance it would be difficult (but not impossible) for Luke to really reach his true potential. Unless he can regularly commune with the force ghosts of Yoda, Obi-Wan, his father, and perhaps Qui-Gon… Or somehow found a Jedi training holocron then he might never achieve the level of mastery that was possible for his natural ability. That being said, I would agree with the author that his ceiling is probably around the abilities of Obi-Wan, who was indeed a great Jedi Master

    • August 19, 2015 at 10:19 am
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      I think this is potentially one of the most important issues for Luke’s 30 years of training- the Holocrons. Yes, Obi-Wan and Yoda are able to appear to him as Force ghosts, but surely there’s only so much they can teach him? Some of his knowledge would have to come from the equivalent of a text book, and in the SWU they’re holocrons, although I don’t think they have been made canon yet (if you don’t count the Lego SW movies as canon 😀 ).

      • August 20, 2015 at 7:40 am
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        Kanan has one in rebels which also made an appearance when he received it from his master in the first issue of his comic, probably minutes before order 66 occurred.

  • August 18, 2015 at 7:30 pm
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    Actually, despite Anakin being clearly very powerful, I think Luke was naturally in tune with the force perhaps just as strong if not stronger. Luke trained with Yoda (and Obi-Wan) for months not years, and much of his training is self taught as he was just that in tune with the light side of the Force. Luke is our “hero” who is able to overcome the dark side’s seduction something that despite all the power that Anakin had, could not do. Even Luke’s weakness is his desire to protect his family and friends, a noble flaw to say the least. Yoda was thinking of the end game, and was willing to have Luke sacrifice his friends to do so. This notion is certainly a “grey” area of morality for the story, but Luke shows Yoda and his old mentor Obi-wan that he could uphold his righteous path while confronting the darkest Lord Sith. Courage he had but not of course ability. Yet it was Anakin’s love for Luke and his desire to rule together that had him hold back against Luke. Now I would imagine 30 years of Luke honing his connection to the Force would make him very powerful (though tough to say if he is stronger than Yoda who had trained Jedi for 800 years). Remember even when he failed to move his X-wing, he did begin to make it rise, which surprised even Yoda who I suspect expected Luke to fail. In any case, I would suggest that Luke has now outclassed even Anikan’s power given his 30 years.

    • August 18, 2015 at 7:39 pm
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      Luke was already more powerful than Anakin during ROTJ. It was Luke that saved Vader not the other way around. Luke showed him the way back to the light. It like to think that when Vader saved Luke it wasn’t just a moral choice but that the light side of the force was working through Luke. He passed the test, he didn’t fall to the dark side and was rewarded. True power lies in the light side of the force. Dark side users miss the point all together and think that selfish, physical displays of power equal real true power when in fact it’s compassion and the motivation of sacrificing for others that lead to the true mastery of the force.

    • August 19, 2015 at 5:09 am
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      Training isn’t everything. Jimi Hendrix thought himself guitar. Maybe Luke becomes supremely powerful because he wasn’t handcuffed by codes and laws.

      • August 19, 2015 at 6:39 am
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        Interesting thought process, personally I deal with things like “self taught” historians. Often they provide a fresh take on an old idea because they don’t have the dogma that was taught to those of us who study it in academia, but they often run the risk of being grossly incorrect because they were never taught proper historiography.

        • August 20, 2015 at 5:34 am
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          Exactly. As wise as the Jedi Council were, they were restricted by their codes and teaching methods. Essentially every Jedi was a carbon copy of the next because free thinking was discouraged to a certain extent. The Jedi were closed minded and tended to play things safe. Luke has none of those constraints and could very easily unlock things with the Force that Jedi from the OT wouldn’t dare try.

  • August 18, 2015 at 7:33 pm
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    I don’t think that it makes sense for Luke to have founded a Jedi Academy. This would totally destroy the balance, Anakin brought to the Force.

    No Jedi and no Sith = balance. If Luke trains new Jedi then this balance would shift towards the Light Side again.

    • August 18, 2015 at 7:37 pm
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      But if more Sith show up…

      • August 18, 2015 at 11:55 pm
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        Agreed. Balance doesn’t necessarily mean Sith vs Jedi, but probably is closer to Dark Side vs Light side. The Knights of Ren aren’t Sith, but they could be Dark Side.

    • August 18, 2015 at 7:41 pm
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      I see your point but the movie was called “Return of the Jedi.” I think that they will return. The struggle never ends.

    • August 18, 2015 at 7:42 pm
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      Balance of the Force, not balance of the Force users. You’ve misunderstood the point.

      The Sith bring the Force out of balance. The Jedi don’t.

      • August 18, 2015 at 7:46 pm
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        Maybe both did and that was the whole point. Maybe the prophecy was about eradicating the Jedi and the Sith so that the Force itself would be balanced. It would not be divided between Light Side and Dark Side anymore but combine both. And everyone who then uses the Force would use both aspects – in balance.

        • August 18, 2015 at 7:57 pm
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          “Maybe both did and that was the whole point. Maybe the prophecy was about eradicating the Jedi and the Sith so that the Force itself would be balanced.”

          No, wrong. The balance of the Force is about destroying the Sith. We know this from (1) the movies themselves, and (2) George Lucas.

        • August 18, 2015 at 8:13 pm
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          Is Luke even going to train ‘Jedi’. Remember : ‘the last of the Jedi will you be’.
          I don’t think we are going to see any Sith in Ep7 or beyond – Anakin’s achievement was in killing his master AND himself he ensured that there would be no more apprentices to carry on. To bring balance to the force did the Jedi also have to die? (Answer : yes. They were too focused on rules than on following the will of the force).

          However, it looks like the Knights Of Ren are force users. Maybe it will not be the Jedi, but a different group of ‘light side’ who defeats them.

        • August 18, 2015 at 8:57 pm
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          I hate when folks discuss the Force like it’s
          a math equation. . .

      • August 19, 2015 at 9:11 am
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        My theory: The Force seeks equilibrium. It flows through living things, and it is not inert, but dynamic. Force wielders learn to recognize this fluid-like dynamic and direct it to their own purposes.

        For more than a thousand generations, the Jedi and Sith wielded the Force into a Light vs Dark tug-of-war.

        At this time (and throughout the PT) Palpatine has immense power. The Sith approach tends to create a concentration of Force power among two (master and apprentice), while the Jedi allow distribution of the Force.

        And there was a moment where there were five foci of the force: Windu, Yoda, Obi-Wan, Anakin and Palpatine. Anakin was the swing vote — the force was in flux within him. He’s neither Jedi nor Sith. He’s the Chosen One. Palatine and Windu battle and Anakin makes his choice, thus bringing “Balance” to the Force: Yoda and Palpatine cancel each other out and ObiWan and Vader cancel each other. It’s like a chessboard in stalemate.

        But the Force isn’t just about Light and Dark side. Those are just a “point of view”. There can be many shades of gray to a Force Wielder.

      • August 19, 2015 at 10:47 am
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        I saw it more as Light Side versus Dark Side issue. I thought that bringing balance to the force would mean that neither the Light Side nor the Dark Side would get the “upper hand” but both would be in balance.

        So as long as the Force is divided and one side has the “upper hand” there can be no balance.

        Therefore wiping out the Jedi (Light Side) and the Sith (Dark Side) brought the balance. Just my opinion.

    • August 18, 2015 at 7:48 pm
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      This whole numbers game with balancing the Force is ridiculous. The solution to balancing the Force should not have to include wiping out the Jedi Order. That’s just stupid.

      If anything, “balance” should mean a lack of disturbance from the Sith.

      • August 18, 2015 at 7:59 pm
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        “This whole numbers game with balancing the Force is ridiculous. The solution to balancing the Force should not have to include wiping out the Jedi Order. That’s just stupid.”

        Believing that the balance of the Force is a numbers game with the amount of users is a serious misunderstanding of what’s on screen. By the end of ROTS, there are 2 Sith left and 2 Jedi, yet the Force was “left in darkness.”

        “If anything, “balance” should mean a lack of disturbance from the Sith.”

        It does, that’s exactly what it means. Balance of the Force = no more Sith.

        • August 18, 2015 at 8:02 pm
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          I said what I said in response to fans who keep bringing up the numbers game theory with the Force being balanced.

          • August 19, 2015 at 11:52 pm
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            Also, this “2 remaining Jedi vs. 2 remaining Sith” simply isn’t true. Obviously there were other Jedi survivors here and there. Not every Jedi would be with the Clone Troopers when Order 66 came through; some would successfully defend themselves and/or escape, and in a very few cases the Clone Troopers refused to carry out the order. “Rebels” feature a surviving Jedi. Their existence is implied already in “Revenge of the Sith” itself, when Yoda and Obi-Wan change the false beacon signal recalling any remaining Jedi to the Temple (they substitute a warning for the false summons). Why bother, if Yoda and Obi-Wan were themselves the only Jedi left?

            I believe the “imbalance” of the Force is intended to be the disturbance created by the Sith, and Anakin finally eliminates it by 1) ditching his own Vader persona and 2) destroying Palpatine, thus ending the Sith line.

            “Balance of the Force” doesn’t mean that good and evil, light and dark need to be in “balance”. The Dark Side isn’t just a necessary and complementary yin to a yang. It has consistently been portrayed as real metaphysical evil, and “falling” to the Dark Side is a genuine moral failure that leaves one ethically bankrupt. It is not an attractive concept that the Dark Side is really just a necessary flip side that some people MUST embrace for the Force to be properly “balanced”.

            In fact, this idea itself sounds like a Dark Side concept or temptation, a would-be metaphysical justification for giving in to your basest impulses and happily become a uncaring, hyperviolent sociopath.

            “Hey, somebody has to do it, for if we were all goody-good the Force would become unbalanced!”

            Right.

    • August 19, 2015 at 12:47 am
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      Balance = harmony, nurturing, growth and life (light side). Dark side = unbalance (death, destruction, selfishness, anti-life).

  • August 18, 2015 at 7:34 pm
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    “Luke’s job wasn’t to defeat Palpatine, he wasn’t the chosen one, his father was. Luke wasn’t powerful enough to defeat Palpatine and his powerful moment is rejecting the dark side.”

    This whole thing is silly. If Luke hadn’t thrown away his lightsaber, he easily could’ve lunged at Palpatine and sliced him down. Yoda and Ben wanted him to kill him. All Luke needed to do was make sure he didn’t do it out of hate.

    Did we really need some “Chosen One” to pick up a frail old man and give him the shaft?

    • August 18, 2015 at 8:30 pm
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      Murder is not the Jedi way, Anakin killing Dooku was wrong as was Mace about to kill Palpatine.

    • August 18, 2015 at 9:44 pm
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      You are underestimating the Emperor. If Luke were to lunge at him, he’d get Force lightning propelling him over the rails. He had no chance against the Emperor.

  • August 18, 2015 at 7:39 pm
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    “In Episode III Palpatine even says that Vader will become more powerful than him and Yoda.”

    Yeah, but that felt more like fan service from Lucas than anything we actually saw in the OT. Throughout his entire life as a Jedi/Sith, Vader was always someone else’s apprentice. As awesome as he was, that just sounds weak.

    • August 18, 2015 at 7:40 pm
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      But because of his injuries, Anakin never lived up to his full potential–that’s part of the tragedy. Hardly “fan service.”

      • August 18, 2015 at 7:45 pm
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        “Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter.”

        The Force ain’t about how many limbs you got.

        • August 18, 2015 at 7:52 pm
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          That’s a misunderstanding of what Lucas has said about the issue.

          • August 18, 2015 at 8:00 pm
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            What do the FILMS say and demonstrate?

          • August 18, 2015 at 8:03 pm
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            The films demonstrate that Darth Vader’s Force abilities are impressive but not spectacular.

          • August 19, 2015 at 1:48 am
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            Most canon material demonstrates him as VERY powerful. Particularly having just read lords of the sith. Vader Killed every single jedi in the temple and then all of the jedi that the clones missed. Vader bested Obi-wan (yes Obi-wan let himself die but only after he knew he couldn’t win outright). Vader beat every opponent he ever faced except his son

  • August 18, 2015 at 7:39 pm
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    The thing you’re missing here is that the Force is now balanced. In the existing 6 movies, the Force is out of balance because of the Sith’s power. In AOTC, the imbalance is reducing the Jedi’s powers. By the end of ROTS, the Force is “left in darkness.” Thus, after Anakin restores the balance of the Force, any Jedi’s ability should be a lot stronger than what we’ve seen before.

    • August 19, 2015 at 3:35 am
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      I agree! There were a lot of Jedi and only 2 Sith. By the time EPIII ended there were only two Sith and two Jedi. That is balance!

  • August 18, 2015 at 7:41 pm
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    Luke Skywalker is the bad ass.

  • August 18, 2015 at 7:44 pm
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    Please don’t give us Star Wars Z. I just want a great trilogy with strong but human characters.

    Yoda didn’t need to go Super Saiyan. Neither did Ben Kenobi, Mace Windu – or Luke.

  • August 18, 2015 at 7:45 pm
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    I think 60yo Luke should be a dead tie with 60yo Darth Vader.
    Actually, yeah, that would be awesome! make Luke the Good-Vader of the series.
    Mind you, I always got the impression that Yoda was more powerful than Anakin, but perhaps less powerful than Sidious.

    This is what always intrigued me about Yoda: Yoda INTENTIONALLY avoids interceding on the Galaxy’s troubles. Why?
    Maybe it’s because he KNOWS he won’t live forever.
    Yoda needs Luke to win, Luke specifically, because if Luke fails against Vader, then he would have failed as a Jedi Master.

    Yoda knows that killing Vader or Palpatine would be giving Luke the easy way out – a worst case scenario when dealing with a potential destroyer of worlds [which it’s implied Luke is].

    So by succeeding the way Luke did, Luke not only killed the Sith, but he proved that he’s a viable leader for the new Jedi Order.
    And I think JJ should stick with this.

    Luke is now truly Jedi Supreme. Luke’s got the Job. Now it’s just a matter of getting to work.

    If Luke turns out to be evil, I’m gonna feel very let down.

    • August 18, 2015 at 7:52 pm
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      “I think 60yo Luke should be a dead tie with 60yo Darth Vader.
      Actually, yeah, that would be awesome! make Luke the Good-Vader of the series.”

      What would that look like exactly?

      • August 19, 2015 at 6:43 am
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        Vader gets a Black Helmet

        Luke gets DA BEARD. |:O>

  • August 18, 2015 at 7:46 pm
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    I don’t believe Mace Windu defeated Palpatine in combat. That was Palpatine manipulating Windu to make it look like he was defeated to Anakin.

    He forced Anakin into choosing sides when in reality Palpatine could have beaten Windu whenever he wanted.

    • August 18, 2015 at 7:53 pm
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      Actually, Palpatine looked very defeated. There was no indication in his facial expressions that he expected Anakin to show up at that precise moment. Plus, we already know that Mace was the master swordsman.

      You’re giving the character way too much credit.

      • August 18, 2015 at 9:20 pm
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        Really? Watch that scene again. Focus on Palpy’s words and facial expressions when Anakin is there. I think you’ll find that Palpy orchestrated the entire event.

        Example…”I’m too weak” to “POWER! UNLIMITED POWER!!”

        • August 18, 2015 at 10:08 pm
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          Yes he was hamming it up, bought Mace had won the lightsaber duel

        • August 18, 2015 at 10:09 pm
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          Or maybe Palpatine was rejuvenated in the Dark side of the force that came sue to Anakin’s betrayal. With Anakin’s betrayal and point of no return, Sidious was able to tap into extra dark power. Just a thought.

        • August 18, 2015 at 10:38 pm
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          No, I shall not watch that scene again , or any other prequel footage

      • August 18, 2015 at 9:38 pm
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        You only have to look at the masive increase in force lightning power after Anakin cut off Windu’s hand to see that Palpatine was holding back in order to appear weaker than he really was. How people still miss this is hilarious.

        • August 19, 2015 at 9:12 am
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          Mace doesn’t even start to win until Anakin is near by. That’s because Darth Sidious is faking to lure Anakin to his side. Mace never stood a chance. None of the Jedi could beat Sidious. That’s what Yoda realized in his fight. Fighting could not win this battle.

    • August 18, 2015 at 8:31 pm
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      Absolutely and those who cant see that are clueless. Palpatine lost on purpose to manipulate Anakin.

  • August 18, 2015 at 7:50 pm
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    The problem is that we will never know what Anakin’s full power could have been. Midichlorians reside in ones blood. It is the reason Grievous never could use the force is he was too much a a machine. It is a stupid plot point, but it is still how the force ultimately works. Vader is more “machine” now than man by the time of episode IV. So Vader’s force ability is extremely diminished from what it could be. Luke having an almost whole body(minus one hand) now has the potential to become more powerful then Vader ended up being by the time of the OT. As far as how he stacks up against Windu we will never know as their training and experience were so vastly different. I would like to think, though, that if you took Luke and Mace at their primes that Luke would be the greater Jedi in both force ability and lightsaber skill. We will have to wait and see where Kasdan and Abrams will take Luke’s character.

    • August 18, 2015 at 7:54 pm
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      “Midichlorians reside in ones blood.”

      Not really. They reside inside one’s cells–all cells.

    • August 19, 2015 at 6:47 am
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      I always thought it was MC within the cell.
      not how many cells – more, how MC-rich is ONE cell.
      It’s not about the mass, it’s about richness and density.

      By your logic, all the jedi masters would be fat like a Sumo Wrestler.

      PS how come no Fat Jedi?? A fat Jedi would be AWESOME. shame, SW, shame :/

      PPS MCs are boring. There’s a reason Kasdan cut shit like that out of Yoda’s TESB dialogue.

  • August 18, 2015 at 7:59 pm
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    I hope to the Maker these films don’t continue that whole midi-chlorian nonsense. I don’t want the Jedi to have anything to do with blood tests or lab results.

    • August 19, 2015 at 12:07 am
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      According to JJ, there will be no reference to Midichlorians. Being that he’ll probably continue to have a say/hand in Star Wars even after TFA, I’m sure he’ll remind people to stay away from that.

      • August 19, 2015 at 2:34 am
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        You can’t uninvent something that is cannon.
        The midichlorians exist in the S W universe.
        If JJ goes down that path theres no telling where he will stop or what he will change.
        Destroy the saga he will.

  • August 18, 2015 at 8:04 pm
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    I think the question here is, what do we mean by “power”?

    Yoda famously remarked to Luke in ESB, “Wars not make one great.” He continued in this vein throughout Luke’s training. “A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense. Never for attack.” “You will know… when you are calm. At peace. Passive.”

    What does this say about the true power of the Force? Is it all about who is the better swordsman? About who has the most magical abilities? Or is it about something far more subtle?

    The true duel between Luke and Vader was never about lightsabers and Force powers. It was a battle of will over whose point of view was the stronger. It started on Bespin when Vader began trying to goad Luke into joining him. He took Luke’s hand, he blasted Luke’s worldview to pieces with the revelation that he was Luke’s father, and he offered Luke rule over the entire galaxy.

    Yet Luke won that round by refusing to play along. All he had to do was give Vader that look and let himself fall from the gantry. (This is why I hate the SE change that follows this scene. That seething growl, “Bring my shuttle…” was perfect. I always got the feeling that had Vader had to say another word he’d have probably just lashed out and killed whoever was nearest to him out of sheer rage.)

    Then in ROTJ, Luke makes his intention clear right off the bat. He’s either going to turn his father back from the dark side, or he’s going to die trying. He had already proven through his actions that this was no empty threat. And from there on in, Luke was pitting his perspective of the Force against that of his father.

    And, ultimately, Luke won. Vader turning on Palpatine and killing him was the final proof of this.

    A contest of Jedi powers would not have created the same outcome. Luke’s victory rested on something more.

    • August 18, 2015 at 9:16 pm
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      Great comment. Could not agree more. Luke wins by using the light side EXACTLY as instructed. He’s willing to lay down his life if it means even a CHANCE of redeeming his father. That’s the true strength of his victory.

    • August 18, 2015 at 11:08 pm
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      BAM!!!!! DIRECTLY on the head. Thanks Dekka!

    • August 19, 2015 at 6:52 am
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      ^^ and THAT’S why Dekka gets the Blue text on his name!

      That’s the problem with MCs, they turn it into a numbers game when it’s always been subtler and bigger than just comparing MC sizes.

    • August 19, 2015 at 4:32 pm
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      “And from there on in, Luke was pitting his perspective of the Force against that of his father.”

      “Luke, you’re going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.”

  • August 18, 2015 at 8:07 pm
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    Great editorial. Here are my thoughts on the subject…

    Anakin definitely had the most potential to become the most powerful Jedi to have ever lived. He was conceived by the force (whether Plagueis had anything to do with it in the new canon is yet to be seen). But we know that the force or someone through the force willed him into being. He was still a small boy full of hope and wonder when Qui-Gon and later Obi-Wan took him on as an apprentice. Over the years, his unequaled force talent made him cocky and arrogant. He also harbored great fear and anger which ultimately led to his destruction. My view has always been, that had Anakin’s body not been so utterly destroyed, he would be a near unstoppable force. His mechanical body and constant pain hindered his natural abilities to a point while they made him stronger in other ways. Don’t get me wrong, Vader is still one of the most powerful beings the galaxy far far away has ever seen, but I believe that if he had remained whole, he would have been even more powerful.

    As it does in the real world, his arrogance and hatred blinded him and clouded his judgement, giving the more experienced and cool-headed Obi-Wan the upper hand (or the high ground if you will) allowing him the opportunity to defeat him in battle. I said all that to say, had Anakin not fallen to the dark side, Luke could never measure up to the power that his father possessed as his own power would have been a more diluted version of his father’s.

    However, Luke most certainly had great potential himself. His mother was a strong and compassionate woman which aided him in other ways…I believe his ability to resist the dark side was greatly influenced by those characteristics he would have inherited from her. Also, the Luke we know from the OT only had minimal training over the course of 4 years and reached a level that Yoda thought adequate for the task at hand and considered him a Jedi Knight. Was he more powerful than his father though, since he achieved in four years what took his father 10 years to achieve? No, I think the necessity of the times, and the fact that Yoda was about to croak called for the rushed advance in status.

    I think that Vader was way more powerful than Luke in the OT and if he wanted to, he could have easily destroyed him. But that was not his intent. He wanted Luke to turn to the dark side and help him overthrow the Emperor, so most of the interaction the two have is Vader toying with Luke as others have said, while Luke was doing all he could to just hang in there. Anakin was more powerful than Luke…Vader was more powerful than Luke…but I believe, given that Luke has had 30 years to devote himself to the ways of the Jedi, which is almost equal to the time that Vader spent learning from both sides of the force together, he will be one of if not the most powerful Jedi who ever lived. Why? He is the son of the most potentially powerful Jedi ever who did not reach his full potential. Luke…will have reached this potential in TFA. I don’t think we will see this play out in the films until the final act of ep 8 or 9 though, as I think Luke is a more reserved Jedi than his father. I think his strength lies in his compassion and his knowledge of the living force. But in the final act of one of the sequels, we will see him whip out his saber and show that he’s not all talk either when it comes down to it.

    To sum it all up… I think you have two different answers when it comes to the Anakin vs. Luke debate… When it comes to potential – Anakin is the most powerful. But when you look at their life’s work at the end of their lives, I think that Luke will have accomplished more and attained a level of power that his father never saw come to fruition.

    • August 18, 2015 at 8:21 pm
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      “I think that Luke will have accomplished more and attained a level of power that his father never saw come to fruition.”

      A good point, and I totally agree.

    • August 18, 2015 at 8:25 pm
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      Very good points, just wanted to add that I have that same theory of Anakin vs Vader as well. It was obvious Palpatine wanted someone young and powerful, after Maul died I feel he gave up trying to train one from scratch. I feel like Palpatine had originally wanted to one day perhaps take over Anakin’s body but after it was destroyed he couldn’t find one he wanted until Luke

    • August 18, 2015 at 8:38 pm
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      This is well said and a balanced view, taking into consideration both the OT and PT. Really like your view on this… and I HATE the PT haha.

    • August 19, 2015 at 1:42 am
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      I don’t think Luke’s mother, Padme, aided him at all. He never knew her.

      • August 19, 2015 at 5:05 am
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        um..Luke has her genetics as well as Anakin’s!

        • August 19, 2015 at 6:32 am
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          Being strong or compassionate doesn’t come from genetics, midichlorians, or whatever you believe. Those characteristics are taught. Luke having Padme’s blood doesn’t automatically give him that. Besides, Padme wasn’t force sensitive.

          • August 19, 2015 at 4:16 pm
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            You raise a good point. Research has shown that one’s upbringing has proven most influential in the development of one’s personality. So I guess a lot of who Luke is can be found in the ideals of the Lars family. However, it has been theorized by geneticists that on a cellular level genes may influence one’s personality traits. While I agree that Padme had absolutely no influence in Luke’s development, I think it is possible that he was predisposed through gentics to share similar personality traits with his biological mother. Can’t prove this scientifically, but I am reminded of the old saying, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

            https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/under-the-influence/201307/do-genes-influence-personality

    • August 19, 2015 at 6:57 am
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      I wonder, have you hit up Echo 7 or Viral for a job yet? You might want to.

  • August 18, 2015 at 8:09 pm
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    This is flawed. Luke’s issue wasn’t being force attune, it was the fact he was being trained much later in life. Let’s not forget Kenobi defeated Anakin.

    Luke doesn’t have the benefit of the order, and that inhibited his abilities in the OT. But since, he could have found a lot of Jedi training material and maxed his abilities.

  • August 18, 2015 at 8:14 pm
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    This argument doesn’t really give Luke the benefit of the doubt. He had mere days of true Force tutelage under his belt and could nearly lift an X-Wing out of the water while he was also in a dark place. George himself said he had the same Force potential as his father, who of course had the greatest Force potential of all time. So, that’s not really in dispute. What’s in dispute is how much of that Force potential has truly been realized by Ep. VII.

  • August 18, 2015 at 8:16 pm
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    Considering Luke is a descendant of the force itself, he’ll likely be the most powerful Jedi of all…. Anakin, despite being created by the force, never achieved his greatness prior to being manipulated by Palpatine.

    Had Anakin been a true Jedi his entire life, who knows how powerfull he would have been.

  • August 18, 2015 at 8:17 pm
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    Many people have the view that Star Wars is not really to be categorized as Science Fiction, and I agree. I’m not wanting to bother getting into a debate of OT vs PT, honestly because it’s annoying and pointless.

    I will say that the thing that kinda killed the view of the force since the PT is the moment the phrase “Midichlorians” came into the picture. It makes the idea of the force less spiritually mysterious and universal, and more that of something from a Sci-Fi genre.

    I always thought that the influence of Joseph Campbell in the SW storytelling and the universal view of the force was what made it so interesting. If the scientific breakdown of one’s force levels never came into play, it would leave more possibilities of a person obtaining and endless connection with the force.

    I always felt that is more inspiring for a viewer.

    • August 18, 2015 at 9:19 pm
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      I always assumed that the midichlorians were more of a reflection of the user’s force sensitivity, rather than the SOURCE of the force sensitivity. To me, it seems like the midichlorians are simply akin to moths drawn to a flame.

      • August 19, 2015 at 2:50 am
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        My view exactly!

  • August 18, 2015 at 8:30 pm
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    I do not agree with alot of what this article said. Some valid points I agree, but to say luke struggled with his force abilities unlike anakin who breezed through it is kinda false. Luke had far less training and picked up more from a short amount of training then most jedi do. If anything it makes him more of a force genius. I’m not saying he would be stronger then anakin or yoda, but I bet at this point he could probably take just about anyone.

  • August 18, 2015 at 8:31 pm
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    There’s no way of knowing that Luke doesn’t have the same natural ability as his father; he was not given training in the ways of the Force at an early age like Anakin was. In ANH he exhibits the same uncanny luck that little “Anni” does in TPM and has excellent piloting skills on par with the best in the Galaxy. Through proper instruction via holocrons and/or his Force ghost buddies he could very well be even more powerful than Vader by time we see him again in TFA.

  • August 18, 2015 at 8:32 pm
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    I believe that Luke has been in constant communication with Anakin, Yoda and Obi Wan. I mean, why would he not? I think he tried to rebuild the Jedi order, but someone.. (ahem) Plagueis came from the shadows and put a stop to that. And maybe stole away his best pupil “kylo” at a very young age..

    Now Luke, feeling like he failed, has cut of communication with everyone, and is living a life of seclusion..

    Thus bringing life to “who and where is Luke Skywalker”

    • August 18, 2015 at 9:20 pm
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      I really hope they address Force ghosts in this movie, in some way, shape or form. Either Luke is still constantly in contact with them, or for some reason, he isn’t.

      But I’d love to see the idea explored.

      • August 18, 2015 at 10:34 pm
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        I hope we don’t see Hayden Christensens force ghost.
        That one they tacked onto Return of the Jedi makes me press stop on the remote!

        • August 18, 2015 at 10:37 pm
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          Haha part of me wants to see it, just because it would make people FURIOUS. But no, I’m thinking more along the lines of Yoda or Obi-Wan (played by Ewan, maybe), or maybe even Qui-Gon. I mean, why not, right?

          But okay, no Anakin lol

          • August 18, 2015 at 10:52 pm
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            He seriously wasn’t that bad… believe it or not the acting wasn’t all that great in the OT… but the story was fantastic.. PT the story was flat… you put Hayden in with a good story I’m sure he would do fine.. especially in a limited role with only a few lines… maybe I’m wrong but that’s the beauty of opinions.. they very

          • August 19, 2015 at 12:31 am
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            No, it could work, for sure. Lucas is a visionary but not a great director of actors (as has been discussed here before). Natalie Portman is a very talented actress, but she’s pretty bad in the prequels.

            Hayden Christensen under different direction and with different dialog? Hey, who knows?

          • August 19, 2015 at 7:01 am
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            Hayden’s just simply creepy.

            I always rated Jake Lloyd ahead of Hayden.

  • August 18, 2015 at 8:42 pm
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    Theoretically, Luke could have kept training with the great ones in force ghost form and thus reached a level never attainable prior to the force ghost era.

  • August 18, 2015 at 8:42 pm
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    How powerful is Luke in ROTJ really? He confronts Jabba as a self proclaimed Jedi Knight, but who appointed him? In ROTS we see that Knighthood is given by the council; yet by Lukes time there is no council. Yoda is dead, Obi-One is dead. So Luke basically appoints himself.

    He is caught off guard, thrown into a pit with a Rancor which he almost dies to, and is then handcuffed and led away. Not too impressive for a so called Jedi Knight.

    Yet if we look closer at what happens at the Sarlaac pit, and the destruction of Jabba and his minions; the coordination between him and R2, Leigh and Lando, you have to concede that Luke had gained the power of foreshadowing.

    Luke even says to Jabba, as he stands on the door of certain death “Jabba this is your last chance”. Jabba laughs its off.

    The type of foreshadowing Luke had to be capable of to perceive the outcome of those events points to a Jedi who may not have the actual overwhelming light side powers and combat abilities of a real Jedi Knight; but a Jedi who is as in touch with the force as Palpatine was himself (who foresees all the events of the Prequels).

    In the throne room on the Death Star in ROTJ Luke says to Palpatine, “your wrong, soon you will be dead, and I will be dead with you.” Palpatine laughs it off. But is it not likely that once again Luke had foreseen the events at the end of ROTJ? Which says, that by that point, his vision had grown even greater then Palpatines, who up till that point had seen everything crystal clear. Luke was wrong about his death, which one could understand the Force may not allow a Jedi to foresee; but about everything else he is right….

    So my verdict: Luke is as powerful or even more so as either Yoda or Palpatine in the “ways” of the force. Meditation, manipulation, clairvoyance, the more mental side of the Force. A Monk type creature.

    He is no Anakin when it comes to combat, not even 30 years later; but in some ways he is even more powerful than Anakin ever was…

  • August 18, 2015 at 9:03 pm
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    George Lucas said that Luke was the most powerful jedi ever. Before him and after him. George’s words…of course, he is no longer a part of Star Wars, so it’s up to the story group if they want to maintain that level with Luke. I believe they should.

  • August 18, 2015 at 9:20 pm
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    I never had a problem with midichlorians I remember sitting in the theather watching episode 1 for the first time when the whole midichlorians scene happened, and I was like cool a way to measure power levels like Dragon Ball Z. Didn’t know other fans would get their collective panties in a bunch over it.

  • August 18, 2015 at 9:32 pm
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    A couple of things..

    Firstly, didn’t Luke defeat Vader and cut off his hand on TROTJ?

    Secondly, I may be totally wrong here.. but in life there is a right way and a wrong way of doing things. When it comes to power surely it’s the light side that you are only supposed to use not the dark.. Sort of like the light is positive and the dark is negative. So Vader is in the red, while Luke is really in the money in the black.

  • August 18, 2015 at 9:37 pm
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    I wonder if in the future, Star Wars fans will have such an intense well thought out debate about John Boyega’s character, Finn?

    Or, like Jar Jar, will it be enough to simply say “He sucks.”

  • August 18, 2015 at 9:38 pm
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    Of the idea that Luke is not as powerful with the force as his father was I disagree completely. Luke has every bit the potential as his father. As of RotJ Luke only lacks the refined skills and experience to go toe to toe with Darth Sidious. He held his own against a diminished version of his father as it is. I believe given more years/decades to hone and refine his skills while gaining experience and wisdom that Luke has every bit the power that Anakin Skywalker, Yoda, Mace Windu, or Darth Sidious held. I will be dissapointed if TPTB diminish Luke Skywalker at all. Make no mistake he should be the most powerful badd@$$ in the galaxy by the time of TFA — and having held that title since Endor, too.

  • August 18, 2015 at 9:39 pm
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    If Luke wasn’t as powerful as Vader, then why at the beginning of ROTJ did the Emperor state “He has grown STRONG in the force. Only together can we defeat him”? He knew the potential Luke had. Luke just did not understand his potential as never having had proper training.

  • August 18, 2015 at 9:40 pm
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    Leaving aside discussions over training, Luke’s obviously been trained in a hurry. What Luke has, is raw potential, i.e., the raw potential of his father. Both him and Leia ‘have that power’.

    It’s a bit trickier these days, but back when George was making Episode III, he had this to say, which is reiterated apparently in the commentary for Empire. Back then, anything George said about the characters was canon (G-Canon). And since this was used to illuminate Vader’s and Luke’s struggles it seems rather salient in this discussion.
    ‘He wasn’t what he was supposed to
    become. But the son could become that.’
    Though whether that’s true now or not is the purview of JJ and the Lucasfilm Story Group.

    http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/george-lucas-and-the-cult-of-darth-vader-20050602

  • August 18, 2015 at 9:51 pm
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    Ultimately, I hope that the Luke of the ST ends up winning the best all around award when it comes to being a Jedi. I could easily see him being a Jedi Master with the wisdom of Yoda, the strenth of Windu, the temper of Obi-Wan, and the force mastery of Anakin. I don’t think he will necessarily be wiser than Yoda, stronger than Windu, as even tempered as Obi-Wan, or even as attuned to the force as Anakin could have been. But I think he will embody all of these characteristics in such a way as no other Jedi ever has, making him the most balanced of all the Jedi. I could see them take this approach with his character.

  • August 18, 2015 at 9:55 pm
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    I think that some of the comments here already said this, but it’s important to repeat: Luke could not have defeated either Vader or the Emperor. He only won that last part of the final duel because Vader was only defending himself. Anakin was incapable of killing Luke. He was incapable in ESB and was definitely incapable of it in ROTJ, especially after their conversation on the transport platform. Anakin was never going to kill Luke. He defended his Master, and if you ask me, the Emperor knew that. In my opinion, even if Luke was defeated by Vader, it would have been the Emperor who would have finished the job.

    Luke’s role was to show compassion to his father. Luke defeated Vader – again, in my opinion, Anakin lets him – and surrenders his fate to death. But he is certain, when he refuses the Emperor’s offer to join him, that Anakin will back him up. He smiles in exultation when he proclaims himself a Jedi (only because Yoda told him that confronting Vader was his final test). It ain’t that he’s ready to die at that moment. He really thinks that by refusing the Emperor’s offer, his daddy will come up next to him and help him escort the bad man to jail or some such. He’s obviously unprepared for the Force lightning response, but as he’s being tortured, he’s certain that Anakin will help him.

    Like many other comments said, that moment of indecision by Anakin/Vader still brings tears to my eyes. One of the most powerful moments in movie history.

  • August 18, 2015 at 10:08 pm
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    Couple of true or false statements from my point of view.

    “I didn’t mention Obi-Wan earlier because I feel that is the sort of power Luke has attained. I believe he will be as powerful as Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, highly capable and holding a wisdom virtually unmatched, but not an all powerful Force God” -TRUE

    “Balance of the Force, not balance of the Force users. You’ve misunderstood the point.” -TRUE

    “This whole thing is silly. If Luke hadn’t thrown away his lightsaber, he easily could’ve lunged at Palpatine and sliced him down. Yoda and Ben wanted him to kill him. All Luke needed to do was make sure he didn’t do it out of hate.”
    -FALSE

    “Murder is not the Jedi way, Anakin killing Dooku was wrong as was Mace about to kill Palpatine.” -TRUE

    “Luke wasn’t powerful enough to defeat Palpatine and his powerful moment is rejecting the dark side.” -TRUE

  • August 18, 2015 at 10:11 pm
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    nice article, but I disagree. A lot can happen in 30 years and it shouldn’t be discounted how much of an emotional burden it is to be stuck between the dark and the light side and not simply choose one, as Vader did. I think Luke’s tension is a testament to his strength, his capacity; resolution of some kind would have allowed him to thrive in a way that excels Vader’s abilities. that is my hope, although I am aware it may not work out that way. I personally hope he has reached almost “godlike” capabilities, someone who has become almost mythical.

  • August 18, 2015 at 10:12 pm
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    Yoda was the first Jedi to learn to commune with the force ghosts of fallen Jedi. Obi-wan was the second. Both of them learned this ability near the end of their lives. Luke was the first Jedi, to learn that skill before they really learned much of anything about the force. He was never a padawan in the classical sense. And the focus of his training was never about martial power, it was about emotional discipline. Luke didn’t defeat Vader, he simply showed him why Obi-wan and Yoda had wanted him to exercise emotional discipline. And that his Love for his sister was a far more powerful emotion than any anger or hatred that Vader felt. Vader was defeated by the same emotional attachment to his family that caused his fall to the dark side, when he realized that his son, a Jedi with little guidance or training, had learned a skill he had never been able to master. And when faced with the decision to double down on being a Sith or admitting he’d been had, he would eventually make the right choice. None of Palpatine’s promises ever came true. Padme did not survive, and there was no peace.

    After the fall of the Palpatine/Vader regime, Luke has had the job of rewriting the Jedi code. A code that helped push Anakin to the darkside. He’s had to reconcile that Jedi can draw strength from the good emotions such as love and joy, every bit as much as a Sith draws on their anger and hatred. And he’s had to confront how it was the hubris, and pride, of the old Jedi Order that created the opening That Palpatine exploited.

    • August 18, 2015 at 10:24 pm
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      Excellent.

  • August 18, 2015 at 10:12 pm
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    Who is Luke referring to in the 2nd teaser trailer “The Force is strong in our family…. You have that power too”. Who is the You? Rey, Finn, Poe, or Kylo Ren? Is Luke now a father, or is it Leia’s offspring? If Luke is not the father, then why is he revealing this information?

    Judging from the D23 poster, Rey is the central character in TFA. But she wields a mysterious staff instead of the traditional lightsaber. Instead, it’s Finn who possesses the weapon of the Jedi. Is this a red herring or is Finn a member of the Skywalker family? Which of these two characters are Force aware?

  • August 18, 2015 at 10:19 pm
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    Lets not forget that Luke could be being trained by the ghosts of Yoda and Obi wan from the beyond. it is quite possible. so the argument that there is no one to help carry him further in his abilities is not necessarily accurate.

  • August 18, 2015 at 10:36 pm
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    I wish the original and prequel movies would’ve explored more of the Jedi/Sith lore and less of the other non-sense…

    Which is why, in my opinion I consider all movie characters (minus Vader, and Obi Won) to be rather poorly written (Yoda is another exception).

    It’s a shame that a lot of the fan fiction got canned, because the stories written about other Jedi/Sith prior to the Trilogies and after were much more “complete”.

    Based on the original trilogy Luke was whiny emo dude (yup I said it). Were it not for Vader, the Emperor would’ve toasted him. It’s that simple.

  • August 18, 2015 at 10:42 pm
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    that’s a terrible idea, if they do that, this movie will suck

  • August 18, 2015 at 11:02 pm
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    To those worried about Boyega, or any TFA actors: There’s no way this Boyega guy can possibly be any more wooden than Sam Jackson, or any prequel character for that matter. His shittychlorian count was off the charts.

  • August 18, 2015 at 11:05 pm
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    What I really hope. Is that Luke puts an end to the whole “The gray side of the force is what balance means” Which is simply not true.

    A Jedi is a light side force user. The Jedi from the PT had lost their way, that why they keep talking about how everything is ‘clouded’.

    The force is based on Taoism. Balance of the force is order. Who is all about order? The Jedi. The Sith and the dark side are against the order, thus the dark side is against the balance of the force.

    Luke should be the ultimate light side user. Not a god, no jesus-figure. But a kind compassionate man, completely in tune with the force. In harmony.

    NO GRAY SIDE/JEDI

  • August 18, 2015 at 11:13 pm
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    “Well the deciding factor for me was a question Kathleen posed: “Who is Luke Skywalker?” Which is a pretty loaded question [laughs] because you now have to really think about it. Keeping in mind that the Empire probably didn’t know that Vader turned back, your conclusion to that question can be pretty dangerous. I mean, three men entered that room, only one came out alive and not dying. And so that it made me think about the character in a completely different way.”

    • August 18, 2015 at 11:26 pm
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      ‘That Luke, Han, Leia and co were essentially terrorists. They were even mentored by a “crazy old man” from the desert, pure Bin Laden before the fact, then came the Empire’s 9/11 when these terrorists and religious fundamentalists (the “force”) blew up the Empire’s biggest building by flying planes into it killing huge numbers of innocent civilians going about their daily business. A lot of people can’t have been happy about that so no wonder there’s a First Order.’

  • August 18, 2015 at 11:30 pm
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    Lucas himself said that Luke will become the most powerful jedi ever, the wisdom of Yoda, skills of Mace and power of Anakin and then some

  • August 18, 2015 at 11:31 pm
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    It’s canon that Sidious threw the fight with Windu.

    • August 18, 2015 at 11:50 pm
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      Where?

  • August 18, 2015 at 11:33 pm
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    I completely agree with everything in this article, anakin was the chosen one and the more powerful, I think like was just lacking the training the Jedi before him received, I think given time, guidance from the force ghosts of yoda, obi wan, and his heritage and he could come very close to the power of his dad

  • August 18, 2015 at 11:38 pm
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    Disagree with much/most of the article – besides being mostly pure speculation, there’s also quite a bit that’s misleading/wrong.

    Vader – This lack of emotional control is what made Anakin a poor Jedi compared to his son.
    Yeah – Luke’s “emotional control” was so perfect when he flips-out & Vader threatens to turn his sister. Like father, like son.

    Vader – His midichlorian count suggests
    Ok – we have no idea what Luke’s midichlorian count is. [ Hopefully we’ll never find out ]

    Luke – he has too much of his mother in him.
    Based on what – his being just as impulsive/fearful and lacking emotional control as his father?

    Leia – doesn’t really display a strong aptitude to the Force.
    What?! Pure speculation again. Until Luke’s under Ben’s training we don’t see Luke’s aptitude being greater than Leia’s. Also, Yoda was convinced Leia was the “other hope” of defeating Vader/Emperor. I trust Yoda’s judgement more than author’s unfounded speculation.

    Luke – never stood a chance until he succeeded in mastering his emotions.
    Again – did we even watch the same movie(s)?
    Vader got has butt handed to him after he pushed Luke too far threatening to turn his sister. Would’ve wound up in more pieces than Darth Maul had Luke not stopped himself.

    I’m not gonna argue Luke’s (or other master’s are) more powerful than anyone else – just calling out this “Luke ain’t so hot…he was kind’a weaker than rest” as unfounded conjecture at best/false in many claims trying to back it up.
    Simple – Luke chopped Vader up!

    • August 19, 2015 at 3:29 am
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      The difference is how Anakin & Luke each responded to the situation when they had the choice to kill their adversary. When prodded to kill the apprentice of Sideous, Anakin obliged, because it’s what he really wanted to do, even though he new he shouldn’t. Whereas Luke saw that trap for what it was. Luke kept his head about him, and followed his training. One was ruled by his emotions, and the other was ruled by his sense of morality. Father and Son were really nothing alike in this case.

      And the suggestion that character flaws are some how genetic in nature is morally repugnant in and of itself.

    • August 19, 2015 at 3:36 am
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      forget midichlorian nonsense

    • August 19, 2015 at 7:28 am
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      He’s as strong as father if not more so.

  • August 18, 2015 at 11:59 pm
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    Mace windu never truly beat palpatines!
    He was aloud to win to force anakin to take that final step towards the dark side, just look at all the little whispers and nudges palpatines gives him throughout the PT, trust me, I’m your friend, no body understands you like I do, I’m your only hope! He was being groomed all the way!
    Wow just found something about the PT I actually like lol!

  • August 19, 2015 at 12:56 am
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    I have always viewed the fight between Palpati rand Mace as a situation where Palpatine purposely put himself in a situation where Anikin would be able to (appear) to save him. I know GL directed the scene with some ambiguity. And it should have been clearer. There’s a point where the red saber is right at Mace’s chest, and Palpatine hesitates instead of finishing him off. Plus, his ability to wield the force should have been sufficient to have thrown Mace out the window, if needed.

  • August 19, 2015 at 1:06 am
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    There is a MISTAKE in your plot:

    Anakin had died in Mustafar. Vader is a mix of machinery, a ciborg, Force and Hate… these are the things which let him to stay alive across the years. But the Love of his soon weakens his hate. The machine is damaged too in the struggle against Luke, and his Force is made now of the Dark Side, which is weaken too, of course, with the growing love toward his soon. Vader isn´t toying with Luke. He realizes that his end may be near and he tries to kill him, but without conviction, because in the deep, he doesn´t want to kill him. Finally with their last remnaants, Vader, now lost in the limbo between the both sides, and finally loving Luke too to let the Emperor to kill him, kill to Palpatine, and the Prophecy is made. And he returns to the light side…

  • August 19, 2015 at 1:09 am
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    Good old Luke Skywalker, the classic hero. To be honest, as a kid, i always sort of wanted to be Luke, which is sad, but i guess it has something to do with the fact that he grows up into somebody so awesome. I’m glad that luke wasn’t the chosen one, it would of ended the importance of character. Luke was merely a factor in this great prophecy, and making him the one who brought balance to the force would of made him cliche. Luke is us, he’s the young kid who stares out into the distance, and aims to do something more with his life.

    Sure he resist at first, but he takes the ultimate heroes journey. He answers to the call, and in the end he becomes a better person because of it. Some people say that luke is a weak character, or that the fact that he doesn’t get the girl (although that’s justified) makes him a sort of loser. I tell these people “fuck off”.

  • August 19, 2015 at 1:18 am
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    How does a guy who kills younglings with ease, witnesses the destruction of A planet and death of millions become good because of his love for his son?

    I can understand him saving his son because he loves him but going from Evil to good???

    • August 19, 2015 at 2:04 am
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      I’ll attempt to answer this. Him witnessing a planet being destroyed doesn’t mean he is very evil. There were many commanders and stormtroopers that witnessed it and did nothing. Doing nothing is bad, but it’s not the same as pulling the trigger. That’s on Tarkin.

      Yes, he did kill children but only did so under the command of Palpatine. It’s like being a warrior and doing some horrible things because your commanding officer ordered it. This doesn’t mean that Vader is innocent but it’s not like he wanted to kill Jedi children.

      • August 19, 2015 at 2:42 am
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        Nice try but it’s still a weak argument. There is simply no justification for what Vader did. All we have to really go on that Vader was “good” or had any good in him comes simply because Luke said so and he turned into a force ghost which Sith can not do. In fact there really isn’t any evidence that Anakin was good at all after he grew up. He was just a whiny, undisciplined megalomaniacle pride filled jerk. So by the time he grew up, he was already verging on the Dark Side for some reason that Lucas never explained.

        The prequels ruined Vader as a sympathetic character in any way.

        • August 19, 2015 at 7:04 am
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          I respectfully disagree about your comments regarding Anakin and the prequels. I recommend you watch them again. Throughout the prequels, the only thing that Anakin truly cared for was family. He was sad he had to leave his mother, distraught when she died. Ani deeply loved Padme and wasn’t going to let even the Jedi Code stop him from marrying her. He immensely feared losing Padme and was willing to flirt with the dark side if that meant saving her life. His family meant everything to him and it lends well to Vader we know in the OT. He was willing to drop the emperor to rule with his son.

          Anakin was arrogant. Perhaps because he was a great pilot at a young age. Perhaps he heard of the Chosen One prophecy and believed that it was his right to be the strongest. However, he didn’t care about actually fulfilling the prophecy. He was a bad Jedi (the Chosen One prophecy doesn’t say it has to be a Jedi) but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t a good guy.

          How was the PT Anakin good? Well, what is good? One answer is Loyalty. He was loyal to his family. He was loyal to Obi-Wan until their confrontation. He was loyal to the clonetroopers. He was loyal to the emperor. (Note he was never loyal to the Jedi Council as he believed they didn’t trust him and were jealous of his abilities). Another was he was good is that he was extremely courageous. He never backed out of a challenge and helped in fights immediately. Was he the most altruistic person or the most patient person? No. But that doesn’t mean Anakin wasn’t a good person. That is, until he fell to the dark side.

          • August 19, 2015 at 9:14 am
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            He was loyal to family. OK, the mafia do that. Are they good too? A good person is his brother’s keeper. He is a good neighbor. A good person is not just altruistic but charitable to others and a good person hates evil because of what it does to other people.

            Anakin’s “love” was a possessive, codependent, fearful type of love. This was the love he had for his mother, Obi-Wan and Padme. It was a fake love a kin to lust. True love casts out fear. But fear was his main motivator, not love, not goodness, not charity. It’s fake because it asks, “What can you do for me” or “What can I do for you because I love what you did for me first”.

            Anakin’s love was also familial. But that kind of love is limited to family and close friends. Again, One could be loving toward family members but evil to everyone else. Nazi’s did that much and that’s all Vader showed when the tossed the Emperor for Luke’s sake. That’s all Anakin showed as an adult and maybe even as a child too.

            Had the PT never been made, one could think that Anakin’s familial love for Luke was just the start of a return to a spirit who could be charitable and sacrificial to others not related to him or able to give anything to him. But no, the PT showed that Anakin was never any better then the rest of us who only love those who first love us which is really not the mark of a “good person.”

            The mark of a truly good person is one that will do good to all; even to those who will never do good to her in return.

          • August 20, 2015 at 5:29 am
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            Anakin was manipulated and the fear you speak of was injected into his mind by Palpatine. Palp used Anakins love and desire to protect others against him to turn him into an agent of evil. Anikan never would have turned unless he thought there was no other way to save Padme.

          • August 20, 2015 at 5:37 am
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            “Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. And hate leads to…suffering.”

            Given when Yoda said that, I don’t Palpatine injected it, only manipulated what was already there.

          • August 20, 2015 at 6:47 pm
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            My comment wasn’t meant to say familial ties makes one good. But rather loyalty is something good and Anakin was loyal to his family and some others too. He was loyal to the Emperor because the Emperor believed his abilities. Anakin wasn’t really loyal to the Jedi council as he felt they didn’t trust him and felt they were jealous of his force abilities.

            Yes, Anakin was fearful of losing his family. Just because he was scared of leaving his mother (reasonably so as he was only 9, left his home planet for the first time, and was surrounded by Jedi strangers). I didn’t see Yoda condemning Young Anakin but rather teaching him a lesson.

            Being fearful doesn’t make one bad. Malicious actions that flow from that fear makes on bad. If not, then that means Luke was evil in ep 5 and 6 as it showed him being a fearful person.

            The only reason why you think Vader is a “good person” is because we were told that in ROTJ. While you may say that the PT didn’t show a good Vader, I think you would have to say the OT didn’t either. The only thing we saw Vader do good was for his son (the same thing we saw in OT).

            It doesn’t follow that if someone isn’t good then it means that they are evil. I simply don’t subscribe to that dichotomious view on good and evil.

    • August 19, 2015 at 3:05 am
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      Because he lost himself trying to save padme and his unborn child/children. Its easy in war to become jaded. Watching a planet blow up from orbit or other Jedi die is impersonal. These are his ‘enemies’ who stood against him realizing his true potential. But when he actually got to the top. Padme was symbolic of the good in him and he felt his goodness died with her. Seeing luke faced with the same choice he made but succeed where he failed made him remember why he joined the dark side in the first place – to save the ones he loved. Luke was his last chance for redemption and vader knew even though he was too twisted and evil to be saved, he was redeemed just enough for a SINGLE good act to make sure that his son never had to live with the pain that he did.

      This wasn’t an instance of “The grinch’s heart grew three sizes that day” cliche.
      This was a father realizing that even if he was beyond saving, his son could be the man he never was – that’s an idea worth dying for.

    • August 19, 2015 at 3:44 am
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      Because being a good/evil person isn’t about what a person has done in the past. Those things can’t be undone. It’s about the future consequences of present actions, and deliberate choice made with a sound mind. Vader did some terrible things. He sat by and allowed even more terrible things to be done by others. But how many terrible things were averted by his decision to bring an end to his Sith Master at the cost of his own life?

      We all have to make decisions on a continual basis. Some of them with be good and some of them will be evil. Good people sometimes do evil things for the right reasons. And evil people sometimes do good things for the wrong reasons.

  • August 19, 2015 at 1:22 am
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    I don’t think luke will ever be a great swordsman. I believe the rumors that he is an old wizard like Ben Kenobi or Yoda during their later years. But I also wonder if being one of the only few force sensitives alive affects his connection to the force. After all…until episode 7 there are no jedi and no sith…just luke and his totally untrained sister.

  • August 19, 2015 at 2:40 am
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    Despite his heritage, does anyone else feel that Luke was used by Yoda and Ben to overthrow darkness?

    • August 19, 2015 at 6:17 am
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      Completely

  • August 19, 2015 at 3:15 am
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    No, all they had to do was turn on the light.

  • August 19, 2015 at 3:25 am
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    Luke skywalker is the only reason we care at our core – it’s fiction and he’s the only reason we care

  • August 19, 2015 at 3:59 am
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    You wax lyrical about Mace Windu (the most wooden Jedi on screen) yet not one mention of Qui-Gon Jin in your entire piece..?

    • August 19, 2015 at 6:41 am
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      You’re right I should’ve mentioned Qui-Gonn in the article, I’ve mentioned him a couple times in the comments

  • August 19, 2015 at 4:12 am
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    To the author you are an idiot. Luke being at obi wan’s level 30 years post rotj where the novel rotj states he is a equal to vader already after only one year of training. You claim in this laughable post vader was toying with luke in rotj that proves your sw knowledge is pathetic vader was ready to kill his son if he had to it’s stated in the book and luke handled vaders head to him he was the one toying with him he was trying to save him the entire time until he got mad and wrecked him. Stick to posting rumors you idiot you disrespect luke by posting this lousy speculation from someone with no knowledge of the sw universe your just a movie goer not a true fan.

    • August 19, 2015 at 6:22 am
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      The old movie novelizations aren’t canon so I didn’t refer to them. I referred only to current canon. I fail to see how having an opinion makes me an idiot just because I disagree with you.

      You let your emotions cloud your judgement

  • August 19, 2015 at 4:26 am
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    Someone has already probably said this by now but Luke really was essentially toying with Darth Vader during the duel. It is a total flip of their first encounter on Bespin. There is the initial clash, then the shot of Luke kicking Darth down the stairs and when he get’s to his feet he is off balance and his cape is pulled sideways, (he’s in rough shape already) Luke could have taken him any time at this point with minimal effort but wanted him to know he meant business and that he was not there to kill him but to turn him. (Reverse agenda of Palpatine) This was in no way a physical duel, but instead one of will power and agenda. Luke’s real power play was to save his Father’s soul and maybe distract Palpatine slightly as a potential bonus. Remember, the destruction of the death star and the victory for the Alliance was happening completely separate from his actions and inevitable regardless of the drama in the throne room. That’s what make’s those scenes so cool in that they are completely character and not plot driven. In reality Wedge and Lando took care of Palpatine. As to Luke’s power level’s versus the emperor, at first without a lightsabre he was out of his league but with one who knows. After rejecting the dark side full on, his abilities would have skyrocketed mentally and physically. By then he could probably force throw the Emperor through that window behind his throne and make a fancy new hood ornament for the Falcon.

    • August 19, 2015 at 5:49 am
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      I was really scared for a minute that nobody here knew what they were talking about. Glad to see you do. This article berates Luke so badly claiming his potential inhibits his growth for future films when in reality its the complete opposite. It is a fact according to Lucas in the novelizations of the OT and behind the scenes content that Luke mastered lightsaber combat and threw the force faster than any jedi has in history. So why in gods name would he be as powerful as obi-wan when he has slightly passed him already by the end of ROTJ? P.S. why are people seriously debating about Padme influencing Luke’s control of the force that’s preposterous.

  • August 19, 2015 at 4:59 am
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    Umm, Sidious LET Mace win. Watch the movie again, Brah! It’s a huge plot point in the film. You seriously think he could bet Yoda but let a mong like Mace beat him? LOL!

    • August 19, 2015 at 6:41 am
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      Mace was said to be a superior swordsman to Yoda in canon and non-canon sources. It is possible Sidious let Mace win but I feel Mace was a better swordsman.

  • August 19, 2015 at 5:41 am
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    To Grant,RS and Darth Darth especially thank you! these clowns and the author especially don’t know what they are talking about when it comes to star wars. Luke was extremely gifted even in ESB. Its stated in the novelization that he actually challanged Vader slightly with only a brief training session with Yoda. In the newest comics Luke beats Boba Fett only weeks after ANH when he is blinded and Jango was able to challenge Obi-Wan to a high degree these comics are cannon.

    This is for the author and those who don’t know anything about Luke read this
    http://www.comicvine.com/luke-skywalker/4005-6315/forums/luke-skywalker-respect-thread-700781/ before saying
    stupid things please. And yes Sidious did throw the fight to taint Anakin its not hard to realize that after he was able to defeat Yoda.

  • August 19, 2015 at 6:02 am
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    Who else here would like to see a Qui-gon jin spin off movie???

    • August 19, 2015 at 6:38 am
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      I always like the character, he’s my father’s favorite character from the prequels

  • August 19, 2015 at 6:16 am
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    Mark my words ( <—- pun intended possibly hehe) Luke's defensive use of the Force is what's gonna be on primary display in this film. Lifting, levitating and re-directing some seriously threatening shit is gonna be used as a crowd-pleasing establishment of his powerful abilities. Vader was the shit-your-pants villain of the OT and Luke is gonna be the shit-your-pants goodie of at least the first two ST films. So much so that the baddies are gonna be on some "Oh hell no, he's gotta GO!" type of hype regarding him after his presence is made known and felt.

    I'm pretty confident that JJ's partial answer to the "Who is Luke Skywalker" question is: "What Anakin COULD'VE been."

    (I can't wait til the scene where the baddie finally gets to approach Luke directly and says "This is your end, Skywalker!" and Luke replies, "You will TRY" – an inverted mirroring of the duel in ROTS between Anakin/Obi.)

    • August 19, 2015 at 7:09 am
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      Exactly!

    • August 19, 2015 at 8:06 am
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      That was a weak line. A better one would have been to simply say, “Make your move.”

      • August 19, 2015 at 8:32 am
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        ^^^ ::sigh:: If only we were discussing a sequel to the Matrix series then….maybe

        • August 19, 2015 at 7:48 pm
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          I think you would have typed that no matter what I wrote.

    • August 19, 2015 at 8:39 am
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      would love to hear that line come from Luke’s mouth you will try man that be awesome.

  • August 19, 2015 at 6:32 am
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    I can’t be the only one who thinks Luke turns into a crazy homeless guy right? His resume is farming which he hated, blowing up death stars, and killing sith. By the end of ROTJ that was all done. He was already showing signs of mental disorders in ESB by seeing thing and not differentiating the future from the present. So he put on a robe, grew a beard, and probably spent his time wandering the streets outside some cantina somewhere talking to his invisible friends or force ghosts. Qui Gon’s been teaching everyone how to appear, but Luke’s the only one who can see them, so he just goes madder and madder after thirty years of dead Jedi nagging him with stuff like “Drink your blue milk it will boost your midiclorians” and “Don’t leave your lightsaber lying around, it will start a new trilogy” and “maybe you shouldn’t spend so much time with those droids people are staring to talk”

  • August 19, 2015 at 7:01 am
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    I think the fact that Luke has not one but THREE of the most powerful force users in the the history of Star Wars as guides/teachers (via force ghosts) should be seriously considered as to why he could in fact be uber powerful. To continue his study of the force with what are essentially, god-like versions of those former jedi masters, would likely produce the most articulate instruction possible to the last remaining jedi in the galaxy. As stated earlier in the thread, Luke honed his abilities quite fast in a short time. In 30 years of intensive learning via Obi-Wan, Anakin and Yoda post ROTJ, I am inclined to believe Luke could have become the most powerful LIVING force user of all time. Potential is only an idea until it is realized. Anakin’s potential was never realized but Luke carries that lineage of potential. I don’t think that should be understated either. He even says “my father HAS it” in the trailer. The present tense used is a clue methinks. Luke is in constant communication with these force ghosts, in particular, his father.

    • August 19, 2015 at 7:10 am
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      Exactly. Between his innately raw affinity for the Force, his connection to the nether realm of the Force, and, possible holocrons, there’s no real reason for him to have only become some half-assed Force-wielder with unrefined abilities- especially after 30 years- especially after Yoda’s direct tutelage and Yoda’s imperative instruction to pass on what he has learned.

  • August 19, 2015 at 7:09 am
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    I don’t think Luke should have God-like capabilities,

    What To Aim For:

    Gandalf-like abilities.
    The thing that makes Gandalf awesome is that he has Limitations, but he is also powerful enough to take on a Nazgul [contrary to RotK’s extended scene] – he has great ability that outreaches that of Saruman, BUT HE DOESN’T USE IT until absolutely necessary.

    Gandalf can pyrosticknic the shiznit out of a bridge and pimp-slap a millenial hell beast. And when confronted with an asshole king, he just socks em in the face with a stick / horse, on 3 separate occasions. Like a Boss.
    But he doesn’t whine about it, he always has something up his sleeve that he ain’t showing us.

    This is what Luke should aim for. Not space-jesus, space wizard with a laser sword who ain’t taking no shit from no one. Is that so much to ask?!

    • August 19, 2015 at 8:46 am
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      this isn’t lord of the rings this is Star Wars I will quit liking star wars if they make Luke a lame wizard like Gandulf. I wan’t the powerful master from the EU because it makes sense. Luke gained so much power so fast and beat Vader in less than a year. Thirty years later should make sense for him to be a monster.

      • August 19, 2015 at 5:36 pm
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        BTW, Gandalf is like Obiwan’s twin brother.
        So I’m not sure what your on about with your rampant anti-spacewizardry.

        If you disagree with Star Wars being about space-wizards, you are my enemy.

  • August 19, 2015 at 7:18 am
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    The lights on the new poster are definitely from Bespin and close to the Carbon freezing chamber. If the rumour IS true of one of our heroes being mortally wounded in TFA, is it conceivable that he/she is taken to Cloud City and frozen? That would contribute to the need to find Luke and perhaps discover Plagius and his secret to ‘stop loved ones from dying’! Just a random thought.

  • August 19, 2015 at 7:30 am
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    I believe something from behind the scenes should be considered for this as well.
    From 1976 to 1983 the idea of power and how it could be visualized was a lot different compared to 1999 to 2005, when visualization was the focus for everything.

    I can imagine that for TFA the best of both styles will be used to show how powerful Luke has become.

    Considering that I guess that even if Luke could only beat his farther with a hint of dark side, he still did beat him and with more experience and trust in the power of the light side he will eventually become stronger than his father. And if we believe that Palpatine really believed what he said about Anakin’s power plus what all the other comments theorize with the support from up to three force mentors I believe (and hope) that Luke is this never before seen Super Sayan Jedi. Go Luke!

  • August 19, 2015 at 8:08 am
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    Whoever wrote this article is an idiot. Luke clearly beat Vader in ROTJ. Just read the novel if it isn’t clear enough from the movie. Vader was not holding back anything and got smoked by Luke at the end. The whole reason the Emperor wants Luke as an apprentice is precisely because he is what Vader could have been had he not sustained lava burns. He says it in Empire, “the son of skywalker must not become a Jedi , he could destroy us” seriously have you even watched star wars

    • August 19, 2015 at 8:40 am
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      You are right friend the editor of this is a jackass. It made me mad when I read this joke of an editorial.

      • August 19, 2015 at 9:34 am
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        It’s called “click-bait” my friend. Something this site will shamelessly employ at the drop of a hat to maintain readership. They’ll also ban IP’s and delete posts that don’t conform to this idea of revelry at the drop of a hat as well.

        As Obi-wan told Luke in ANH on their way to Mos Eisley, “We must be CAUTIOUS”.

        • August 19, 2015 at 9:40 am
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          This is getting out of hand. Calling names and creating rumors is not the proper way to express a diverging opinion.

          • August 19, 2015 at 9:50 am
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            ^^^ Hehehe THIS guy. OK

        • August 19, 2015 at 5:39 pm
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          I’ve yet to come across an article that requires me to click more than once, which is sort of a deal-breaker as far as click-bait is concerned.

          I respect this site’s firm policy of keeping ONE article on ONE page.

          Also, NO HAT’S WILL BE DROPPED WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION.

    • August 19, 2015 at 9:20 am
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      Vader had an internal conflict. Only his kids could turn him around. Yoda and Kenobi could not fathom a “good” Vader. Only the love of a son was able to do it.Luke was right as Anakin from ROTJ agrees.

  • August 19, 2015 at 8:11 am
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    Sorry idiot is a strong word but seriously watch Star Wars again

    • August 19, 2015 at 8:24 am
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      I was watching the ROTJ duel while I was writing this. I watch the OT weekly for new ideas.

      The novelizations are no longer canon thus I didn’t bring them into the discussion alongside any other non-canon piece. We do have a forthcoming interview with one of the writers of the old novelizations which you may find an interesting read.

      There have been several explanations in the comments I have found to provide good arguments as to how Luke overcame Vader in their duel. I do feel that Anakin’s potential was lost somewhat when he became a cyborg.

      Also you haven’t addressed it but others have and I suppose I should chime in on the training aspect. Anakin was able to train during the height of the order so his process was long and deliberate, whereas Luke had to receive a crash course. So Luke learned the important things a lot quicker but lacked Vader’s refinement.

      • August 19, 2015 at 9:30 am
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        I don’t think that was the height of the order when the force was cloudy and the Dark Side elusive and their access to the force was restricted. But Anakin did train at a time when the force was less out of whack then Luke did and Luke as you stated still picked it up quick after a late start with limited resources and still resisted the Dark Side when it was at it’s strongest. Then He had 30 years to further train when the force was presumably balanced (until the Knights of Ren come along) and everything was made more clear. So, yeah, I would think that by the time of TFA that a…sky’s the limit.

      • August 19, 2015 at 12:28 pm
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        I feel you’re making a more powerful jedi. In the way how you reply to being called an idiot. Than the ones doing so.

      • August 19, 2015 at 1:55 pm
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        I have watched ESB with commentary and in the scene where Vader talks to the emperor and the emperor says the line “The son of Skywalker must not become a Jedi. He could destroy us…” George Lucas himself explains that both the Emperor and Vader know that Luke has the potential to be more powerful than the emperor just like Vader did pre mustafar burns. So Vader actually has an agenda to turn Luke to the dark side because he wants to overthrow the Emperor, and at the same time the Emperor wants Luke because he sees in Luke the apprentice he lost with Vader, since Vader actually ended up a disappointment due to his burns and lost potential. Vader knew he couldn’t beat the emperor any more in a direct confrontation. The only reason he did defeat the emperor was because he took him by surprise but the process killed him as well. The point is that George Licas himself confirms that Luke is what Vader potentially could have been power wise

  • August 19, 2015 at 9:23 am
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    Look at what training was available to Anakin. Even if he was too old to begin training, he was still WAY younger then when Luke began his. Luke was about 18 when he only found out what the force was. And so it wasnt really explained to him beside by Obi-Wan for about 5 minutes. He had one training remote lesson with a light saber before losing Obi-Wan to Vader. And to top it all off, by himself, he was able to use force abilities such as pulling his light saber to himself after being smacked by a Wampa. In my opinion Anakin did bring balance to the force; by bringing Luke into the equation.

    • August 19, 2015 at 10:57 am
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      Anakin brought balance to the force by killing the Emperor, haven’t you ever listened to what George Lucas said about balance? He said balance is all light side, not equal parts dark and light.

  • August 19, 2015 at 11:03 am
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    The thing that bugs me a bit is the thought of Luke having any kind of dealings with Force Ghost Hayden Christensen [shudder]

  • August 19, 2015 at 2:03 pm
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    Luke achieved the full potential his father was supposed achieve. – Lucas told this.
    ENOUGH SAID. NO NEED FOR SPECULATION.

  • August 19, 2015 at 3:00 pm
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    I have to disagree with this article’s assessment of Mace. I am convinced that Mace’s defeat of Palps in their duel was all part of Palp’s plan to manipulate Anakin into turning to the Darkside. Palps dispatched two of the three Jedi that came into his office in less than 3 seconds and then he deliberately kept stringing Mace along knowing that conflicted Anakin would soon come in and see him in a defenseless position. That’s not to say that it wouldn’t have taken Palps longer to kill mace than it took him to kill the other Jedi, but I think Palps would have come out on top either way. I think Yoda was tops in lightsaber combat among the Jedi- Anakin and Obi-Wan seemed to think so when they talked about it in AoTC.

  • August 19, 2015 at 4:10 pm
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    I think the whole midiclorean, power level stuff here is a purely Prequel idea. Luke became adept in the force and lightsaber combat in a short number of months/years, Jedi traditionally train for decades to do the same. He defeated both Vader and Palpatine, one physically, the other in a moral conflict. and he did so without shutting off his emotions. as yoda explains, the force is everywhere, and it flows through you. I don’t think there are ‘limits’ or ‘levels’ only your own belief. that is why Luke was able to defeat Vader, because vader’s own belief was shaken, he had been cowed by the emperor for years and Luke’s own belief in his father shook vader. I think depending on how the 30 years between ROTJ and TFA went for luke he could easily be the most powerful jedi we’ve seen on screen, in touch with his emotions and fully connected to the force, still, I don’t think he will be pulling star destroyers down with his powers, it will be more a serine ‘Galadriel-esque’ power I assume.

    • August 19, 2015 at 8:44 pm
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      I agree with this comment and several others that appeared later in the comments of this blog entry. Luke Skywalker is so important and central to the mythos of not even just Star Wars, but our culture, because he transcends all previous concepts that the good guys and bad guys had advocated for millennia. His appeal goes beyond movies and has entered into the realms of the best mythologies of human history.

      His “power” in the movies is difficult to discern to many a younger fan perhaps because they have become accustomed to power being evidenced by ever more fantastical acrobatic lightsaber battles through the prequel trilogy. When looking at duels through the lens of the prequels, the OT duelists appear less pronounced and gifted. But this fails to recognize that Luke was trained in weeks by Yoda, not over a lifetime, as the prequel Jedi were. He then had a year to hone his skills and learn to build a lightsaber on his own. He became more powerful than Vader, though Anakin was the Chosen One. Anakin was more powerful than Sidious in the end. Luke was more adept than either of them, in that he transcended the good/evil dichotomy that had been taught to him and threw away his lightsaber, choosing non-action, passivity, and peace in the face of unspeakable evil. This is what Yoda learned in the last of the Clone Wars episodes, during his first trip to the Dagobah Cave. Killing and violence does not overcome the evil of killing and violence.

      Luke’s actions of course called upon the familial love deep inside Anakin. The man who would have done anything to save Padme realized that nearly everything that was left of her was dying on the floor in front of him. Luke fused the human emotions with the transcendence that even Yoda never fully comprehended (he did send Luke to kill Vader, after all).

      Luke Skywalker is the greatest Jedi, and I am ridiculously elated at the chance we will all have to see what has happened to him. While it is a juvenile notion at heart, Luke was the most “powerful” Jedi ever, at just 23 years old, with a few weeks of training.

  • August 19, 2015 at 5:46 pm
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    Luke never uses the dark side to defeat vader, contrary to hate, he uses love, when vader mentioned that Leia could be the one who joins the dark side, is when that trigger the natural instinct of protection (“follow your instincts” Qui Gon) Lukes uses the love to his family as the power source of the light for defeat the hate of the dark. the sacrifice without doubt

    • August 19, 2015 at 9:11 pm
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      Um….he most certainly did use the dark side when lopping off Vader’s hand. That’s why he looked at his own mechanical hand afterward. That was the moment that he realized just how dangerously seductive and deceptive the dark side could be. Vader pissed Luke off purposely with the Leia comment just to get him to touch the dark side and get drawn into.

      Seriously some of you folks don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about and are over thinking this shit wayyy too much (-_-)

  • August 20, 2015 at 1:16 am
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    this editorial has a damn good point, but i hope luke is a forcegod.

  • August 20, 2015 at 8:33 am
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    What in the world are you talking about? Luke totally has the natural ability of his father. That was the whole point.

  • August 20, 2015 at 11:33 am
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    My Luke toy is the Black Series 6” from Jedi, posed exactly the same way as at the start of this article 😛

  • August 28, 2015 at 12:03 am
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    Lucas himself has stated that Luke is more powerful than Anakin. Was Anakin more skilled at an earlier age, yes, because his training began when he was younger, but in the end Luke has a higher potential.

  • September 17, 2015 at 7:17 am
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    1. Palpatine allowed Mace to “defeat” him, in order to further push Anakin to the darkside.
    2. He had 2 masters and his father redeemed, to guide him in the last 30 years, as force ghosts…

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