SPECULATION Possible connection between Luke and the Cross Saber...

DB is the new Luke while JB is the new Leia/C3PO/Han. Rey at the end of Episode IX will surpass Luke at his height.

--- Double Post Merged, Jul 1, 2015, Original Post Date: Jul 1, 2015 ---

I mean DR is the new Luke.

 

Hermit? -You mean like Yoda and OB1 at the start of the OT?

Failure? - You mean like Yoda and OB1 at the start of the OT?

Weirdo? - Isn't one of the core elements of Luke is that he's a pariah? Isn't that how he starts and largely ends the OT? Jedi are disliked, mistrusted and mostly extinct.

Luke is not freakin' Superman. He doesn't fly around omnipotent and invulnerable. He has a rare, powerful connection to the energy field that surrounds all living things, but he knows the only way to use those skills is to be passive, calm and he was instructed by one of the greatest mentors in the galaxy to NOT seek adventure or excitement.

Star Wars is not Avengers. You don't fly around and punch every single problem you have in the face and then eat fast food and preen.

Luke in the OT represented the old idea that if a young, bright mind can shake off the shackles of their economic and domestic situation, strike out on their own with nothing but their talent and their faith, they can accomplish anything, even deposing the most powerful Emperor in history. It's an American adage as old as Huckleberry Finn and just as poetic as Wizard of Oz.

Luke is not a god. Luke doesn't swish a sword around and everything is fixed and everyone falls in love with him. It's not that kind of fantasy.

The Jedi have decades of history of hiding, waiting patiently and passing their gifts onto a younger generation. That appears to be Luke's exact starting disposition in the film.

It all sounds pretty familiar to me.

Super heroes do not belong in Star Wars. The Jedi are vulnerable, secretive and have been pariahs in the galaxy since they were blamed for one of the bloodiest wars across the entire galaxy in history.

To me, the character I'm most worried about is Leia. A very cold, cruel, militant Leia worries me very much. Her whole arc in the OT is to realize that clinical work ethic and obsession aren't enough, you need love, compassion and family to win. I worry that whole arc will be forgotten and Leia is more like she was at the start of IV and that seems rather regressive and unfair to a woman who came to learn and love a lot more in V and VI. My humble ten cents.

 

Luke will pass down everything he knows about the Force to Rey. Rey will eventually surpass Luke in power, understanding of the force and greatness as a Jedi by the end of Ep. 9.

 

Hello @emprahm, this is a weird statement/viewpoint.
You have no sources and that is the reason why you don't post much?
I have no sources either but I post nonetheless. (I guess to each his own)
Thanks for your interesting take on the cross guard saber, it could be spot on.

--- Double Post Merged, Jul 1, 2015, Original Post Date: Jul 1, 2015 ---

You hit the nail.

 

I, for one, agree with you wholeheartedly. This is what I have said for what seems like an eternity, that when Luke emerged from the OT he was a minimally trained, passive hero who overcame the obstacles not because of his power in the Force, but because of his compassion and love for friends and family. THAT is what is the most powerful force in the galaxy. Not even love, but emotion (whether the "dark" or the "light"). Darth Vader himself says it, "This battlestation is nothing compared to the power of the Force." (Or words to that effect...) The Jedi went off course when they tried to be super-heroes and not just super-people. (Wow, that sounds super-corny now that I read it back...)

I understand why people don't want Luke to be a hermit, failure, flawed character... he is the ultimate good guy in most people's mind and they don't want their perception of him to be diminished. But the reality is, that he is a less interesting character if there is no conflict in him or "journey" for him to take. I would rather see further development of a more complex character arc for him, rather than a simple linear "pure good guy" one because that represents real life, something we can all relate to. And relatability of characters is important for the ST to be successful (and where I believe the PT... struggled, to put it nicely.)

 

Without a doubt one of the best post's I read today!
Where can I sign?

--- Double Post Merged, Jul 1, 2015, Original Post Date: Jul 1, 2015 ---

It's nice to see someone with so much love and enthusiasm about a new character we even don't know yet.
The flipside on this is, that it seems that you're obsessed/biased and that is never a good thing. (you get much heat for it)

 

I argue Luke's growth potential is still very high and that his first lesson is to learn how to be a mentor. If the rumors are any guide, his first attempt failed miserably.

Luke isn't even fully realized yet, his failure in the cave, the loss of his Aunt and Uncle, the loss of his father, his complete alienation and separation from his mother. I don't think he's ever fully resolved those conflicts and that sadness within him.

Now one way you can develop him is to turn him dark, no doubt about it, an easier, seductive path not just for the character but for the writer too, because you have a template already to follow. But to me, that seems a repetition of the previous story.

So, I can see Kasdan thinking, "hey let's turn Luke dark, because he's fulfilled his destiny and that's a strong place to take him".

But I can't see Kasdan thinking, "the only thing left to grow with Luke, is to turn him dark."

For what it is worth, I wager he doesn't become dark, I wager he goes completely in the other direction that he becomes even more enlightened even more in tune with the energy that binds the galaxy together. He'll become more like Yoda and OB1 with each progressive film.

I wager he DOES distance himself from Leia's political ambitions. If Leia's rumored disposition in the film is accurate, that's where I see internal conflict developing, not within Luke, but actually within Leia and with Luke distancing himself from her decisions more and more. Just a hunch, but I think that's equally as interesting than having Luke descend into the same plot track as his father.

The whole point of TFA is to demonstrate that the rebellion did NOT fully succeed and that the galaxy is still largely divided. That's the universe we inherit in VII, like the reconstruction phase after the Civil War, there's all kinds of factions and skirmishes and mistrust from both sides of the previous war.

Also the disposition towards Jedi is completely different now. You can't even ADMIT you are a Jedi in most places without putting yourself at serious risk. Jedi are hunted and hated by many in the galaxy still. In the old days the Jedi were practically celebrities and revered, but that's all gone now. The Jedi blasted up, they went to war without even really understanding the seeds behind the war. That failure has cost the Jedi their prestige, perhaps even irrevocably.

Indeed I wager Luke realizes the mistake this was and will never again allow the Jedi to be purely politically motivated moving forward. He may refuse to fight Leia's fight, that's part of what might be going on here.

We really need to get over this idea that Luke is so uber and amazing that it makes no sense he's isolated and patient. He's NOT a general, he's not a political advocate, he does NOT crave power or glory.

Also Luke's disposition is NEW not old. For centuries the Jedi were seen as knights and guardians of the republic. That is no longer the case and the events over the Endor moon and the death of the Emperor have not changed that. Indeed many in the galaxy BLAME the Jedi for the long, bloody Clone War and the long, bloody civil war that followed.

He's a divisive, dangerous, misunderstood mythic figure. He is steeped in mystery, he has many enemies and he may not be fully on board with what the Resistance is up to. He is a Monk, rather than say a Paladin. He is a reluctant warrior now, that was part of the whole arc of IV through VI. What does Luke do at the final, climatic conflict? He throws his saber away. He refuses to attack. He says, "I'd rather die than give into hatred". His father saves him and in the process redeems himself.

This was the lesson of the cave. This is the lesson of Luke. A swashbuckling, super powerful, Paladin Warrior is NOT who Luke is, not anymore, he's a reclusive, patient advocate for peace and compassion. How one remains peaceful and compassionate while confronting powerful enemies that want to destroy him is Luke's dilemma and challenge.

 

I really like this part. You could be on to something here ^^

 

Here is what we need from Luke. At the end of the OT Luke redeemed a father he barely knew just to see him die. He was tortured by the most powerful being in history, taught by two of the wisest and toppled an Empire (with help). But we need to think about Luke's goals. He fully expected to die with the Emperor and that Vader would be redeemed I'm assuming to right the Galaxy. His main endeavor, especially in ROTJ, was to save Anakin, not save the Galaxy like a cowboy. Luke was an intensely compassionate and emotional character; self sacrificing and yet still in control of his emotions.

Fast forward 30 years.

i assume Luke is more powerful in the force than he was at the end of ROTJ. Maybe Yoda and Obi wan train him, maybe not. But his quest for knowledge in the Force and people to pass that knowledge onto would be a lifelong endeavor. Luke was wholeheartedly dedicated to those he loved and not one to give up. If he has any flaws, it is this unwavering devotion to his friends and family. He risked his life and one of the last hopes to defeat the emperor when he went to Bespin. Luckily it worked out. But this innate quality is one of the few things you can consider a flaw.

Anyways, maybe he has a successful academy, or maybe he has one that gets destroyed, we don't really know yet. But knowing the character of Luke, if there is some evil to fight or good to be done, he will fully commit to the cause regardless of where this evil needs to be fought or where this good needs to be done. One thig is for certain, he is still compassionate and loyal.

So if something bad happened to people he cared for. maybe it would effect him greatly. Not make him crazy, but sad and losing hope.

But Luke is still a self sacrificing hero. And that is how his story will end, not as a quiet passing like Yoda, but much more heroically and dramatic. People will cry when they see the heroism and self sacrifice. And it will be a scene that tops lists like these:

http://www.watchmojo.com/mobile/id/11847

 

This is the best take on the character arc of Luke I have read yet. Bravo.