What was Luke about to do?

There's a lot more to it than just being a sore loser.
Luke was the savior of the galaxy. The Legendary Luke Skywalker...and he failed. But not only did he fail he failed at the expense of his nephew.
So he let down the people closest to him, in his mind at least.
Neither Han nor Leia hold it against Luke. Or at least that we are privy to.
He feels internal shame and guilt over letting his nephew become a Darth Vader wannabe.
He feels the same shame and guilt over losing his sister's and best friend's son to the dark after being trusted with him.

This is not a small thing. This is a huge problem for Luke to overcome.

 

No you just can't go full 1 or full -1 like that on a character.

It's more subtle than that. And Master Skywalker was about to kill himself with such a knowledge of the Force, it's just not possible.

Because he should know that there is no death, there is only the Force and that being alive is the Force's will.

Hondo comitting suicide, Skywalker comitting suicide, where do we go ? It's a movie for kids.

A wise man who's going to kill himself and discovering someone interrupting the process should think about providence and not yell "GO AWAY" to the materialization of the will of the Force.

 

My little 7 year old daughter was brought to tears of happiness by that scene. Everyone would do well to see this film (and many others) through the unspoiled, non-cynical, open minded, happy and caring eyes of a child. She adored Rose and Finn's adventure, the stable kids, the falthiers, and the Porgs. George Lucas had said it best when he consistently reiterated that Star Wars IS for KIDS, and adults just happen to enjoy it. Thank goodness that's how the ST filmmalers view these films as well. We all could benefit from a healthy dose of imagination and wonderment in our lives.

--- Double Post Merged, Dec 22, 2017, Original Post Date: Dec 22, 2017 ---

Honestly, and I mean this in the least offensive way possible, but it's clear critical thinking isn't your forte. That's not a bad thing. Not everyone is good at that. That said, you obviously either didn't understand the complexities of the film, OR you hated its message of inclusivity OR you prefer an action heavy popcorn film. That's all fine and OK and I absolutely do not fault you for any of those things. I am just trying to get to the root of your passionate consternation. That said, I definitely do remember you, to use your words, "taking a dump" all over TFA in this forum too. I remember you calling it a rehash (remind me to go find those old posts of yours when I have time). Which is of course ironic because you now are bloviating about how "different" they made your Luke and your Star Wars.

What's clear is that anyone having a problem with the themes of this film and the handling of the OT characters:

A.) has not been paying attention to the trajectory of the Star Wars canon as a whole for the past few years, because this film is NOT different from the broad themes being developed there;

B.) cannot understand the complexities of this film and the new treatment of the Force and the idea of legacy and what makes a person different and special;

C.) and truly DID want a rehash of the OT with similar beats and a similar heroes Arc for Luke to play out again.

This isn't your Star Wars. It's everybody's. It isn't the Skywalkers' Force. It's everybody's. Your head canon won't be catered to in lieu of telling a good, different, compelling story. Nobody's hero is perfect. Nobody is. But we all have greatness in us. This is the central theme of the new Star Wars, and that's fresh and makes for an exciting, unpredictable future.

 

Maybe meditate a bit.

 

Join the Force. Perhaps this is why the Force intervened when it did in TFA and the saber went nuts?

 

Great speculation. This will be my head canon until proven otherwise.

One issue though, if he was cut off from the force, how would he join it? Was he prepared to die a mortals death?

 

He was about to show off his six pack.

 

i'm with you, i reckon he was off to burn down the tree. that's the only thing he could do sitting around on that island, apart from allow himself to meld with the Force. i'd imagine if you had the opportunity to choose though you'd probably want to do that in the buff...

 

Good question. Perhaps he was willing to use it one final time? Or perhaps he was just going to jump!

 

Whoa whoa whoa. Okay. Wait. If this is implying what I think it's implying I might have to change my mind on something. Him going to the island to waste away I'm fine with, but the idea of Luke just committing suicide like that is not cool. I like the regretful hermit, but the regretful suicidal hermit is a bit too far for me.

 

I wonder if it was like in Castaway, when Hanks keeps contemplating suicide but doesn’t go through with it - or tries to and fails?

I don’t know, there’s a lot to contemplate right now.

 

But what if it was to become one with the Force rather than "kill himself?"

 

Because he had cut himself off from the Force. If he had jumped off the cliff, that would have been it. He wouldn't have become one with the Force, he wouldn't have saved the Galaxy, he wouldn't have EVER been able to pass down what he learned. That's be it. That sounds like a hilariously bad "What If," Infinities story, but I don't like to contemplate the idea of Luke Skywalker as suicidal. That's where I draw the line on "sad Luke." Regretful, tired, and wasting Luke I find fascinating, willingly suicidal without any redemption Luke kind of offends me tbh.

 

What I mean is, he was dressed in Jedi robes. In my mind, that means he was about to reconnect to the Force and then attempt to become one with it. If he was to the point of just jumping off a cliff (this idea makes me lol it's so implausible), I doubt he'd go through the trouble to dress in his Jedi robes.

 

Wow this is being misread. As a few people pointed out, when we see Luke next dressed like this he was going to burn the tree and destroy the Jedi texts to make sure the Jedi would end. So before she came, he was going to destroy the texts, not kill himself.

 

Yeah I don't think suicidal Luke was ever on the cards, this is still a family film. The whole themes and implications connected to suicide are not appropriate for children to witness. It would be morally irresponsible to do so especially with youth suicide rates as high as they are. Its not something Disney would allow.

I think the whole last Jedi rite thing was to destroy the texts and the tree. Giving Luke some sort of closure. I think the robes were ceremonial/poetic in their use. The last Jedi Master being the one to destroy the remnants of the Jedi order.

It also mirrors Anakins actions in a way as well. Anakin destroyed the Jedi order, Luke almost finished his fathers work. Work which his grandson is also trying to complete.

 

He didn't want the Jedi Books to be taken, he was about to do what he did at the end of the movie... set the Jedi Tree on fire. But he didn't because the books weren't going to fall into the wrong hands. Luke put the robes on before he went to burn the tree and books at the end of the movie. What he did after that, meditate and project was not what he was going to do at the start of the movie.

 

While I agree that a suicidal Luke is not something you'd want to explore and show in a kids movie (although you do have Holdo's suicide), the movie gives me no choice but to consider that to be the most logical thing for him to do, according to the movie's own script.

Luke is the last Jedi, and he says: "The Jedi need to end" and that he "came to this island to die". This is explicitely said in the script. The book "Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know" seems to reveal that Luke was on Ahch-To for at least two years. Luke also told Rey something like "Why did you think I came to the most unfindable place in the galaxy? For no reason at all?".

So, why did he went to the island? To die wouldn't be the only answer, he could have done that elsewhere. Was it to burn the books and tree, and perhaps himself in the process? And if so, what took him so long? Why didn't he do it?