Why did Luke have to die? Honest question

A key part of 'the hero's journey' I thnik is the rise of the hero from 'mentor' to 'master'.

To do that, the mentor needs the master to teach them, so that they too can become a master. However, to truly become the hero, there can be no other person better than them - but while ever the master exists, there always will be.

In order for the hero to become 'the greatest', there can be no other to share that mantle. But by definition the master is always greater, because they hold all the knowledge.

It's a bit of a 'catch 22', which is often overcome by taking the master out of the picture once the hero knows what they need to know. The obvious and probably most certain way of doing that is to have the master die. Then the hero is free to complete their journey.

 

Who knows.

If Ben/Ren dies redeemed or not in 9 then Han & Luke's deaths will seem pointless.

Another point. If Luke's death was for Rey to continue the legacy of the Jedi then it a mute point since she haves the books & she just end up making all the same mistakes previous generations of Jedi did.

 

Personally I would have let Luke die in IX. But it makes sense to have him die in TLJ.

1) the ST isn't his story any longer. It's the story of Rey, Finn, Poe, Kylo etc.
2) having him as a force ghost is very useful for IX. He can appear to Rey AND Kylo.

Rian once said he let Luke die because it felt right. It was hard for him, but he thought it would be better for the story he wanted to tell. And that's the point I guess.

There was always the plan that TFA is Han's movie, TLJ Luke's and IX Leia's. So it's reasonable to believe Luke dies in TLJ.

 

He didn't "die." He became one with the force at will. Much like Obi-Wan.

 

Had he been there the only outcome would have been for Kylo to die or for Luke to die. In this instance Luke achieves a victory for the Resistance while going out on his terms in the most Jedi way imaginable.

 

From a story perspective, it highlights the culmination of Luke's journey. He has found his way back to the Force and is totally unified with it. He has also exemplified the Jedi way by protecting others without violence.

As a fan, however, it does seem like a loss. I think many of us fell in love with the wise, older Luke of Legends. It kind of sucks that we won't get anything like that in canon.

 

Why did Qui Gon die? Why did Obi Wan die? Why did Han Solo die? Why did Yoda die?

 

Fair enough. I think the situation here is a bit different though, because those characters started out as mentor figures and we're prepped for them to bite it.

But for Luke, fans were so excited to have him back. When they announced the sequel trilogy, everyone went "Hooray! Luke is back!" Then TFA comes out. "Okay, not yet, cool." Then TLJ comes out and Luke is an island hermit. "Okay, he's not himself, but he'll come back." Then Luke walks out on Crait. "Hooray! Luke is back!" And theeeeen he's gone.

Tl;dr Luke's death is different because it defies character expectations and denies the fans a long-waited reunion.

This is perfect. That's why I think Luke's "death" works in-story. Still, the fan in me wishes we could see the old Luke back one more time.

 

To be fair, we were already 30 years too late to see any Luke's adventures and him doing all sorts of cool stuff which none of the old EU stuff was well suited for his current age without doing a recast to a younger Luke. I just wish George did a ST before doing the PT since you don't have to rely on the original cast to do the PT and it could of been done at any point in time. The time for a proper ST was wasted with the PT.

 

It’s the intrinsic drama attached to removing a character’s safety net. How compelling would Rey’s role as protagonist be if the audience knows Luke is still around to save the day? Eliminating that element raises the stakes moving forward.

The premise entering into this trilogy was that recruiting Luke was the needed solution. Now that’s not an option. The kids have to do it on their own . . . crisis before climax.

 

Everyone dies.
Everyone will die.
No one escapes death.

 

Even if I brush and floss? Everyday? Pft, screw it then.

 

especially if you floss.
dentists are in on it.

 

Maybe I am in the minority, but I never celebrated that Luke was back. I celebrated that Star Wars was back. It wouldnt have mattered to me at all had they simply started with new characters.

Now why did Luke have to move on from the physical realm. I believe both JJ and RJ said that the danger with Luke is he sucks all of the oxygen out of the room. He couldnt be what so many wanted him to be and have a compelling story. He couldnt be the Super Jedi in a cape taking down the FO all by himself. If so then logic tells you the FO should never have been able to develop. Super Luke should have swooped in and taken out the FO at the very beginning. Remember more powerful and experienced Jedi couldnt foresee the rise of Palpatine. Why would Luke be able to be Super Luke.

So JJ and RJ reached out and used what Star Wars has always used and went back to tried and true Hero's Journey which has already been talked about in this thread.

 

This trilogy isn't about Luke, but we got a fantastic film about Luke's final days. Luke pulls off one the most bad ass Jedi moments ever. It's a nod to everything we know about him. It's perfect.

Plus, no one is really ever gone. We know he'll factor in somehow and now he can function as a support character.