Favorite Characters: Luke Skywalker (Star Wars)

*Luke-related spoilers.*

I’ve talked about Leia, and I’ve talked about Han, now it’s time for the last member of the trio. Luke can get a bad rap, and he has a fair amount of protagonist baggage working against him, but I do like him, and he’s a big part of what makes Star Wars what it is.

We’ll start with the demerits, just to get them out of the way. All of the trio are our heroes, but Luke is The Hero, which gives some extra weight to his storyline. He’s our eyes into the series, which means he’s just some farm kid on his first adventure. He’s never done anything like this before, and his everyman status can make him feel a little bland beside the rebel princess and the roguish smuggler. He’s earnest and emphatic, and yes, he spends the first part of A New Hope whining about his boring life on Tatooine. He’s also something of a Chosen One, meaning there are all these special things he can do Because Plot. He’s simultaneously “just like us” and “the most special person of all,” which can feel like a played-out combo.

But a lot of that is external stuff placed on Luke by the narrative, hero’s journey trappings that he can’t control. Who is Luke within the story? Again, he’s a bored, earnest farm kid who’s longing for a bit of adventure. He’s antsy on his aunt and uncle’s moisture farm and is itching to join the Imperial Academy (yikes!) to bring some excitement to his life. When he catches a glimpse of Leia’s message hidden in R2, he wants to help her, not just because she’s in trouble, but because he’s taken with her and likes the idea of being her hero.

That’s not the best setup, but Luke manages to make the most of it. He’s tenacious in his efforts to rescue Leia, alternately wheedling Han, showing he knows his way around a laser cannon, and improvising in dangerous situations. And when they do find Leia, even though she’s spiky and sarcastic and doesn’t match the fantasy he’d built up in his head, he goes back to the Rebel base with her and gets involved in her fight, landing a decisive blow against the Empire in the critical Battle of Yavin.

While Luke is a bit self-centered to start with, one of his best qualities is how he cares for those around him. Han is more than just a convenient pilot for hire to Luke—yes, he wants his help to rescue Leia, but after that, he wants Han to stick around because 1) he likes him, and 2) he wants to believe that Han too will fight for something bigger than himself. Luke quickly develops a strong bond with Leia, and even though there’s a romantic tinge to it at the start, he doesn’t get surly about her and Han making eyes at each other. By the time he learns that they’re actually brother and sister, he accepts that as an undisputed good thing in his life. He’s devastated when Obi-Wan is killed by Vader, and going forward, when he’s confused and in doubt, he looks to Obi-Wan’s Force ghost for guidance. He’s fond of the droids, especially R2, and he treats them with consideration.

In fact, Luke’s devotion to his friends gets in the way of the sort of hero he’s told he’s “supposed” to be. While training on Dagobah with Yoda, he discovers that Han and Leia are in danger, and his first instinct is to rush off to help him. Yoda insists that he needs to stay, arguing that it’s paramount to finish his training rather than get caught up in his personal attachments, but Luke refuses. It’s true that things go badly, and he fears that his presence has endangered his friends further, since Vader’s obsession with him puts them in the Sith lord’s crosshairs. But that instinct, that choice to help even when his teacher was telling him to harden himself and focus on what was asked of him, is such an important part of Luke.

Whether he’s joyously celebrating with Leia and Han after the Battle of Yavin, racing off to Bespin to try and help them, or using his Force abilities to rescue Han from Jabba’s palace, Luke is all about the connections in his life. It’s why he beats himself up so thoroughly in the sequel trilogy, after a dark moment of fear causes a break between him and Ben Solo, leading to the destruction of his Jedi academy and the deaths of his students. He blames himself for his students getting killed, and he blames himself for his brief hand in Ben’s downward spiral to becoming Kylo Ren. Like his mentors Obi-Wan and Yoda before him, Luke exiles himself, living alone with his guilt until Rey comes along to pull him out of the mire of his regrets. He tries to push her away, repeatedly, but maybe her tenacity resonates with the memories of his younger, idealistic self. And in the end, he realizes he can’t stand by when Leia and the Resistance are in trouble, using the last of his power to confront Kylo Ren, drawing the First Order’s fire to help the Resistance escape. Even though Luke begins the franchise complaining about his dull lot in life, his journey throughout is marked by fighting for the people who matter most to him.

Relationship Spotlight: Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa & Han Solo (Star Wars)

*Relationship spoilers, if you need a spoiler warning for the original trilogy.*

As I said when I revisited the original trilogy, the characters are what do it for me. As cool as the aliens and lightsabers and Sith lords are, for all the iconic design and music, I wouldn’t appreciate it so much were it not for this trio right here (along with Chewy, R2, C-3PO, and Lando, of course!) At some point, I may circle back to these three and look more specifically at the individual pairings – platonic, familial, and otherwise – but for now, I want to talk about all three of them together.

A New Hope obviously kicks off with the mission to recover Leia. Luke is a goner from the moment he sees the holomessage she left with R2 – “smitten” doesn’t begin to cover it, and what’s more, I’m sure the thought of rescuing a beautiful princess appeals to both his innate goodness and his own desire to get off Tattoine and do something more exciting with his life. Han, however, isn’t invested in Leia as a person, not at first. No, his investments are more literal, focusing on the reward money he’ll get for helping to rescue her. When things get dicey, Luke is the one to remind him of that. “She’s rich,” he points out, dangling the words like a tasty treat. On the surface, this sets up their dynamic: Han is in it for himself while Luke is in it for honor and because it’s The Right Thing to do (and hey, if it gives him a chance to be a hero and win the favor of a beautiful princess, who is he to argue?)

But what’s on the surface isn’t who these characters are, not really, and Leia just further reinforces that when she joins the group. She may be captured, but there’s nothing damsel-ish about her. She doesn’t fall down faintly in gratitude to the brave (short) hero who comes to save her, she continually throws shade at Luke and Han’s rather improvised escape plan, and she’s immediately an active participant, brainstorming alternatives when things go awry. Likewise, while Han is the first to point out that he doesn’t care about these people or the rebellion and he’s just there to collect his money and go, somehow he keeps sticking around, finding his inner hero despite himself. And Luke is noble and heroic and cares deeply about his friends, but calling him the golden boy to Han’s scoundrel is too simplistic – there’s a darkness in him that he has to reckon with if he’s gonna to walk the path of the light with the Jedi.

From there, it’s just moment after moment of stuff to love. I like how Leia and Han argue over tactics when they’re in trouble, but when the moment is really heated, these two people who both like very much to be in control are able to take a beat and trust each other. I like that Leia finds herself drawn to Han, even if he is a “stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder,” but her first priority is to the rebellion and so she doesn’t let her feelings get in the way of what needs to be done. I like that Han braves the dangerous climate of Hoth at night when Luke is in trouble, that he moves heaven and hell to recover his friend and keep him alive against the elements. I like that Luke would be considered a “failed” Jedi for running out on his training to protect his friends, but we instantly know that of course Luke wasn’t going to leave them in trouble. I love the way they cheer and celebrate together when things go right, and I love how Leia learns to feel Luke through the Force.

Three friends – a pair of siblings, brothers in arms, and a couple – traveling a galaxy far, far away together in a beloved, rickety old ship. All the trappings and coolness are a ton of fun, but that right there, that’s Star Wars to me.