The Last Jedi Could Have Fixed A Mark Hamill Criticism With One Small Change To Luke Skywalker

Star Wars: The Last Jedi remains an especially divisive chapter in the franchise’s history. While some praise Rian Johnson’s ambitious attempt to subvert the Star Wars formula without betraying its original principles, others feel The Last Jedi too easily disregarded vital tenets of George Lucas’ universe. An especially contentious issue with the sequel trilogy’s middle child proved to be Luke Skywalker.

Holed up on Ahch-To in self-imposed exile after the fall of Ben Solo, Luke Skywalker just wanted to be left alone to drink milk and play with porgs. Questions were raised over whether the Luke Skywalker we know and love would really abandon his friends and let the First Order roam free, even if he had accidentally created Kylo Ren. Mark Hamill concurred, arguing, “I said to Rian, ‘Jedis don’t give up.’ I mean, even if [Luke] had a problem, he would maybe take a year to try and regroup, but if he made a mistake, he would try and right that wrong.”

Even as someone who likes The Last Jedi, I found myself agreeing with Mark Hamill. It’s hard to reconcile Luke in The Last Jedi with the character from Star Wars‘ original trilogy. Even more frustratingly, The Last Jedi had an easy fix staring it in the face.

Luke Skywalker Could Have Helped The Resistance Without Breaking His Exile Thanks To A New Force Power

It’s important that Luke Skywalker has a meaningful reaction to Ben Solo’s turn toward the dark side and, in fairness, J.J. Abrams sowed the seeds for Luke’s exile by making his whereabouts the big MacGuffin of The Force Awakens. It makes sense, therefore, that The Last Jedi‘s Luke Skywalker should be isolating himself on Ahch-To, should be a grumpy old Jedi, and should refuse to train Rey at the beginning of the movie.

The only trait that needs changing is Luke’s refusal to help the Resistance, turning a blind eye while Han Solo and Leia Organa, his literal sister, risk their lives. The Last Jedi needs some way for Luke to quietly provide assistance to his friends without openly declaring himself or leaving his island. If only there was some power he could use to remotely appear as an image – a projection, if you will – in other places.

Of course, The Last Jedi introduces exactly that power. In the finale, Luke uses the Force to project himself onto the surface of Crait, where he confronts Kylo Ren. With that very ability, Luke could have helped the Resistance without ever making himself known or getting directly involved. The emotional impact of Kylo Ren’s turn to the dark side would still be felt, but Luke couldn’t be accused of giving up completely.

How Luke Skywalker’s Force Projection Could Change His Portrayal In The Last Jedi

Luke Skywalker in Star Wars The Last Jedi

Imagine the following: at some point during Rey’s training on Ahch-To, she catches Luke meditating on his rock in the dead of night. The following morning, he’s depleted, exhausted, and refusing to explain why. Eventually, Rey discovers Luke has been regularly using Force projection to protect settlements across the galaxy from First Order population.

This could be foreshadowed elsewhere in The Last Jedi. Perhaps some poor First Order officer gingerly approaches Kylo Ren with news of a failed invasion. When Kylo demands an explanation, the officer reveals Stormtroopers were confronted by a cloaked figure wielding a blue lightsaber and promptly fled in terror – a phenomenon that has been happening more and more. Assuming the officer means Rey, Kylo asks where she was last seen, but feels shivers down his spine upon hearing that the Jedi in question was actually an older man.

It transpires that Luke has, through the Force, felt First Order attacks happening on other planets, projected an image of himself onto those battlefields, and scared the Stormtroopers away through sheer presence. Over and over again, Luke has been helping his friends in the Resistance without them ever finding out, but he remains scared to get involved directly after the fall of Kylo Ren.

Luke disrupting the First Order via Force projection allows the best of both worlds: a version of Luke who’s jaded and angry at himself, but who retains his core principles of goodness and friendship.

How The Last Jedi Could Get Around Luke Dying The First Time He Uses Force Projection

Luke dies in The Last Jedi

The Last Jedi is quite clear: Force projection is not a power that can be used lightly. The strain of facing Kylo Ren forces Luke to use all his life force, dying as a result, and that makes it tricky to rejig The Last Jedi into a story where Luke uses Force projection as often as he changes his robes.

Fortunately, a solution presents itself, and it’s one that could even make Luke Skywalker’s death more meaningful. When Luke uses Force projection to frighten away Stormtroopers, he only needs to appear for a few seconds without moving or speaking. It’s just long enough for the enemy to take a good long look and run away. Each time he does so, he endures great fatigue and can’t project again until he’s fully recovered.

In order to fool Kylo Ren and protect the Resistance on Crait, however, Luke’s projection must last longer, dodge Kylo’s blows, and communicate with speech. It would be the Force projection to end all Force projections, requiring the entirety of Luke’s life energy to pull off, and thereby explaining why he dies in The Last Jedi‘s ending. He could also reveal to Rey earlier in the movie that constant Force projections are taking a cumulative toll on his body, then the Crait incident comes too soon after Luke’s previous projection, but he does another regardless, knowing it’ll be his final one.

Release Date

December 13, 2017

Runtime

152 minutes

Producers

Kathleen Kennedy, Ram Bergman, Leifur B. Dagfinnsson