The Defining Moment Of Luke Skywalker In The Star Wars Trilogy
I've
heard debates about who is a "Mary Sue" type of character in Star Wars.
Obviously, Rey is the one character people bring up the most. I'm not
going to get into that, or how the Disney Star Wars sequels served to
undo the great moments that occurred in Star Wars before they got a hold
of the franchise. Luke Skywalker is no Mary Sue, and I can prove it with
his defining moment. This was in Return of the Jedi, and Luke had to do
something he knew could get him killed.
Luke
wanted to save his father. This meant he was going alone to confront him
on The Death Star. Not only would he face Darth Vader, but he would
also face Emperor Palpatine. Luke was out matched. He simply didn't have
the training or the ability to defeat them by himself. He didn't go
there to kill anybody. He went there to bring Anakin Skywalker back to
the light, and all he had was the belief that he could do it.
The
problem was Anakin had been on the dark side for so long. Darth Vader
was ruthless, and nobody wanted to cross him. As powerful as Vader was,
Emperor Palpatine was even more powerful. He pretty much controlled and
manipulated Vader. His reasoning for wanting Luke on The Death Star was
because he wanted to turn him to the dark side as well. Skywalker was
aware of that, but he was also aware that there was still good in Darth
Vader. He believed his father was still there.
It's
hard to imagine the courage that Luke had. Many of us fantasize about
being in moments like that. Luke knows that he may not return from this
mission. All he has to go on was is faith and his love for his father.
It's hard to imagine that he would believe that strongly in a man that
he never really knew. Of course, he's also trying to do this for the
rebellion, but this is a family matter. He wants to save his father.
We
see the scene play out. Luke and Vader are trading blows. Luke stands
toe to toe with him, but he has a stronger will. He will not bend to the
dark side. As proof of that, when he gets the upper hand on his father,
he refuses to deal the death blow. He will not kill his father. Vader
understands in that moment, because he failed that test years ago. Luke
has a strong enough will to deny what The Emperor asks of him. He will
not kill his father, and so The Emperor decides he must kill Luke
If
Luke is wrong about his father, he's dead now. The Emperor will easily
dispatch of him. Seeing his son in agonizing pain as Luke calls out to
him, Anakin Skywalker finally emerges. He will not allow The Emperor to
kill his son. Though he still believes it's too late for him, he does
what must be done to save his son. It's a sacrifice that ultimately ends
Vader's life, but Luke Skywalker lives. The Emperor has been defeated.
This
was no Mary Sue moment for Luke Skywalker. This didn't require amazing
skills with a light saber. It didn't require brute force. It required the
risk and potential sacrifice of his life. Luke may have believed he
would succeed in his mission, but he had to know that he could fail. He
had to know that this might be the end of his life. For him to step up
and do what needed to be done and to risk it all for his father and for
the rebellion, makes this the defining moment for Luke Skywalker in the
original Star Wars trilogy.
I think this is
part of what made the original trilogy so amazing. It wasn't just the
special effects, but the story being told. As much as George Lucas tried
to recapture that in the prequel trilogy, he didn't quite get there.
It's still a good trilogy in many ways, but it doesn't compare to the
original despite looking better visually. By the time Disney got around
to the story, the heart and soul of Star Wars was gone. There really was
no big moment like this scene on The Death Star with Luke and Vader.
Furthermore, the scene at the end of the Disney trilogy serves to almost
destroy Vader's sacrifice and gives the ultimate win to The Emperor.
