Why Luke Skywalker Is The Best Movie Hero Of All Time
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- čas přidán 22. 02. 2021
- #StarWars #LukeSkywalker #GeorgeLucas
This is a video essay about why I think Luke Skywalker is the greatest movie hero ever. Luke Skywalker was my hero growing up as a kid, and I want to express my love for his character and Star Wars as a whole.
VIDEO ESSAY/ANAYLSIS/BREAKDOWN
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Luke is a great hero because he embodies compassion. Most male heroes embody violence. Star Wars is not about killing the bad guy but ultimately about why overcoming yourself is more important.
Well that’s because he’s a combo of western heroism and eastern story telling. It’s why you can slot anyone from Star Wars and lord of the rings into each other’s story without much effort besides technology.
compassion? did you not see him raging during his final battle with vader? whining and yelling like the brat he is lmaoo yall wack for worshipping such a terrible character.
Lmao no.
I love that he defeats Vader using his anger and aggression, but then spares him. Jedi have the capability for tremendous violence but, unlike the Sith, they remain in control of themselves. They even intentionally develop their Force powers despite knowing how dangerous said powers can be. A Sith develops power so that he can be accountable to no one, but a Jedi develops power so he can take responsibility for the outcomes of battles.
Too often I see people thinking that "balance" means equal parts dark and light, but Lucas never intended that. A user of the light side is balanced, and a user of the dark side is imbalanced -- however, that balance is not attributable to eliminating the dark. The goal is not to reject those aspects of yourself, but to control them instead.
@@anondoggoyou didn’t watch Star Wars because that’s literally one of the main points
The final confrontation in RotJ captivated me as a kid and still captivates me now. Watching Luke get SO close to being consumed by his inner darkness, only to stand up and say "no" right to evil's face despite the danger to his life...it's just inspiring. It shows that positivity and hope is a strength, not a weakness. Luke is the best.
Have you read the RotJ book?! It’s flippin fantastic!
When Luke speaks of conflict in Vader, the book really expounds on the conflict in both Luke and Vader.
Monti theRed I have not, but I will see if I can get ahold of it!
lmaoo I got the complete opposite reaction. he starts out as a whiney brat, skips a lot of training because he’s too attached to his friends and not really absorbing any true jedi teachings, still comes to the final fight just as emotionally untrained and almost becomes consumed by his dark side.. then magically changes his mind at the last second for plot reasons?? and yall call Rey a Mary Sue?? lmaoo gtfoh.
To be fair his first swing at The Emperor was probably him trying to just shut the guy up
To be fair his first swing at The Emperor was probably him trying to just shut the guy up
Luke Skywalker will forever be one of my favorite movie characters of all time. That isn't even considering my bias from loving Star Wars
Exactly! Luke Skywalker is just one of the greatest heroes of all time.
@@thealternativelook his legacy lives on
@@thealternativelook On a side note, I don't think Anakin being able to blow up a tank in a military spacecraft is as nearly far fetched as Rey being able to randomly "bypass the compressor" in the MILLENNIUM FALCON because Anakin has said that he was a pilot himself, good at fixing things, and won the podrace.
Luke went from being a child to being an adult. In Empire, Luke needed to learn and listen to his elders. In Return, Luke has finally achieved wisdom. While Yoda and Obi-wan believe that Luke must kill Vader, Luke finds another/better way. He rose above the men who trained and mentored him.
If Luke had killed Vader he would have been killed by the emperor
Luke was just as whiney and emotionally immature in the final movie, wtf are you talking about
@@kintsugikame what are you talking about? Where did he whinge in rotj?
@@kintsugikame No he was way calmer,more patient and mature. Wtf you saying
The student surpassed his elders - two of the greatest Jedi ever. That's why he's the Greatest Jedi.
Luke Skywalker is the perfect Hero, he's THE textbook example for the Hero's Journey. And he deserved so much better than how the sequels treated him.
I have zero issues with the fallen hero trope, but you don't apply that trope to THE Luke Skywalker because he is the textbook example of what a hero should be. You can't deconstruct heroism if you destroy the concept of what's being deconstructed in the first place. If Luke's role as a prefect hero doesn't exist anymore, than what concept is the deconstruction even exploring anymore?
except the sequels did a great job with Luke
Well said Master Kenobi; you've perfectly expressed what I've been feeling about this issue ever since it reared its ugly head! The Fallen Hero role in _Star Wars_ is played by Anakin Skywalker as Darth Vader; the son who redeemed him should not follow the same path, because the courageous resolve which brought about that redemption should keep Luke true to the Jedi ways in the first place, as is actually shown onscreen in _The Empire Strikes Back_ and _Return of the Jedi._ If I had to guess, cynicism would lead me to believe that the _raison d’être_ for that so-called "deconstruction" *was* the destruction of the concept of heroism to assuage jealous and scornful egos.
@@traceysnyder7886 no they did not. Luke was always an optimist, seeing the good in people, and wanting to find a way to save his friends no matter what. Luke would never have abandoned his friends like sequel luke did. Luke would never turn a lightsaber on someone because he believed they MIGHT turn. This man redeemed DARTH VADER, do you think an angsty teen would get him to flip the switch?
Sequel luke is not a well written Luke Skywalker. He was not done well at all.
@@e-tan3911 sure they did. Do you not remember what Yoda said about giving in ro the dark side? Luke had given into his hate and his father helped pull him back. Luke pulled himself back when he was tempted again....even though he saw Kylo/Ben destroying everything he cared for. Time and circumstances made him better able to keep himself from going to the darkside....without even hesitating, but his still needed to deal with his failure with Kylo/Ben. TLJ is actually the most nuanced story in the saga for so many reasons.
@@e-tan3911 Sequel Luke is the best and most real version of Luke.
In my opinion, Luke follows (and updates) the Spiderman template to perfection:
1- He is relatable to everyone. His story, his beginnings and aspirations are basically the ones we all have in our lives, a universal theme that Rey and Kylo miserable failed despite following that formula. We've all felt imprisoned or dissapointed with our lives, and wished to do something different.
2- Even with the mythological analogies, Luke is a human character. He was always facing adversity, his perspective changed from film to film, and was always close to fall to the Dark Side. That's why his refusal to kill Vader in ROTR is so satisfying.
Luke has been my hero since I was a small child, it hurts to see how much everyone wants to drag him through the mud. This video is a masterpiece, the respect The Greatest Jedi that ever lived deserves.
The ironic thing about saying Luke Skywalker is the best movie hero of all time is that...Luke Skywalker isn't the hero of the story at all. He's **a** hero, to be sure, but the inspiration that Lucas uses with him doesn't end with Joseph Campbell and the monomyth. Star Wars is part of an older tradition of hero, where in order to achieve one's destiny, one must also face their doom.
From the moment he decides to leave Tattooine, Luke promises to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like his father. While this may seem like one promise, and Luke meant it as one promise, this is actually two mutually exclusive promises. There's becoming a Jedi...and then there's becoming like his father.
Throughout the Second and Third Acts of A New Hope, and all of Empire, we discover that the person that Luke is, isn't necessarily the person that he wants to be. He's a hero of the Rebellion, rushing in to save his friends at the first sign of danger. But is that what it means to be a Jedi? No, and Yoda tells him this in their first day together. "The Universe isn't getting in your way to becoming a Jedi, YOU are." Luke constantly struggles on Dagobah, and the infamous moment of his Trial of Spirit in the cave shows the other promise he made. Even though he doesn't realize it yet, Yoda knows that he's much closer to becoming like his father than he is to becoming a Jedi. And this is all too evident when Luke is eager to go off to rescue his friends...who, by the way, end up needing to rescue HIM.
This iconic reveal of Darth Vader's identity isn't famous because we learn that Luke's dad is the bad guy. Luke isn't reacting that way because his dad is a bad person, it's because he realizes that he promised to Obi-wan to becoming THIS man before him. Luke finally realizes the gravity of his failure in the cave, the darker side of the destiny that he's promised himself, and the true duality of the Force that he's struggled to define before.
We may despise its story structure and the constant subversion of expectations (that it sets up in the same movie), but Yoda's speech in the Last Jedi about failure, about being what we grow beyond, really hits home if you think about it here. This is why even though Luke hasn't had much formal training, he's so impressive throughout RotJ. Why he thinks and behaves like a Jedi Knight, and not just some brash generic hero who fights to protect his friends. But on the other hand...we also see Luke wearing all black, using the Force to choke Jabba's guards, and openly threatening to murder Jabba if he doesn't comply with his demands. He's much stronger as a Jedi, but he's inching closer to becoming like his Father.
In the final confrontation with Vader, there are many things to consider going in. We've seen the conflict within Vader developing as he shields Luke's presence from the Emperor, he readily argues with Luke about the possibility of him coming back to the Light and is lamenting that it's too late for him. But in this scene, Vader also sees something that not a lot of people pick up on, and you can't really understand it until you've seen Revenge of the Sith. Vader knows that the Emperor is going to try to turn Luke to the Dark Side and make him his new apprentice, but in seeing that Luke's lightsaber is green, not blue like Anakin's, we get the impression that Luke is different. He's similar to his father in so many ways, but as much of Anakin there is in him, there is also Padmé.
As Sidious and Vader egg him on, Luke sees through his anger, now fully aware of the path he's heading towards. It isn't until his fear of losing his sister Leia takes hold that Luke is ready to give in to the Dark Side. Sidious tells him to fulfill his destiny, but Luke looks at Vader's mechanical arm being the same as his, he's able to refocus and see through the trap of his destiny. Destroying Vader and Becoming Vader are the same thing. He rejects the Dark Side and proudly proclaims that he's "become a Jedi like his father". Though we don't know it yet, but by sparing Vader he has achieved his original, singular promise. It is then, and only then, that anyone in the movie is willing to call him Jedi, and it's Sidious of all people. As Luke is being tortured by the Emperor, his shirt collar flaps open. Underneath the Dark exterior, we see that there was Light inside all along. After this, Luke has to surrender, as he has during the climax of every other Star Wars film, and rely on someone to rescue him. In ANH it was Han, in ESB it was Leia and Lando.
Here. Now. There's only one person that it can possibly be.
As we've seen the events unfold in the prequels (which are each wonderfully good movies and Revenge of the Sith is the best Star Wars film, fuck you fight me) Vader now has to make a choice. A choice he's seldom been offered in both his lives as a slave, and a choice he's never been willing to make as a Jedi. Even as he's talking to Padmé on Mustafar, he's not thinking about what she wants, he's not thinking about her at all. He's being selfish and thinking about himself and his goals. He immediately turns on Padmé the second it seems like she's not aligned with his interests. This is how we know that it's not Anakin talking to Padmé, but Darth Vader. Through his selfishness, Vader does kill Padmé and it is this guilt that the persona of Anakin within has to live with.
But if Luke can become a Jedi like his father, than his father can become a Jedi Like him.
In this moment, as Luke begs his father for help, the Darth Vader is vanquished. Killed by Anakin Skywalker. Vader dreamed of teaming up with Luke to overthrow the Emperor, but Anakin instead challenges the Emperor by himself, knowing full well that this will be both his first and final act as a father. He defeats Sidious because he sees through Vader's selfishness, and in a moment of pure selflessness sacrifices himself out of love for his family. He becomes the father that he never had, that he so thoroughly needed during his training as a Jedi but instead was only cared for by Sidious. Anakin has always been the real hero of Star Wars throughout all six of Lucas' films. It is sometimes difficult to draw the distinction between Anakin and Vader, and understand what persona is talking behind the mask. But when we can see that, it's then that Lucas' characterization becomes so clear, which is something I think George doesn't get enough credit for.
Not one person read that
You know you’ve written a great character when his return(we don’t talk about the sequels) brings practically every fan to tears
Truly a great character
Freaking thank you! I am so sick and tired of ppl calling my boy Luke a "Mary Sue" and other BS. Like bruh, did y'all even watch the original trilogy? Great video essay and perfect points!
Our heroes are dying. Literally and metaphorically. Luke is a prime example of that. These are similarly dark times for both cinema and real life, people now more than ever need heroes like Luke. His message is being forgotten
Agreed. It’s like every great hero has to grow old and become a pathetic shell of their former selves instead of growing wise and maintaining hope and wisdom
@@JDog2656That‘s why the originals are what Star Wars is all about
Luke is my hero. Even though i introduce to Star Wars with the PT, Luke is my hero. When i have a problems at home i open my phone and watched Star Wars because i wanna see Luke, Luke is like me when he was in A New Hope, he was stubborn, whiny, and impatient. But as the trilogy goes on, he finally grown, he finally becomes a hero. When he had his downfall he never gives up, he'll always risked his life to others especially his father, he inspire me to do good things.
Luke Skywalker is the greatest movie hero of all time. Our modern mythological hero. He is up there with all the great mythological heroes ever. Good work!
Rey was definitely her least insufferable in the first half of Force Awakens... with Finn as the lead force-sensitive, I actually would’ve liked to see her and Han’s adventures on the Falcon develop further.
The “bypassing the drive” joke could’ve been a fun back and forth. Because she’s a scavenger she just goes through and takes out all the old redundant shit, gives the Falcon a proper tune up and general refit. Carry over Han’s golden dice when he dies but maybe don’t shove it in our faces... etc. you’ve all fucking heard it by now...
all disney that did star wars are considered trash
The sequals should have not existed. Return of the Jedi is the end of it all. The balance of the force has been achieved.
The algorithm be like:
“No, I don’t think it will”
Good work editing this together. It came out quite nicely
Hey thanks, yeah I had a lot of fun making this video!
People are nowadays so obsessed with characters that are nothing but broken and victimized. As much as I like characters like Kylo Ren, I wish more people would appreciate honest bravery and old school heroism.
Couldn't agree more that's why I love characters like Luke Skywalker and Superman, just people who want to do the right thing because it's right not out of some selfish reason because of being victimized from some tragic event.
@@thealternativelook Yeah I agree it a real fact that TLJ Luke doesn’t work at all they got the wrong Jedi if it was a Jedi that survive order 66 like Mace Windu then things could be different but it didn’t help that they made TLJ Luke a hypocrite about the old Jedi say what you will about the old Jedi at least they had good intentions and don’t abandon the galaxy because of one mistake seriously that was not THE reason Luke Skywalker it a fraud.
Luke Skywalker is the best movie hero of all time, period.
Along with those from films and games
Aragon, Sam Gamgee
Starkiller (well an anti-hero)
Yuna (Final Fantasy X)
Sora (Kingdom Hearts trilogy)
Link (Twilight Princess)
Kanan (the last story)
Mùlán
Qui Gon Jinn
Harry Potter
Lucy Pevensie
Connor (Assassins' Creed)
Spider-Man (Sam Raimi trilogy)
They'd be sort that are similar to Luke in some way.
I love this! You have done great justice in regard to explaining just exactly why Luke is such an incredible character, for me the reason why he is so special is because of how his kindness and compassion is his greatest strength. Thank you for this lovely video! ❤️
Thank you so much means a lot! And yeah that's why I love Luke Skywalker too he's such an amazing character.
Luke Skywalker protection squad rise up
"Luke Skywalker is the greatest hero"
Me: immediatly thumbs up
Yep he sure is but he's human just like us
I think you're missing one of Luke's defining characteristics: he's a *orphan*, three times over. He never knew his biological parents, his aunt and uncle were killed by the Empire, and he saw Vader cut down Ben before his own eyes. There is no one left. (At least that he knows of through two movies.) Luke is completely, passionately loyal to his friends, and loves them all deeply.
In ESB, after feeling his friends being tortured, and "seen" their deaths, he wil not abandon them, even if he does suspect a trap. Neither Ben or Yoda can talk him out of this because, being raised in the Old Jedi method, their only loyalty is to the Order. Luke's is to his friends.
The EU books all insist you finally become a jedi after making a true sacrifice. I think Luke becomes a jedi a Bespin. He must "feel" during the duel that at least Leia, Chewie and the droids are safe. Now he just has to escape Vader. When Vader reveals who he is, and tempts Luke, Luke chooses to "let go." He chooses probable death rather than turn to the Dark, and finally trusts his life completely to the Force.
His loyalty is why he rescues Han before returning to Dagobah to complete his training. It's why he won't commit patricide, even though Ben and Yoda keeps telling him to "confront" Vader. His fear for Leia is why Luke finally attacks. Vader can "feel" his son, even while Luke's being tortured to death by a very annoyed Emperor. There's no hate, no anger, no blame in him toward Vader. He still looks to his father in love and hope. And that's why it happens.
The scene in Jedi shows that Rian Johnson had no fucking idea how to write Luke Skywalker. He wanted to subverted our expectations of Luke, and he succeeded because by portraying Luke as a suicidal loser he showed that he doesn't know the character at all, the fans of Luke KNOW that Luke came back from the darkside which no-one else had and wouldn't fall again....especially to contemplate murdering his sleeping teenage nephew.
I remember as a child not liking him because I was still not over Anakin's tragic backstory and I liked anakin more, BUT LIKE DAMN, now that I watched the movies again I fricking LOVE Luke, he's well written and likable, and I understand the ppl who had tears in their eyes when watching him in the mandalorian, because.... SAME LOL
I also love reading the books about lukes continued adventures after episode 6,especially the stories with Mara. It just feels like Luke and the other characters are also really well portrayed. Literally 100000× better than the sequels.
Indeed. Seeing Luke struggle to essentially build a whole Jedi Order from scratch is incredibly satisfying. He has triumphs and failures in equal measure, but never once stops trying to do the right thing, both for his students and the Galaxy. And once he's got Mara to kick his ass every once in a while, there's no stopping him.
2:35 - Joseph Campbell did not create the monomyth (hero’s journey). Rather, he identified it in cultures around the world as something archetypal in the human psyche. George Lucas set out to create a myth for the modern age using the monomyth, and he succeeded with Luke Skywalker and the Star Wars trilogy. The new movies deviate radically from that template, including in their betrayal of the Luke character, and that is why they are so awful.
For some reason I was under the impression that Joseph Campbell created it, I guess I was wrong. But I agree George Lucas created an amazing character within Luke Skywalker and that's why he's my favorite Star wars character of all time and yeah I agree the Disney films ruined Luke and definitely are narratively incoherent.
@@thealternativelook Yep, if you read Joseph Campbell’s 1949 book, /The Hero With A Thousand Faces/, he explains that he builds on Karl Jung’s concept of the archetypes, and points out that all human cultures fundamentally value the same qualities in individuals and societies, so their myths and heroes reflect that basic underlying structure. The monomyth of the hero’s departure, initiation, and return is probably instinctive in our species. That’s why Disney’s ignoring it is such a big mistake. Yes, Luke and Star Wars are amazing, and the postmodern turn in Disney is really foolish.
See my Luke Skywalker is still the hero i knew him to be at the end of ROTJ. I watched the sequels but unlike most people I don’t let bad fanfiction change the canon story of Star Wars.
Here's what I wished for
Star Wars Ep 7 should be a combination of PS1 Star Wars Dark Force trilogy with Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors. Ahsoka along with Luke, Juno Eclipse, Rahm Kota. Meanwhile Luke and Starkiller (that is if he was alive) are attacked by Mara Jade whom he tries to reason with about Palatine's true intentions which would make her become redeemed. Luke, Leia, Mara, Kota, Juno, Starkiller, Ahsoka, Shoran, Lando, Han, Tahiri, Yayan Ruhian, Iko Uwais, Cecep Arif Rahman, Bobba Fett, Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors band together to start the eradication of criminal gangs on Tatooine. The events of Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds (Chewbacca's campaign). Mon Mothma's date with Admiral "it's a trap". The marriage of Solo and Leia and then they gain Anakin, Jacen and Jaina Solo. Luke and Mara Jade get married and have Ben Skywalker. The spirit of Kenobi and Siri being together.
Star Wars Ep 8 should be where Luke, Starkiller, Leia, Mara, Ahsoka, Rosh, Jaden, Tahiri, Solo's children, Yayan Ruhian, Iko Uwais, Cecep Arif Rahman are guided by force ghost of Qui Gon and Dooku, thus reforming a new incarnation of Jedi order. Katarn's training to be a jedi maybe by Luke or even Ahsoka. The whole events should take place during Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds (Chewbacca's campaign) and till Liberation of Kessel. Chewbacca's son named Lowbacca. Shoran, another wookie. Jacen's fall to the dark side by Lumiya's seduction. Starkiller's marriage with Juno.
Star Wars Ep 9 should consist of Yayan Ruhian, Iko Uwais and Cecep Arif Rahman should be fighting in the Yuuzhan Vong. The allies now take part in Yuuzhang Vong. A reincarnated Palatine. Jaina training with Boba Fett and Yayan Ruhian in hand to hand combat to face her own brother.
Anakin’s story is the most compelling but Luke’s story is the most well told
One small detail I wanted to point out. Luke did not want to become a Jedi because it was the right thing to do. He wanted to become a jedi, like his father before him. I believe a CZcamsr by the name of Okiro made a video about that. Really worth a watch.
Luke is a true hero and what all of us inspire to be. To work hard and grow from our failures, doing that gives us the wisdom to get better and stronger, by learning from our mistakes to become better person.
You'll also notice that in Vaders last moments, he actually smiles at like showing hos much he loves him and how proud of him he is. Showing that luke really did save his father in the end
Return of the Jedi did not mean Luke, it meant Anakin's reemergence from the dark side
Why people like Luke so much is deep down in all of us we have a desire to do what’s right even when everyone tells you to do something wrong you plant yourself like a tree and you say no. Instead of killing the villian like most male characters he shows compasion which makes him the perfect hero
What I think makes Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader so great was how similar they were in terms of personality, and how their ideals oppose each other. Like Anakin, Luke became entitled, arrogant and impatient. And like Anakin, he gave into anger. But Luke did what Anakin couldn't. He stood up against the dark side, right in the Emperor's face, and refused to finish his father off. Had Luke did something Yoda and Obi-Wan told him to do, he could've become Palpatine's pawn.
He is my ultimate hero. The first movie came out when I was 17, and I am 62 now. This was back in the 70s. Greatest Jedi ,trained by the late grestest Jedi , Master Yoda and of course, Obi Wan Kenobi. ❤❤❤❤❤
I did enjoy the character very much through the original trilogy. While he is way better Jedi wise than Rey. She may have had no backstory about how she got her powers so fast. I do believe that the sequel had absolutely no character flaws for Rey. While some may think the prequels are bad, Anakin has his own problems with the Jedi council and there's more of a buildup to the originals. Besides Anakin being the chosen one, then to fall to the dark side as Vader, and being redeemed by Luke in episode 6. So the prequels really aren't all that bad if you are one that likes fast lightsaber action and somewhat of a prequel fan. I gave it a chance and it was better than those shitty sequels.
Oh I love the prequels, I just don't like Anakin in The Phantom Menace, and I have alot of problems with the prequels (especially Jar Jar) but I can't help but love them. Revenge of the sith is one of my all time favorite Star Wars movies, and the sequels, yeah are hot garbage.
The prequel trilogy and original trilogy **books** do a much better job of exploring the full characters of Anakin, Vader, Luke, and Palpatine.
I haven’t read the sexual trilogy books yet, so I can’t comment on those.
While the prequel and sequel trilogies attempt to be dramatic and emotional, I think they were a paltry imitation of the emotions of the original trilogy.
@Matthew Skywalker jar jar is a sith Lord
@@thealternativelook I personally like the sequels
The sequels are much better than the prequels. They did an awesome job with the heroes from the OT.
'the best way to find yourself,is to lose yourself in the service of others'
Yep he is. Best "Hero's Journey" in the history of cinema. Period.
It is criminal that this only has 8k views. Should be 100x that. This is art
My favorite trope is 'villian and hero being family/freinds' and Anakin and Luke is my favorite example
The character Luke and just Star Wars in general set a standard for my life that you can still make the right choice against all odds. The Jedi were not without fault, and Luke was able to pull off helping Vader redeem himself, despite both prominent Jedi force ghosts telling him that he will have to kill Vader. This type of storytelling is just inspiring. I’m glad it made me the way I am
The thing that i love about lukes lightsaber is that its green which mean he uses the force first
Luke has been my favorite fictional character since i was a child and i love to see videos like this about him
The greatest hero's story of all time. My hero as a child. I was so excited to see him again in episodes 7-9. Then the mouse made a mokery of him, why? Thanks Filoni and Favreau for making it right.
The title alone gets you a like. He is the best hero.
I'm always a big believer in Luke Skywalker and he's still my favorite Star Wars hero.
Underrated, glad that this got recommended to me
This was an awesome video. Luke was always my favorite character and I love seeing other people’s view on why they like him too. Awesome job!
Finally, ...another comment
I got in w/ the ‘97 re-release, still have the VHS box set in pristine condition. Growing up, I was obsessed with Luke and Bruce Lee.
Never got into the sequels, because you’d be considered a “geek” for liking Star Wars at 8th grade lol. I’ll have to revisit based on the reassessment.
He managed every challenges his father failed:
-After his adoptive parents murders, he didn't fall in a vendetta
-After his pride actions and his lose, he learnt from his errors and he got better
-He didn't fall in Palpatine game: he didn't kill Vader under hate and anger. Anakin kill Tyrannus under hate and anger.
After his wife, nephew death, and nephew treason he wasn't seduced by dark side.
Another great video ..well done
Luke Skywalker was who I wanted to be when I was a kid. He grew as a character and matured in the original trilogy, becoming the best hero not just in Star Wars, but in film history. It’s also apparent that Luke is George Lucas’s self-insert in the franchise, I mean he gave his character not only his nickname in high school, but his name as well. Luke S. Lucas. Great video!
How was this only recommended to me just now? This, this right here is what I love about Luke Skywalker and his epic tale. I also loved the little inserts you put in about the post-modernist character assassination attempt in the cinematic atrocities from Di$ney; they were a nice way of framing the current state of the franchise while still having the last laugh. Oh well, I guess in much the same way Rick says in _Casablanca,_ "We'll always have Paris," those of us who loved it will always have classic _Star Wars._
Yep Luke Skywalker is just so amazing. George Lucas crafted just an amazing character and hero for the Star wars universe. That's why the Disney films suck Rey is just such a god-awful character she does nothing but cry, pout and then eventually takes the Skywalker name for no reason. And yep we will always have the original Star wars cuz that's what Star wars is. I also love how you added the dollar sign instead of an S for Disney, you couldn't have said it better.
@@thealternativelook Luke Skywalker is so awesome because George Lucas wanted to create an ideal hero for our times, as you pointed out in your video. Rey is so awful because she's just Kathleen Kennedy's wish-fulfillment, power-fantasy, self-insert character. Honestly, when thinking back on classic _Star Wars_ now, I can sympathise with how Old Ben must've felt when reminiscing about the Jedi in _A New Hope._ Thanks for the compliment by the way; I'm trying to get that "creative spelling" to become popular because it perfectly showcases what's wrong with Di$ney nowadays: there isn't any passion or creativity in their hearts anymore, "only money".
@@Ms.Strahl Amazing....every word of what you said is false
@@traceysnyder7886 No, just the opposite in fact, but do tell, how does the world look standing on your head all the time? It certainly can't be good for your cognitive abilities, given your vapid reply.
This video is underrated its been 1 year I hope this video reaches more people
this video should have got at least one million views it was very well edited and just a great video
..."he redeems the unredeemable and saves Darth Vader who becomes Anakin Skywalker again...Luke becomes better than he was before, becomes a Jedi Knight, and saves the galaxy forever"
...then about 30 years later, for reasons we aren't entirely clear about, he tries to murder his nephew, basically causing the Second Galactic Civil war in which possibly trillions die, flees to a hidden planet where he eats fish and drinks milk out of sea cow teats, destroys ancient Jedi knowledge and tosses his own lightsaber, is then guilted into half-ass helping his sister and (what turns out to be) Emperor Palpatine's daughter buy time for the Rebel Alliance Part II by playing interstellar Zoom call charades, and fades away alone, while Palpatine Jr and his nephew defeat the Emperor (again) and she assumes his last name and moves into his old house.
Very cool.
People actually defend this shit, did you know that? 😂
If they announced tomorrow that there would be a Heir to The Empire movie featuring Luke Skywalker as the main character, I’d buy 10 tickets.
Well done! You reaffirmed my application of Luke.
my biggest issue with the Disney trilogy is if you consider them cannon then luke goes from being one of the greatest heroes in cinema to one of the worst. he and pretty much every other character from the original trilogy become failures at everything they have ever tried to do. han fails in his marriage, leia fails to protect the new republic, and luke fails his new jedi order. by the end of the trilogy the only character that is even left in tact as a hero of any kind is leia and thats because Kathleen Kennedy has a serious boner for every woman in star wars. the new trilogy ruins the characters of the original trilogy whilst the prequel trilogy improved apon the characters of the original trilogy. that is why no matter what you think about the prequels they are objectively a better part of the star wars franchise then the Disney trilogy. i cannot and will not consider the Disney trilogy canon because the act of doing so makes its not just the Disney movies that are bad but all star wars movies are bad due to the simple fact they are all apart of the same story and do not exist in a vacuum.
Agreed! I think the expanded universe books will always be better than any of the Disney stuff.
We need more male heroes like Luke who defy toxic masculinity-heroes who are kind and gentle, who are lead by their hearts and use compassion instead of violence to defeat evil.
Hey man. Loved your work
Keep it up.
Great analysis!
No way you only have 250 subs? This is such high quality and is just amazing! You deserve so much more
All this and they still massacred my boy
Should've added the scenes from battlefront 2. Those were some real good dialogues in which he talks about not choosing either empire or rebellion but their own choices to become better.
🥺 damn I'm already crying.
I’ve been extraordinarily happy to hear that more and more SW fans love the prequels and hate episodes 7, 8 and 9.
I happy that the ST fan out number haters like you
@@traceysnyder7886 They don’t lol
@@raes704 except they do
@@raes704 just because you feel you are correct that doesn't mean you are.
@@traceysnyder7886 That’s must be applied to you ngl, the majority dislikes the sequel triology, and you can confirm that by just watching their CZcams official channel
"I can’t believe it"
"That is why you failed"
That mush be one of the most important dialogue as Lukes realize that the keys was to believe in Anakin. All this time and for fair reason nobody trusted Ani was still there anymore, it took Luke to really prove he believed in him to death which nearly happened, and nobody was like that since Padme. In fact Palpatine took that role in twisted and insidious ways, but obviously for selfish dark reasons
I'm fine with Luke being a mentor character and not the protagonist. What should have happened is the new protagonist should have been a nihilist to give a contrast from Luke the optimist as a mentor. From there the protagonist goes through a character arc of learning hope from Luke. Maybe you can even have Luke eventually sacrificing himself to inspire the new protagonist.
Luke is the only star wars character to successfully call Palpatine's bluff.
Star Wars exegesis is fantastic!
The story becomes more joyful and real with more learning.
Great video!
Great video! As iconic as Luke is, I myself was more of a Han Solo guy. Shame on Disney for what they did to Luke. As sad as I was to see Han die, at least he was still the same wise ass one lining badass but with more age. Luke on the other hand was killed off twice as far as I'm concerned.
"Arc" "Character Development" "Challenges" aren't those just basically the same thing? You can't have any one of the 3 without also having the others.
13:49 to 14:41 - This scene contains my favorite bit of music from the Star Wars franchise. It's so powerful and sorrowful. I wish they had reused this piece for the scene in Revenge of the Sith where Anakin is placed in the Vader suit.
Finally another video, love watching you grow!
I know that George Lucas had originally intended to make Star Wars as a 6 episode series, but when Disney bought Lucasfilm they chose to add another 3 episodes turning it into a 9 episode series instead. So I have chosen to purge episodes 7, 8 & 9 from my personal Star Wars canon.
Lucas did have plans for 789, but Disney threw them in the trash.
If I was the one who directed this, I would do anything based on Expanded Universe
Star Wars Ep 7 should be a combination of PS1 Star Wars Dark Force trilogy with Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors. Ahsoka along with Luke, Juno Eclipse, Rahm Kota. Meanwhile Luke and Starkiller (that is if he was alive) are attacked by Mara Jade whom he tries to reason with about Palatine's true intentions which would make her become redeemed. *Luke, Leia, Mara, Kota, Juno, Starkiller, Ahsoka, Shoran, Lando, Han, Tahiri, Yayan Ruhian, Iko Uwais, Cecep Arif Rahman, Bobba Fett, Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors* band together to start the eradication of criminal gangs on Tatooine. The events of Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds (Chewbacca's campaign). Mon Mothma's date with Admiral "it's a trap". The marriage of Solo and Leia and then they gain Anakin, Jacen and Jaina Solo. Luke and Mara Jade get married and have Ben Skywalker. The spirit of Kenobi and Siri being together.
Star Wars Ep 8 should be where Luke, Starkiller, Leia, Mara, Ahsoka, Rosh, Jaden, Tahiri, Solo's children, Yayan Ruhian, Iko Uwais, Cecep Arif Rahman are guided by force ghost of Qui Gon and Dooku, thus reforming a new incarnation of Jedi order. Katarn's training to be a jedi maybe by Luke or even Ahsoka. The whole events should take place during Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds (Chewbacca's campaign) and till Liberation of Kessel. Chewbacca's son named Lowbacca. Shoran, another wookie. Jacen's fall to the dark side by Lumiya's seduction. Starkiller's marriage with Juno.
Star Wars Ep 9 should consist of Yayan Ruhian, Iko Uwais and Cecep Arif Rahman should be fighting in the Yuuzhan Vong. The allies now take part in Yuuzhang Vong. A reincarnated Palatine. Jaina training with Boba Fett and Yayan Ruhian in hand to hand combat to face her own brother.
@@REDDAWNproject shame on Disney for tossing George Lucas's original plans for episodes 7, 8 & 9 which would clearly been superior to these lousy pieces of brown fecal matter.
@@TheLatiosnlatias02 I would have had the Legends novels become the source material for everything Star Wars, because they were given George Lucas's blessings when he was the chief clearing house for Star Wars at the time. The animated series (The Clone Wars and Rebels) had been properly tied to both the prequel trilogy and the classic trilogy so they can be retained. I can see that Rogue One sort of filled in a few plot elements that some people had wondered about concerning A New Hope, so I can accept it as part of Star Wars canon even though I liked the characters which had died that I felt should not have died.
@@wallacelang1374
I favour Force Unleashed than Rogue One. I only like Rogue One because of Vader otherwise nothing else. Beside, Starkiller indirectly formed the rebels. I wished he didn't die so he gets to be with Juno. Though I'd consider Force Unleashed 2 as irrelevant.
Is he the chosen one
He is
Anakin was the chosen one, Luke was the catalyst for Anakin to come back to the light side.
Was...before the Disney...
Hahaha yeah unfortunately, the last jedi really ruined Luke for me.
@@thealternativelook just don’t see it as canon. It wasn’t made by Lucas so….
Mandalorian turned out pretty good tho
@@jasperion8655 Mandalorian is very mediocre. It works just like TFA: brings back many old characters, gives them epic scenes and doen't care about it's own plot. The entire plot of two seasons: Bounty hunter found that his target is baby with the Force, decided to protect him from Imperials, tried to find the Jedi for him and Jedi came to him himself and solved Empire problem. All of that could easily be told in 3-4 episodes if the show had logic and everyone or at least some people knew Luke Skywalker, Jedi who saved the Galaxy 5 years ago, whos sister is leader of New republic and who is creating new Jedi order. We don't even know Mando's personality except he hated droids, but now he doesn't.
That's Jake Skywalker and Mark Hamill confirms it
And then the Evil Disney Mouse decided to
unlearn what it learned and flushed all Luke's journey down the urinal.
🤷♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
Right when I clicked on the video I got the chills.
“I never had an arc either kid”
I love videos like these, basically every point you made I agreed with, but ultimately we have to question how much of this was intentional from Lucas lmao
Just one “nit pick” you can say: Campbell didn’t invent the hero’s story, he deconstructed and described it. The hero’s story is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, meta story shared cross almost all, if not all cultures.
YOU BLUE BALLER THAT INTRO WAS A TEASE
Luke is such a great hero because of the phenomenon that we see in this comment section. He's written to experience all the feelings and emotions humanly possible, he's at times ignorant or incredibly wise, angry and bitter or hopeful and optimistic he's everything we all are while being on a very clear journey to self improvement. If you plot it on a graph the line goes up but it's not linear. He stumbles and succeeds and he's always true to his heart. In this way he's whatever the viewer needs him to be.
I think Lukes first failure in the Empire Strikes back is being knocked off his Tontun and being taken away to the cave and hung upside down..then crashing his X-Wing
He’s the last
Laser
Master!!
True evil is manipulating people and bringing out the worst in them so true heroism is compassion and bringing out the best in them. I agree that Luke is the best hero because it’s never about whose more skilled, the true act is sacrifice and surrender, I still get chills every time I hear “I am a Jedi, like my father before me” The sequels will never taint that, I don’t even care about the sequels anymore, they’re totalled, it’s like looking at a car reck and trying to point out every scratch, it gets to a point when you just call it a disaster and you can move on and just laugh at it. It’s not canon anyway by how I define it. The end of the saga will always be ROTJ and the hero is Luke Skywalker.
I really think there is an element of mentorship with Luke’s journey - anyone who has had a coach or martial arts instructor will see element of Luke’s story. Guys like Ben and Qui Gon.. When Vader silently picks up the emperor I liked that more than the nooooooo
Luke Skywalker is the best and most powerful jedi he is really the best
Damn how do you only have 128 subscribers?
Omg I get it now, he was in the x-wing when he blew up the death star (obviously) which is what led to that feeling of entitlement so Yoda literally takes it away because it sinks and that's symbolic of taking away that entitlement and stripping Luke's character back down. Then later he has to get the ship back up, but it's all on him this time and he can't do it all by himself. Yoda gets it back up, so Luke never really gets that feeling back and it instead becomes something different. Hence why the x-wing gets all dirty and covered in vines and stuff, not so shiny and new anymore. ahhhhhhh
I'd like to point out that Yoda doesn't actually sink the X-Wing, Luke does it himself with his failed attempt to raise it from where he crashed it because of his overconfident attempt to land through thick fog on a strange planet. Having thus far failed in his own efforts entirely, it is then that Yoda raises the X-Wing from the swamp and returns it to Luke, which causes him to realise his own shortcomings and open himself up to learning from Yoda. (Insert your own "Did you drop this gold X-Wing or this silver X-Wing into the swamp?" joke here.) Furthermore, that specific X-Wing is lost to the Empire when it is left behind during the escape from Cloud City with all the heroes on the _Millennium Falcon_ after Luke's first duel with Darth Vader ends disastrously for him, which could be taken as symbolising Luke leaving behind that "heroic pilot of the Rebellion" early phase of his life, now that you've got me thinking about this topic.
@@Ms.Strahl though he did get an X Wing again in ROTJ as he flew that to get Han and to Dagobah the second time
@@tmbcyberman That's true, but he doesn't pilot it in any further fighter combat shown in the _Original Trilogy,_ namely the penultimate Battle of Endor, which suggests the aforementioned character arc from solely the movie's perspective. In the _Expanded Universe,_ Luke does return to piloting his new X-Wing to aid the New Republic in battle whilst also balancing such duties with the call of the Force and way of life of a Jedi Knight which I and many others felt was an even more satisfying character development in succeeding and surpassing the Jedi of the former order, but I did not include that in my earlier analysis because I thought it went beyond the topic of this video which is specifically about George Lucas's movies.
Throwing away his lightsaber was a mistake, imo. But, it did get Vader to back turn to the light side definitively.
From a practical standpoint perhaps but it was also the perfect defiant gesture to the emperor to show that Luke's not going to be his puppet or his tool.
The hero's journey wasn't "created" by Campbell, he derived these archetypes through a comparative analysis of world literatures and myths.
Anyone ever wondered why vader stops luke from killing palpatine? If he hadn't stopped him they wld rule the galaxy as father and son. I think vader...even if subconsciously...meant to stop luke from killing him because of his faith in his son and jot wanted him to turn out like vader did. Everything vader does during that fight seems antagonistic, but it also goads luke into reflecting on his feelings.
beautiful
Ranting about the sequels and a supposed link between its politics and its actual narrativd aside, nothing to disagree here. You and So Uncivilized explained Luke the best
Yeah, character arc. Remember that?
When Luke Skywalker returns to Tatooine, he rescues Han Solo from the vile Gangster Jabba The Hutt. 🙂
When Rey returns to Jakku, she bargains for even more portions from Unkar Plutt. 😐
Yeah I think Disney kind of forgot about character arcs honestly, they want money not narrative coherency.
@@thealternativelook except they did a great job with character arcs in the ST.
Young Anakin in the prequels can be explained by the help of R2 and the background with podracing
How is it that I never saw those t shifts of "The Force is Female"? Move studios never seem to learn, when you make your main character with the idea of promoting a message or dismantling a stereotype first, and character second it doesn't end well. Instead Hollywood promotes these characters as a step in the right direction towards feminism, multi ethnic, etc. then don't make them a real character, then blame the backlash on sexism, racism, whatever ism. What Hollywood doesn't seem to realize is that every time a character is created to force an agenda, all it does is direct our attention to the fact that Hollywood is doing that. To the point that when you look at character who is going against a stereotype, even if they're doing it well, you can't help but feel like you're being manipulated and thus look for the bad stuff.
I've had it happen so many times where I'm watching something and I kind of scoff at a character who is fighting a stereotype because they're X, Y, and Z, and I'm on guard for having a message pounded into my skull. Then looking back on it, I realize later that they were doing it right. I'm so sick and tired of Hollywood shoving a message down my throat that when I see it done well I'm not open to it and put my guard up. IT MAKES THE PROBLEM WORSE!
Everyone thought Luke was going to defeat darth Vader and kill him in return if the Jedi. Only he didn’t. Instead he stops himself, and surrenders, and is almost killed by palpatine. He doesn’t fight back. Instead he begs his father for help, and anakin finally shows his compassion and saves him, and he dies, but before says he is sorry to luke. Luke changed the game for heroes, it’s not about always winning in the end or killing the villain.
This is what I've always told people on my favorite hero (favorite villain being Palpatine). Especially at the end with Luke in RotJ, it just shows growth and journey like no other in cinema.
Now why did you use hayden and not original anakin from OT?
😝
Also, what you said on Luke going against his teachers, yoda and Obi-Wan reminds me of Aang in ATLA on how he decides to defeat the fire lord (funny enough, voiced by Mark Hammil himself). And he defeats Ozai by goong against his mentors and past lives too, rather than kill him, he shows compassion but strips his powers and allows him to live