Will Luke Skywalker return and in what form for Episode IX? Yes, there are a number of small and some bigger reasons to believe so. Do we want him to come back, though, this is an entirely different question! This blog post will try to answer why I think Luke will be back and why it is a good thing.
This article contains heavy spoilers from Star Wars: The Last Jedi!
Star Wars: The Last Jedi attempted to answer a few questions, but posed even more with the way it ended. With Harrison Ford’s Han killed in The Force Awakens and now Luke sacrificing himself in the name of the Resistance. Only one from the Big Trio was left alive at the end of the movie – General Leia, thanks to her miraculous and a bit controversial “flying in space” moment – which was not accepted well by most fans. I myself am a bit torn apart, even after watching it 5 times (and counting). I think you will agree that Han’s death was very well placed within the story. Luke’s death on on the other hand…
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Luke’s death was at the same time predictable and unexpected. When Rey found him, she didn’t find the same person we all loved and remembered from the Original Trilogy. Luke had changed so much. We saw one very different Luke Skywalker on that island. The years of solitude have changed his mind to bring him to a state of mind where he believed it best to separate himself completely from the Force and wait for his death near the remains of the ancient Jedi Temple.
His actions during the whole movie gave away his fate. He wanted to die and he did in the end. In the course of the movie he managed to turn himself back towards the Light, reconnect his mind with the Force and realize that every mistake he has made, was for a reason – to make him wiser, better and stronger.
As I like to say and have said it so many times over the years “Nobody in the Star Wars universe is ever truly dead.” Mark Hamill’s character repeated these words in almost identical form to Rey in The Last Jedi. This may be the biggest hint we’ve got that Luke will return as a Force Ghost in Episode IX.
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Rian Johnson added a new element to the Force’s capabilities by introducing the Force Projection. The duel between Luke and Kylo was the single most interesting moment in the whole movie… for me at least. This only proves that despite all of the Expanded Universe and Canon Movies, TV Shows, Novels, Comic books, there are things about the Force itself that are yet to be revealed to us.
Even if Luke doesn’t come back as a Force Ghost, he may be able to find a different approach to reach back to Rey and guide her. We saw Rey’s powers growing and changing in The Last Jedi. What if she is able to draw Luke somehow back and help him find his way to her, so he can keep mentoring her until her training is complete.
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If Snoke can bridge two almost complete strangers through the Force, then why not go further into the “land of dreams” and stretch it to the max by proposing Luke and Rey’s minds be bound together? In Episode I we learned that Qui-gon has discovered a way to (incomplete) immortality. By the way, his immortality was not like Vitiate’s immortality. And he was nowhere near as powerful in the Force as Rey seems to be…
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In Return of the Jedi we find out that Qui-gon’s knowledge has been spreading from Master to Apprentice, when at the very end all three ghosts of Anakin, Master Yoda and Obi-wan appear together before Luke.
Now, back to the real life, in a recent interview Mark Hamill said that nobody has yet spoken to him about Episode IX and we know that several of the actors have already received some instructions and tips on how to start preparing their bodies and minds for the final third movie in the new Disney Trilogy.
Luke Skywalker is not just a Legend. He is a perfect demonstration that even if you feel like you have lost yourself or your ambitions have completely betrayed and failed you, it’s never too late to redeem yourself. In the very end of The Last Jedi Luke managed to realize that his Legend is still needed and it is the one thing that can (and probably will) light up the spark of the new Rebelion. The young children telling the story of Luke and Kylo’s duel is a great example of how important Luke’s sacrifice was. Star Wars can still benefit from Mark Hamill’s presence!
What do you think? Can Luke come back for Episode IX? Would you like to see him return?
