Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) had plenty of issues to deal with when he returned in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. His nephew, Ben Solo (Adam Driver), had joined the First Order and the galaxy was quickly losing hope. This caused the great Jedi warrior to isolate himself from the galaxy and his loved ones. But before Star Wars: The Force Awakens introduced this fate for Luke, Mark Hamill had different ideas for the explanation behind his character’s absence from the action. Here’s the dark backstory the actor came up with for Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars sequel trilogy:
“I thought, what could make someone give up a devotion to what is basically a religious entity, to give up being a Jedi. Well, the love of a woman. So he falls in love with a woman. He gives up being a Jedi. They have a child together. At some point the child, as a toddler, picks up an unattended lightsaber, pushes the button and is killed instantly. The wife is so full of grief, she kills herself.”
That narrative is darker than what was actually depicted on the big screen. Star Wars: The Last Jedi explained that Luke had actually stayed away from his family after feeling like he directly caused Ben Solo’s turn to the dark side. Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) had corrupted the young Ben Solo’s mind even before he was confronted by Luke Skywalker when he was a teenager. The Jedi’s escape and the creation of Kylo Ren set the stage for the events of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the legacy sequel that introduced a wide variety of new characters to the beloved franchise.
In the end, directors J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson defined what had actually happened to Luke Skywalker after fans saw him saving the galaxy in Return of the Jedi. The most important mission Luke had in the sequel trilogy was saving Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) and the Resistance from the claws of the First Order, while training Rey (Daisy Ridley) to become the most powerful Jedi the galaxy had seen in decades.
When Does the Next ‘Star Wars’ Movie Come Out?
The journey of Luke Skywalker and the people close to him entertained audiences over the course of decades, but Lucasfilm is now looking towards the future of the franchise. The next Star Wars movie that will make its way to the big screen will be The Mandalorian & Grogu. The film, currently scheduled to be released on May 22, 2026, will be a continuation of the Mandalorian television series from Disney+, with Pedro Pascal returning as the fearless Din Djarin. After diving deep into the secrets of Mandalore and saving Grogu from the evil Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), Djarin will make his debut on the big screen thanks to The Mandalorian & Grogu.
All Star Wars movies are now available for streaming on Disney+.
via Collider