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The Best Luke Skywalker Story From Every Decade of the Star Wars Franchise, Going Back 49 Years
Star Wars has given us some of the most iconic characters in pop culture history. Darth Vader is one of the most layered and greatest villains to ever grace the big screen, Han Solo is synonymous with the rogue hero archetype, and Leia Organa has gone down as one of the strongest female characters from any major franchise. That’s just scratching the surface, as the likes of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Darth Maul, Cassian Andor, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Padmé Amidala, Din Djarin, Chewbacca, and Yoda are also legendary staples of cinematic history. Even as great as all those characters are, it’s hard to think of one better than Luke Skywalker.
He is the protagonist of the original trilogy as we follow him from his humble beginnings until he saves his father, overcomes the Emperor, and turns things around for the Jedi. Since the original Star Wars in 1977, Luke Skywalker has been at the heart of some incredible stories throughout the decades. The appearances in movies and TV shows are the most memorable, yet he has also been a key part of comic books, novels, and more. These stories have expanded on his character and lore, helping to cement his status as one of the greatest heroes in history.
6) 1970s – Star Wars: A New Hope
There is no other place to start than with the original Star Wars. On top of being the film that started it all and introduced us to Luke Skywalker, there also isn’t really any competition. The success of this movie is what gave us more of the world later, but that didn’t happen until the ’80s, so this is really all we have to go on from the ’70s. The entire setup for the franchise begins and ends with Luke Skywalker’s introduction.
We first see him as a simple farmer on Tatooine as he learns more about his past and who he really is. As Luke finds out about the world around him, so does the audience, so we can relate to him. He’s the eyes through which we see the galaxy, which makes him our biggest hero. When Luke ultimately watches his mentor die and then comes out as the guy who destroys the Death Star and saves the day, it feels like an earned hero moment.
5) 1980s – The Empire Strikes Back
It’s difficult to pick between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. While Luke helping his father earn his redemption in the latter is great, his overall arc in the former gets the slight edge. In The Empire Strikes Back, it’s interesting to see Luke face death early and fight to survive before going off on his own to learn more about being a Jedi. His scenes with Yoda are some of the best in the franchise.
It’s also intriguing to see Luke make the headstrong decision to leave Yoda to save his friends, even though it’s a trap that could lead him down the path to the Dark Side. His eventual face-off with Darth Vader is epic and the reveal that Vader is his father is a huge moment that sets the tone for the last leg of the trilogy and the rest of the franchise as a whole. It truly is a shining moment for Luke as a character.
4) 1990s – The Thrawn Trilogy
The ’90s are a time when you have to look beyond the big screen for Star Wars content. We didn’t get any movies until 1999, and that didn’t feature Luke, so a good place to look is the novels. In 1991, Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire was released and felt like a true sequel to the films. It introduced a new big bad who felt different from Vader, yet was just as imposing. In that story, we got to see what life was like for Luke after becoming the hero of the galaxy.
Admittedly, there are plenty of great Luke stories from this era, including 1998’s I, Jedi, and Luke gets more time to shine in those than in this trilogy, which is an ensemble piece. However, it’s captivating to see Luke in a new role and it’s important that the story marks his first interaction with Mara Jade, whom he would go on to marry. Seeing the seeds planted for their future as they grow from enemies to something more is great, as is Luke going up against his clone and C’baoth.
3) 2000s – Star Wars Infinites
Again, the 2000s mostly focused on the prequels, which Luke doesn’t fit into. Thankfully, comic books were around and Star Wars Infinities is one of the coolest Star Wars concepts ever. The graphic novels from 2002 act as a “what if” of sorts for the franchise, telling alternate universe-style stories of intriguing ideas. The biggest one focused on what would have happened if Luke failed to destroy the Death Star at the end of A New Hope.
This story sent Luke, Leia, and everyone else down very different paths. Luke trained with Yoda on Dagobah for years, while Leia was trained as Darth Vader’s apprentice, leading to the two clashing. It’s not the story we would’ve wanted for actual Star Wars canon, but it’s something fresh that shows an interesting scenario. The siblings end up not killing each other and Vader intervenes after the Emperor attacks them, bringing the whole family together.
2) 2010s – Skywalker Strikes
Released in 2015, the Skywalker Strikes series of comic books got the Marvel era of that section of the franchise off to a great start. The story took place between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, and is fan service at its best. This comic gives us everything we could want from a one-on-one battle between Luke and Boba Fett to Darth Vader making deals with Jabba the Hutt. Luke’s story has an especially important moment, which is his first duel with his father.
Before Luke and Vader ever clashed on Cloud City, this comic sees them come across each other soon after the Death Star was blown up. Luke doesn’t yet have the training he needs to actually be a threat to Vader, but he still lights that saber and does his best to hold his own. The six-issue series is a must for Star Wars fans everywhere and it gives us a look at Luke being a hero at a time when he still didn’t have the skills for it, showing his true bravery.
1) 2020s – The Mandalorian/The Book of Boba Fett
The sequel trilogy did some unexpected things with Luke Skywalker as a character that many fans didn’t appreciate. However, The Mandalorian gave us one of the coolest moments ever for the character. With Din Djarin searching for a Jedi to train Grogu, Luke shows up in epic fashion to take out various enemies. It was one of the most viral Star Wars moments ever and gave fans a rare glimpse at Luke at his most powerful. He steps up to care for Grogu ahead of forging the academy where the future Kylo Ren took part.
Luke returned in The Book of Boba Fett, where he’s training Grogu, only to understand that Grogu needed Din Djarin in his life. Luke’s mature response shows one of his best qualities. It’s also great to watch him interact with Ahsoka Tano, as the two characters had never shared the screen but have a lot in common thanks to their connection to Anakin Skywalker. These shows didn’t give us a ton of Luke Skywalker, but they nailed what made him special in that era.
What’s your favorite Luke Skywalker story? Let us know in the comments!
