It’s a little over a month away and we still have not seen Luke Skywalker. Has Disney forgotten about him? Definitely not, much like Supreme Leader Snoke, Luke’s story will be held until the release of the movie. There are tons of speculations popping up about what he has been up to. Has he joined the Dark Side as Yoda once thought in Empire? Or has our hero joined the true ranks of the Jedi. If you are interested in our theory, then head on over to our analysis. So that is what we have to say about Luke Skywalker, but what has Entertainment Weekly revealed? If you are still trying to keep everything a surprise and want to wait til the release of the movie, then you may not want to continue. But if you do, there may be some spoilers ahead, but that’s all up to fan speculation. Darth Abrams himself likes to keep things secret, which adds to the fun leading up to the movie.

So what part is Luke going to have in the movie?

“No one forgot about him!” director J.J. Abrams promises. “We were hoping people would care, but there are a lot of things that are not on the poster, as busy as the poster is. Certainly Luke is a very important aspect of the story.”

‘Who is Luke Skywalker?’” Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy told EW in August.

That is one question that everyone has been asking. Who is Luke Skywalker? Is he the dark master behind the Knights of Ren? Or is he truly the last Jedi? Which begs more questions. If he was a Jedi, why hasn’t the Jedi Order been restored and peace aplenty throughout the galaxy? With the death of the Emperor and the turning of Darth Vader, you would think that would allow the Jedi to return, as the title itself suggested.

We still think that Luke is the Jedi that the galaxy deserves. But the article suggests something of why he hasn’t come out in full force to restore the galaxy as a whole.

Did crude Jedi training and the emotional and physical scars of battle, not to mention learning that a galactic tyrant was his father, take a toll that warped the pie-eyed farm-boy who longed for adventure?

We believe that Luke, while learning this in Empire, became a little more composed prior to the start of Return of the Jedi. More in fact, Luke was having an inner battle. To kill his father or hold onto that hope that he could return from the dark side. While Luke still showed similar traits to his father, he had a lot more weighing on him. To save the galaxy, or try to bring his father back and risk everything to do so. In taking the risk he was able to accomplish both. He brought his father back and took down the Emperor, but at the cost of losing his father all over again. Upon the end of Return of the Jedi, we see that maybe not all was lost. Much like the two Jedi masters before him, Anakin was able to complete the transformation as well. We would assume there would be some type of communication in the furthering of Luke’s training which is not completely far out there as Obi Wan was able to help Yoda train Luke on the swamps of Dagobah.

Anyone remember the rumors of Hayden returning as Anakin in Episode VIII? Perhaps it’s another force ghost moment for Luke, some last words of wisdom against the Knights of Ren. Could Vader have had dealings with this group and upon his death they were to complete his work? Could this be the reason Luke has been in hiding and has not restored the Jedi order? Maybe he never had the chance and has been on the run, which would make the old war heroes become myths as Abrams points out.

“It was the thing that struck me the hardest, which was the idea that doing a story that took place nearly 40 years after Jedi meant that there would be a generation for whom Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Leia would be as good as myth,” Abrams says. “They’d be as old and as mythic as the tale of King Arthur. They would be characters who they may have heard of, but maybe not. They’d be characters who they might believe existed, or just sounded like a fairy tale.”

Even Finn, has heard of Luke as he trained to be part of The First Order. The farm-boy who took down the Emperor would not be seen as a hero, but more of the villain.

“For Finn, he’s been raised from the ashes of the Empire,” says Boyega. “He’s been taught about Luke Skywalker, he knows about his history. For him it’s like joining the army and then learning about one of the great enemies of your country. It has that effect on him. But in terms of the Force, and the magical stuff that happens, that is the point where Finn kind of questions what is what. What is the Force, what part does Luke Skywalker play in all of this?”

But the force changes him. Luke is to have a huge impact on the story and this may be the connection we are looking for. A stormtrooper who was taught only one thing comes into contact with this mysterious force that controls everything. Not only is there a dark side, but there is a light side as well and it’s that understanding of good vs. evil that our new hero must battle with. From what it sounds like, Finn begins to believe Luke is the hero, perhaps this is what finally turns him to rescuing Poe from the Star Destroyer and his escape from the First Order begins.

But why isn’t Han and Leia in hiding? For the same reasons. They may have been big war heroes to the alliance, but they were mixed in with all the soldiers that were fighting while Luke took a significant role so their individual merits were the same as the other soldiers that fought alongside them at the Battle of Endor. Even Luke was the sole target and renowned for taking down the Death Star. The Empire was hardly focused upon that ship that came in and knocked Vader out of the trench to give Luke the advantage he needed to succeed. So Abrams says,

Han Solo, he adds, doesn’t inspire the same fear. For Finn, it really is kind of: “Han who?”

“To a stormtrooper they’ve probably been given a watered down bit about Han Solo or something,” he says. “It doesn’t feel as magical and mythical and historical, so you know. It’s quite fun playing that not really knowing who these people are.”

This transformation that brings Finn out of the myth of these characters begins with an artifact that has turned up in the hands of Finn. Luke’s old lightsaber. The one that belonged to his father and which we assume Kylo is referring when he says, “That weapon is mine.”

It was last seen tumbling down an air shaft after Darth Vader sliced off his hand and revealed that he, he was Luke’s father.  In this film … it’s an important piece of the puzzle that will reveal Luke’s fate and whereabouts.

Many have suggested that Luke is the one asking, disguised as Kylo Ren. This rumor comes from something Hamill said to Abrams on Dinner For Five. Abrams even comments about it when asked.

“Dinner For Five …” Abrams says, thinking back. “It was a funny night. And Stan Lee was there too – it was a very funny group of people. Yeah, Mark had a whole concept.”

What was that dinner about? Here’s the rundown.

An IFC show called Dinner For Five, presided over by geek impresario Kevin Smith, featured Mark Hamill discussing what he imagined the future to be for Luke Skywalker. It’s a pretty dark one.

Sitting right across from him happened to be J.J. Abrams, years before having any idea he would someday actually make another Star Wars film with the actor.

Hamill had mentioned the idea of Luke going to the dark side and becoming the villain. Perhaps killing Han in the process or some other beloved character. All Abrams was would say was that it was interesting.

Abrams offers a smile that looks like a “Closed” sign being turned forward in a storefront window. “It was definitely entertaining to be at that table, yeah,” is all he’ll say. 

Speaking to Mark Hamill,

This isn’t easy for him. Everyone wants to know where Luke has gone, and one group in particular makes it hard for Hamill to say, “Nope, sorry.”

“That would be young children,” he says. “Because they don’t understand non-disclosure agreements, they just want to know what’s going on. It’s not been easy, but the wait will soon be over.”

But here may be the final piece of the puzzle that fans need to throw that whole concept out the window. While Abrams said nothing and many even begin to speculate that Luke is indeed turned to the dark side. Hamill does say this, which could be the answer masked in a subtle phrase.

“That’s the beauty of the story, is it leaves it up to the audience’s imagination,” he says. “It was the story of a boy going from a farm boy to a Jedi Master, and I always thought it was amusing, and if you put it in terms of James Bond, it would be like telling the story of how he got his license to kill, and then stopping and never telling any stories of what his adventures were. But that was just the structure of the movie, so it leaves it to the audience.”

While we do know that Luke was a Jedi Knight at the time he rescued Han. When did he become a Jedi Master? Was turning Vader to the light side and taking down the Emperor the final trial he needed to gain the title? Or maybe the adventures we have yet to see of Luke in the written books and comics will unveil more to why Hamill suggests Luke is a Jedi Master. Would a Jedi Master turn to the dark side so easily?

So we don’t have a confirmation on who Luke is, or where he is. But based on the interview we believe we have an idea of what Luke’s fate may be. What do you guys think? Let us know your comments below and on our social media!

The new film is to be released on December 18th!

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