Why Rian Johnson ruined Luke Skywalker for me and how Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau redeemed him

The most exciting thing that I heard around 2014 was that a new Star Wars movie was coming out and that all three actors from the original trilogy would be back to reprise their roles. The excitement build in me like a child marking off the days on a calendar in December leading to Christmas. Seeing the force Awakens and waiting for Luke Skywalker to show up was both exciting and nerve wrecking. Then, in the final minutes of the final act Rey met him on a mountain top.

Chills rushed over me as the camera panned to Luke Skywalker from behind while that very familiar, and glorious music played. Then when Rey extended her hand to give Luke the lightsaber and you see the aerial shot of both of them on the mountain top as the credits roll, was mind blowing. I couldn’t wait for the next movie. Luke Skywalker was back. I left the movie theater theorizing the possibilities of where they can take the story, excited over the potential of what’s coming.

Then came Rian Johnson to snuff out the hope and potential of what Luke Skywalker was, and could be. When Luke grabbed the lightsaber from Rey and tossed it off the mountain like it was nothing, crushed my hopes. Why would Luke Skywalker take his father’s saber and toss if off like that? Why would Luke be so disgruntled and bitter? It made no sense to me. Then, as the movie went on I knew that there would be no saving Luke.

He who shall not be named, destroyed every part of what made Luke Skywalker such a great character. He saved his own father from the dark side, but yet wanted to kill his nephew, again, why? I get the director wanting to shift the focus off of the Skywalker story line but you can’t just butcher a character to get your new view made. You use an established character to help your new characters thrive, to pass the torch so to say. To discard Luke Skywalker the way ‘he should not be named’ did, was an insult to everything George Lucas created.

Then came Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau to bring new hope to such a beloved character. The 4 or 5 minutes that Luke was in the last episode of season two of the Mandalorian invigorated me once more. That was the Luke I wanted to see in the newest movies. They redeemed that character for me and made me have hope again.

When I watched the Book of Boba Fett episode six, they did it again. They showed the Luke Skywalker that should have been in the Last Jedi. With little screen time, Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau undid the disastrous character assassination that Rian Johnson did to Luke Skywalker. Those moments that Luke was in the Book of Boba Fett made me wish that the newest trilogies didn’t exist. I like Rey and Kylo, but would trade it all for a proper movie featuring the later years of Luke Skywalker.