Luke Skywalker

Background

Luke Skywalker was born shortly after the formation of the Galactic Empire began along with his twin sister, Leia. Their mother died just after giving birth to them, and since their father was now the Sith Darth Vader, both Luke and Leia were left as orphans.

Jedi Masters Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, who were present at their birth, both sensed the twins affinity towards the Force and knew they would need to be split up and hidden away. Leia was sent off to adoptive parents on the planet of Alderaan and Luke was sent to Tatooine to be with his father's stepbrother and wife, Owen and Beru Lars. On Tatooine Luke lived on the Lars' moisture farm with his uncle attempting to keep Luke's adventurous side in check hoping he wouldn't become like his father, a Jedi.

Creation

Luke and Leia

Luke Skywalker represents the archetypical pattern of most fictional heroes throughout history originally described in the 1936 book The Hero: A Study in Tradition, Myth, and Drama. This follows a series of steps a hero will usually follow to grow as a character and become the hero he/she needs to be. George Lucas has said he studied this hero cycle, as well as other, when writing the story for Star Wars and particularly the character of Luke. Skywalker also follows the hero cycle, called the "Hero's Journey", from the book The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell.

Major Plots

A New Hope

The purchase of two droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO, would lead Luke towards his destiny and new adventures. While cleaning up the two droids in hopes of putting them to use on the moisture farm Luke stumbled upon a message meant for a Jedi named Obi-Wan Kenobi with a woman asking for help with the rebellion against the Empire. Luke followed R2-D2 out to find "Old Ben" a hermit who lived in the wastelands who may be the Kenobi the message was meant for. After being assaulted by native sand people Old Ben came to the rescue of Luke.

Luke learning to use a lightsaber

Luke played Ben the message and revealed Ben to indeed be the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. He tells Luke about serving in the Clone Wars with Luke's father and how Darth Vader was the one who killed him. Obi-Wan implores Luke to train to be a Jedi and assist him in finding the woman in the message and help defeat the Empire. Luke agrees to escort Ben to the nearest spaceport but no further.

After discovering the Jawas, Luke and his uncle Lars bought R2-D2 and C-3PO from had been killed by Imperial Stormtroopers, Luke hurried home. There Luke found his adoptive family killed and the moisture farm in ruins. With nothing left for Luke on Tatooine he agreed to accompany Obi-Wan on his mission and to train as a Jedi.

Obi-Wan, Luke, R2-D2, C3PO, and hired pilots Han Solo and Chewbacca begin flight to Alderaan, escaping Imperial conflict where possible. When they arrive in the system for Alderaan they discover nothing is left, only debris. After spotting a short range TIE fighter, they follow it back to the massive secret space station built by the Empire known as the Death Star. Before Solo can turn the ship around a tractor beam captures the ship and brings it in.

On board the Death Star, Luke and the others evade capture long enough to rescue the woman who sent the original message for Kenobi, Princess Leia. Just as everyone has escaped the clutches of the Empire and temporarily disabled the tractor beam they make their escape. But as Luke is about to board he spots Kenobi battling Darth Vader himself, and watches Vader kill Kenobi in one swipe of his lightsaber.

Luke here on becomes a member of the Rebel Alliance with the goal to defeat the evil Galactic Empire. With R2-D2, who contained the technical layout of the Death Star including one weakness, Luke is a part of the attack that destroys the Death Star. Luke assists where he can with the Rebel Alliance as a great pilot.

Empire Strikes Back

Luke training with Yoda on his back

With a narrow escape from the secret rebel base on Hoth, Luke heads off to a little known planet called Dagobah after being urged by the Force spirit of Kenobi. There, after a less than perfect landing, Luke discovers the Jedi Master Yoda and begins training to become a full Jedi Knight. Despite his training Luke falls into a trap set up by the Empire and Vader and he cuts his training short, leaving for Cloud City.

Luke falls right into the trap awaiting him and begins dueling Darth Vader. Luke, despite his training, is no match for Vader and is cornered. After Vader severs Luke's hand he reveals to Luke that he is his father. Vader offers Luke the chance to overthrow the Emperor and become rulers together as father and son. Luke refuses and falls only to barely hang on to the very underside of Cloud City. There he reaches out to his sister Leia and she, along with Lando Calrissian leader in Cloud City, rescue Luke who is badly injured and must receive a cybernetic hand.

Return of the Jedi

With his friend Han Solo in the hands of gangsters Luke must find a way to rescue him. Now a more powerful Jedi, Luke heads to Jabba the Hutt's palace on Tatooine where Leia, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2 have also fallen into the Hutt's hands. Luke fails to persuade Jabba into simply releasing his friends and is subjected to a rancor. Luke defeats the rancor and is now sentenced to death along side his friends in the dreaded sarlacc pit where they will be digested for centuries.

Right before being forced to walk the plank Luke offers Jabba his life, when Jabba refuses Luke's plan is put into motion. R2-D2 fires to Luke his new lightsaber and frees his friends who battle it out with Jabba's thugs. Luke leaves Jabba the Hutt dead and his sail barge in ruins with all his friends in tow.

Not long after, Luke returns to master Yoda to finish his training. Yoda, who was dying, tells Luke his training was nearly complete but in order to be a Jedi he would have to confront Darth Vader. Yoda also told him he wasn't the only Skywalker, forcing Luke to confront what he already knew deep down, Leia was his sister.

Luke returns to the Rebel Alliance as they prepare one last assault against the new and improved Death Star. This second Death Star is in orbit around the forest moon of Endor and the Rebels are sending their entire fleet to attack it as a small assault force will be on the planet's surface in hopes of disabling the Death Star's shields.

Luke and his friends all volunteer for the mission and are all captured, his friends by a tribe of indigenous Ewoks and by Vader, who sensed him before he landed on Endor. Luke attempts to convince his father, Vader, that good still exists inside him and that he won't take him before the Emperor.

Luke duels Vader on the second Death Star.

But Luke is wrong, as is "treated" to watch the Rebel fleet arrive to a fully shielded and operational Death Star. Luke keeps his composure until a threat to corrupt his sister instead enrages him, falling prey to the dark side even for a moment sends Luke to attack. Vader defends the Emperor and Luke and Vader are dueling once more. This time though Vader is no match for his son and with Luke's anger flowing defeats him cutting off Vader's robotic hand. The Emperor tells him to kill Vader and become a true member of the dark side of the force but when Luke refuses, the Emperor strikes.

With Luke struggling against the Emperor's Force lightening attack Vader makes a redeeming decision. He lifts the Emperor up and throws him down a long shaft essentially killing him while sacrificing himself. With his friends succeeding in the assault on the Death Star now Luke escapes with his dying father. Just before they can board a shuttle Vader, now redeemed back to Anakin Skywalker, tells Luke he was right and that there was still some light side inside of him. Luke returns to the planet Endor to celebrate with his friends at the Empire's defeat and sees the spirits of Yoda, Obi-Wan and the redeemed Anakin.

Personality and Traits:

When Luke starts out into his journey to become a Jedi Knight he resembles a mix of his father, eager and impatient, and of his uncle, stubborn. Soon though his Uncle Owen's influence melts away and his father shines through as Master Yoda begins to teach him the ways of the force. Luke doesn't listen all the time and choose to interrupt his training to willing go into a trap set by Darth Vader. After learning who his father really is Luke begins a drive to overcome the Skywalker curse of falling to the dark side and focuses on becoming a Jedi Master. Luke is caring, brave, and a loyal friend who knows there is a higher purpose to the things he and the rebellion does.