Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Star Wars #43
Star Wars has just made Luke Skywalker’s future in The Last Jedi even more unforgivable than it already was. As seen in the sequel trilogy, a key flashback revealed that Luke gave into a moment of weakness where he briefly considered killing his own nephew due to his dark side corruption. However, a new reveal during the original trilogy makes this decision even worse in the Star Wars canon.
In the new Star Wars #43 by Charles Soule, Steven Cummings, and Jethro Morales set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker is trying to heal a kyber crystal corrupted by an ancient Sith. This spiritual process results in a key Force vision which motivates Luke to face all of the Sith’s pain that was tethered to this crystal. However, his own pain and suffering emerge in the form of his father Darth Vader, though Skywalker ultimately sees the man underneath all the darkness:
Seeing both the good and the bad still remaining within his father, this issue reveals the key moment in the Star Wars timeline when Luke knew Anakin Skywalker could be redeemed back to the light. As such, it’s a significant chapter that perfectly sets up his destiny seen in Return of the Jedi. However, Luke’s confirmation that “No one is beyond help” is also frustrating considering his later actions revealed in The Last Jedi regarding the darkness within his nephew.
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Luke Knew That Darth Vader Was Capable Of Redemption
He Never Gave Up On His Father
This experience healing Sith kyber and facing his pain had to have been a critical event for Luke, one that shaped his future as a Jedi Knight. After all, Luke goes on to do exactly what he believes can be done in this issue. Despite Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s beliefs that starting down the dark path would forever dominate one’s destiny, Luke refuses to believe that Vader is too far gone and that Anakin couldn’t be saved.
Never giving up and redeeming his father in Return of the Jedi is what makes Luke Skywalker such an iconic hero in the Star Wars canon. It’s why he more than deserved the role of restarting the Jedi Order during the New Republic Era in the aftermath of the original trilogy. However, it also makes the decisions made in the years that followed even more frustrating and disappointing, as Luke ultimately ended up mirroring the flaws of the past Jedi Order in his desire to fully replicate what had come before (including their pride and hubris).
If “No One Is Beyond Help”…Why Didn’t Luke Save Ben Solo?
Why Did He Give Up On His Nephew?
It’s maddening to see young Luke saying something so hopeful and full of conviction such as “No one is beyond help”, especially considering his moment of weakness in The Last Jedi where he nearly killed Ben Solo in his belief that he was too far gone. Even if it was only for a moment, the shame and devastating consequences remained with Luke losing his Jedi Academy and Ben becoming Kylo Ren. If no one is truly beyond help, Luke should never have had this moment of weakness to begin with, especially with his own nephew.
Star Wars #43 is available now from Marvel Comics
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