Star Wars has had many iconic characters over the years, from villains, such as Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine to heroes, like Rey and Han Solo. However, Luke Skywalker might just be the best of the lot. The character started off as a mere farm boy during the events of A New Hope but, by the time of his death in The Last Jedi, he was regarded as one of the most powerful beings in the entire galaxy. He won round fans with his boyish charm during the original trilogy and, later, with his words of wisdom to a new generation of heroes.
But can fans believe that Lucas originally had other plans in mind for his journey? According to reports, Lucas and his team were contemplating making Luke the new Vader. If this was the case, how different would the movies have turned out? What if they agreed on a different plan altogether?
What If Luke Wasn’t Hidden?
Let’s start with the obvious one. Luke is brought into the world by Padmé Amidala shortly before her tragic death in Revenge of the Sith. With the Empire starting to tighten their grip on the galaxy and Jedi being picked off one by one, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda sent the youngster off to live with his Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen. He remains there all the way until the events of A New Hope, when Kenobi then begins training him.
Had that not happened, Palpatine would likely have found both Luke and his sister, Leia. He could have trained the pair to be powerful dark side users and, once they were old enough, could have got rid of Darth Vader. Sith Lord Luke would have been a huge asset to the Emperor, so the Rebel Alliance should thank their lucky stars Kenobi and Yoda’s plan succeeded.
What If Luke And Leia Weren’t Related?
There are several big twists throughout the nine Star Wars movies, from the reveal that Darth Vader is Luke’s father in The Empire Strikes Back to Supreme Leader Snoke’s shock death in The Last Jedi. But another sizeable one comes in Return of the Jedi when Luke discovers Leia Organa is his sister. Something that must have been pretty awkward to discover when one considers they kissed in the previous movie.
If they weren’t related, there’s a possibility they could have become a couple. That’s definitely pretty weird to write as it was, Leia ended up settling down with Han Solo instead. Luke didn’t marry anybody (as far as we’re aware), instead pledging himself to the force.
What If Luke Died On Hoth?
During the early stages of The Empire Strikes Back, Luke finds himself in trouble on the planet of Hoth. Having wandered out too far, he’s attacked by a Wampa. Thankfully, the beloved hero is able to get himself out of trouble but, even after escaping the beast, he nearly perishes due to the planet’s extremely cold temperature.
Had Luke died then, the Rebel Alliance would have been in big problem. For all their resources, they had nobody capable of going toe to toe with both Darth Vader and the Emperor. Leia is force sensitive but, at this moment in the story, her powers are yet to come through. Fans could imagine that the galaxy would have been subjected to imperial rule for many years to come. As a result, Leia and many other of the good guys wouldn’t have lived for much longer.
What If He Didn’t Destroy The Death Star?
Of course, one of Luke’s biggest achievements is destroying the first Death Star. He does this during A New Hope, managing to take the decisive shot after Han Solo swooped in to get Darth Vader off his back. Yet, while it’s a spectacular thing for the former Tatooine farmboy to do, some reckon it didn’t make much of a difference.
After all, the Empire was very much on top during the early stages of the next movie. And they just built another horrible space station instead. His act probably stopped the imperials from destroying many more of their enemies. But it didn’t have the same impact the Rebels were hoping for given their immense strength and resources.
What If Luke Heeded Yoda’s Advice?
In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke starts training with the eccentric Master Yoda – having been sent to the Dagobah System by Obi-Wan Kenobi earlier on in the movie. Once there, he senses his friends are in danger, with Han and Leia being lured into a trap by Darth Vader on Cloud City. Yoda tells him to stay put but an emotional Luke decides to take matters into his own hands by setting off to save the people he loves.
Had Luke not done this, it’s possible Han Solo would have been carted off to Jabba the Hutt, where he’d have stayed for far longer than he actually did. Leia and Chewbacca would have been imprisoned on the planet, and worst possible scenario, they could have all been killed. It’s a good job Luke turned up then.
What If Luke Killed Palpatine?
In Return of the Jedi, Palpatine is eager for Luke to kill him. He knows that, should Skywalker give in to his anger and hate, he’d be lost to the dark side. He anticipates Luke would be able to beat Darth Vader in a duel, with the Sith Lord never the same following his defeat to Obi-Wan in Revenge of the Sith.
It’s hard to imagine, but yet possible, that Luke would have ruled the galaxy with villainous authority. With unlimited power at his disposal, the Rebel Alliance may not have been able to stop him from doing whatever he wants. He could have slaughtered Vader without remorse, removing the only being perhaps powerful enough to stop him. It somewhat a chilling thought.
What If He Didn’t Attack Ben Solo?
Despite not giving in to his feelings of hate and anger when up against Darth Vader and the Emperor, Luke has a moment of weakness that’s revealed in The Last Jedi. While training Ben Solo, he senses the dark inside the youngster. And he then decides to try and kill him. This tips Ben towards the darkness inside of him and pushes him towards his new identity as Kylo Ren.
If he didn’t do this, Ben could very well have still turned towards Supreme Leader Snoke and the First Order. Or he could have actually suppressed it, like Luke himself did. Unfortunately, audiences will never know. But fans were definitely against this decision when the blockbuster dropped back in the winter of 2017.
What If Luke Didn’t Go Into Hiding?
Full of pain at his actions, Luke decides to shut himself off from the force. This means that, during The Force Awakens, the Resistance is forced to embark on a number of dangerous missions to obtain a map leading to his location. It’s safe to assume that Luke must not have wanted to have been found because who creates a map otherwise? Anyway, that’s what he does and it isn’t until Rey visits that he decides to finally embrace his powers again.
Had Luke not gone into hiding, one can imagine that the First Order’s downfall would have happened a lot quicker. He could have prevented the death of Han Solo and, let’s face it, he would have easily beaten Kylo Ren in a lightsaber duel.
What If Luke Had Fought Palpatine Again?
Unfortunately, fans never got to see Luke Skywalker and Palpatine face off again. The former’s death in The Last Jedi saw to that, with Mark Hamill’s character dying after sacrificing himself to ensure the Resistance live on. But it certainly would have been enthralling to see the Star Wars icons share the screen again.
Fans can imagine that Luke would have got the better of his enemy. He wouldn’t have messed around, either, ending things once and for all for the sake of the galaxy. It wasn’t to be – but that doesn’t stop people from imagining such an epic scenario.
What If Luke Didn’t Encourage Rey?
In The Rise of Skywalker, Rey looks set to follow the same path as Luke by shutting herself off from the force – having come close to killing Kylo Ren during their duel on the remains of the second Death Star. Fortunately, a force ghost version of Hamill’s character stops her from making the same mistakes as himself and she leaves Ahch To to square off against Palpatine.
Had Luke not done this, the galaxy would have been subjected to yet another era of the Sith Lords calling all the shots. Fans are glad it didn’t come to this and Rey holds her own against Palpatine, with a little help from the transformed Ben Solo. It ensures the movie ends on a happy note yet, if it hadn’t been for Luke’s big intervention, this might not have been the case.
