Just as Master Yoda had warned Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back, Luke’s Jedi path was frequently impacted by the dark side of the Force throughout Star Wars. Although Luke is no doubt one of Star Wars’ most powerful Jedi, his journey as a Jedi Knight was not always spotless. In fact, Luke experienced many moments when he not only was tempted by the dark side of the Force but also came dangerously close to embracing it.
In The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda warns Luke that if he begins down the path of the dark side of the Force, “forever will it dominate your destiny.” Although Luke never became one of Star Wars’ Sith Lords, this ominous foreshadowing nodded toward the ways in which, throughout Luke’s Star Wars timeline, he would have encounters with the dark side and how those instances would shape him and his relationship with the Force. Ultimately, even without ever fully committing to it, Luke’s destiny truly was dominated by the dark side for several reasons.
How To Watch Star Wars Movies In Order
Here is how to watch all Star Wars movies and TV shows chronologically and in order of release, and how each fits into the Star Wars timeline.
Luke Skywalker Brushed With The Dark Side In Return Of The Jedi
Luke Skywalker
- Created By
- George Lucas
- Cast
- Mark Hamill , Grant Feely
- First Appearance
- Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
- Died
- Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi
- Alliance
- Jedi
In Return of the Jedi, Luke has a number of moments where his proximity to the dark side of the Force is evident. At the beginning of the movie, at Jabba’s palace, Luke makes a number of statements showing his willingness to kill, even telling Jabba, “Free us or die.” In a previous scene, he had also warned Jabba not to underestimate his power, which is reminiscent of his father, Anakin Skywalker, saying “You underestimate my power” in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith after becoming Darth Vader.
The much more significant brushes with the dark side come when Luke has his encounter with Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader in the third act of the movie, however. When Palpatine reveals his plot to destroy the Rebel Alliance and initiates the attack upon them, he says he can feel the hate and anger flowing through Luke, saying that if Luke only strikes him down, his journey to the dark side will be complete. It is only because Vader blocks Luke’s subsequent blow that Luke is spared this path to the dark.
Perhaps the most glaring threat of Luke’s turn of all, though, is his attachment. In fact, Vader seemingly only discovers Leia’s place in the Skywalker family tree because he can feel Luke’s feelings for her. Vader uses this to his advantage, saying that if Luke will not join him, “perhaps she will.” Only then, after saying repeatedly that he would not fight his father, Luke launches himself at Vader in anger. Particularly given that Vader’s turn was driven by attachments, this was an ominous moment for Luke.
Luke Seems To Have Always Faced The Temptation Of Power
Luke’s relationship with power was always a complicated one. Although he grows up as an unassuming boy on a Tatooine farm, he learns very suddenly that he possesses an incredible power in the Force, and he has limited time with both Obi-Wan and Yoda, who would have been able to further help him harness and understand his power. It’s really no surprise, then, that after his Jedi Temple falls, he blames himself, even going so far as to enter exile because he feels responsible for Ben Solo’s actions and his turn to the dark side.
Luke’s perception seems to be that he has the power to determine others’ fates, single-handedly preventing someone’s fall to the dark side of the Force. This misconception, however incorrect in practice, makes sense given that he effectively saved Darth Vader, bringing him back to the light side after decades of being a Sith. This incredible impact no doubt clouded Luke’s understanding of his own powers. Kylo Ren even seems to call back to this in Star Wars: The Last Jedi when he and Luke have their final face-off, and he asks Luke whether he’s here to save his soul.
9 Things Luke Skywalker Did After The Star Wars Original Trilogy
Luke Skywalker’s adventures in Star Wars after Return of the Jedi are largely shrouded in mystery, but some of his timeline has been revealed.
Luke’s Invasion Of Ben Solo’s Mind Was Very Much Of The Dark Side
Ben Solo/Kylo Ren
- Created By
- J.J. Abrams , Michael Arndt , Lawrence Kasdan
- Cast
- Adam Driver , Matthew Wood
- First Appearance
- Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens
- Died
- Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise Of Skywalker
- Alliance
- Jedi, First Order
Luke’s behavior with Ben Solo is, unfortunately, even more problematic in terms of toying with the dark side than just believing he has the ability to change others’ Jedi paths. Over time, Luke begins to sense that Ben is feeling a pull to the dark side, and it stirs up fear in Luke, which in and of itself is a problem, as Yoda notably and repeatedly identified fear as a path to the dark side throughout Star Wars. When Luke begins to feel that fear, he decides to enter Ben’s mind.
This reflects the dark side of the Force; in fact, Ben later uses this very skill against others as Kylo Ren. Worse still, in response to what Luke sees in Ben’s mind, he considers that he might need to kill him. This is arguably Luke’s darkest moment in the entire franchise. Even outside of Ben being Luke’s nephew, this represents Luke’s willingness to kill a defenseless, sleeping, and young Padawan who, at the time, had not fully committed to the dark. In that sense, it’s true that Luke created Kylo Ren and clear that he was tempted by the dark.
Was Luke Right To Exile Himself To Ahch-To?
Given that, it’s difficult to say whether Luke’s exile was ultimately for the best. It was certainly an unpopular choice for many viewers who were unhappy to see the Jedi hero succumb to sorrow and feeling defeated, but Luke’s path at the time poses the possibility that the exile truly was needed. Luke had exercised a willingness to betray what he believed in as a Jedi and cause others harm, which signals a dangerous turn in his relationship with the Force.
It was no doubt also front of mind, despite turning him back to the light, that his own father had once been a great Jedi himself before becoming a violent Sith Lord, so Luke’s decision to simply remove himself as a potential threat makes sense. Even so, Leia and the larger galaxy needed him, so this decision was likely not truly for the best, even if Luke feared what he could become if he didn’t leave. Ultimately, this all serves to prove Yoda’s point. Luke Skywalker‘s Jedi path truly was shaped by the dark side of the Force throughout Star Wars, right up until the end.
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