One of the biggest misfires in Star Wars: The Last Jedi was how the film dramatically changed Luke Skywalker from his character in the original Star Wars trilogy. While changes are inevitable in any franchise, there is a difference between updating an iconic character to where they would logically be years later and turning a beloved character into the exact opposite of what they represented. Sadly, this was the case for Luke Skywalker when he was introduced into the Star Wars sequel trilogy.

Luke first appeared in the sequel trilogy right at the end of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He didn’t have any lines, but his appearance was the cliffhanger of the film. When he was finally expanded upon in The Last Jedi, it was a very different Luke than the one that audiences had been left with in Return of the Jedi. Director Rian Johnson’s Luke characterization differed from Mark Hamill’s, and audiences were given a Luke where almost every aspect about him was changed from a more mature and wiser Luke.

Related: Luke's Green Lightsaber Was A Star Wars Sequel Trilogy Injustice

Luke Skywalker Ignored The First Order

Star Wars the Last Jedi First Order Troops Line Up in Anger

In The Force Awakens' title crawl, it was revealed that Luke Skywalker had vanished, and, in his absence, the First Order had risen into power. As this was a setup for Luke’s story, there were many possible explanations as to why Luke wasn’t helping the Resistance win the war. Potential theories included that Luke could have been in another galaxy or trapped somewhere. However, The Last Jedi revealed that not only was Luke actively aware of what the First Order was doing and chose not to help, but he also continued to refuse to help once Rey explained how bad things had got.

Part of Luke Skywalker’s legacy as the greatest Jedi was his resilience to keep fighting for others and wanting to be a part of something greater. In 1977's Star Wars, also known as A New Hope, Luke was only a farm boy but dreamed of joining the Rebels and helping the fight against the Empire. In the rest of the original trilogy, Luke never backed down from the fight against the Empire, even when things were at their gravest. Whether it was discovering he was lied to all his life about his father's identity or losing Han for a year and having to rescue him, Luke persevered and never hid away from what was difficult.

Luke Skywalker Abandoned His Friends

Star Wars Luke Han Leia

In the original trilogy, Luke would never leave his friends in danger when he knew he could help them. In both The Empire Strikes Back and The Last Jedi, Luke was faced with the choice of staying on a remote island away from danger or heading off to save someone he cared about being tortured by the enemy. In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke was training on Dagobah with Yoda when he had a vision that Han and Leia were in trouble. Despite Yoda’s warnings, Luke declared that he could not leave them in danger and had to go to their aid.

Meanwhile, in The Last Jedi, when Rey was being tortured by Snoke in an effort to get Luke to come out of hiding, Luke did not try to save her. Whether he knew it was a trap or not, this was extremely out of character for Luke. Luke had been training Rey as a Jedi, bestowing all the wisdom he had learned upon her, yet he knowingly left her to torture and death.

Related: Luke Skywalker's Kylo Ren Lightsaber Duel Repeated His ROTJ Victory

Since Rey beat Luke Skywalker in a fight before she left the island, Luke’s decision not to help her might even be seen as a vindictive move. While in one situation, Luke decided to put the needs of his friends above his own and tried to save them, in the other, Luke remained passive and chose not to interfere. This is a character choice that, considering his past, did not make any sense.

After Losing Ben Solo, Luke Gave Up

Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Last Jedi attacking Ben Solo and standing on Ahch-to

Before the sequel trilogy, Luke was training a new generation of Jedi, which included his nephew Ben Solo. In The Last Jedi, it was revealed that Luke sensed the darkness in Ben during his nephew's Jedi training. Luke saw terrifying visions, and only briefly he thought about killing Ben to prevent his terrible vision from coming true. He quickly changed his mind, but it was too late as Ben saw Luke draw his lightsaber. Ben became Kylo Ren and tragically massacred the Jedi camp before fleeing to Snoke. This implied that Luke was partially to blame for the new war beginning.

It was this incident that caused Luke to give up and put himself in exile from the galaxy, but, once again, it didn't fit with the Luke Skywalker that had been previously established. Luke, in the original trilogy, was adamant that Darth Vader still had good in him. Despite knowing all the terrible things his father had done, it was Luke’s undying belief that turned Darth Vader back to the light side of the Force. The ability to see the good in people shrouded in darkness was an important part of Luke’s character. It was completely incongruous that Luke Skywalker considered killing Ben Solo because he sensed darkness, while when faced with a mass-murdering Sith, he refused to kill him.

Luke Didn't Want To Train Rey

In The Last Jedi​​​​​​, when Luke questioned why Rey was the one who came to get him, she told him that she felt the Force and was scared of what it meant. He told her that she needed a teacher but then refused to help her. Even when he did eventually give in to teaching her, it was more for Luke to prove his point about why the Jedi failed. It was not about helping Rey come to terms with who she was and what she could do. Furthermore, while Luke Skywalker explained the balance of the Force, he also judged Rey for giving in to the dark side’s calls without teaching her how to resist them.

Related: What If Rey Was Luke Skywalker's Daughter In The Star Wars Sequels?

This was different from Luke in the original trilogy. Yoda told Luke to pass on what he had learned. Even when Yoda returned in The Last Jedi, he reminded Luke that part of teaching is passing on one’s weaknesses and failures. Luke’s lack of trust in Ben Solo being passed on to Rey portrayed Luke as someone who hadn't learned from their mistakes. This also didn't fit with the original trilogy's Luke, as in The Empire Strikes Back, he was willing to learn from his mistakes, as seen while he trained with Yoda.

The Last Jedi's Luke Becomes Jaded Over The Jedi

Luke Skywalker and the First Jedi Mural in The Last Jedi

The Last Jedi also portrayed Luke as a fallen Jedi who no longer believed in what he represented. This was a controversial arc for Luke Skywalker. Luke spent all of Rey’s Jedi training trying to convince her why the Jedi needed to end and later attempted to burn the last remaining remnants of the Jedi religion. While some of Luke’s points about the Jedi were valid, they were also extreme for his character. He did not suggest an alternative to the Jedi, nor a different version of the Jedi that would balance both sides of the Force. In a way, this portrayed Luke with the mindset of a Sith who only deals in absolutes.

This was different from Luke’s character in Return of the Jedi. Luke Skywalker wanted to rejuvenate the Jedi Order, to create a new iteration that understood where the old Jedi went wrong and would work to both improve their teaching while honoring their legacy. In Return of the Jedi​​​​​​, Luke sometimes used Force moves that could have been considered from the dark side, but he knew a true Jedi would not kill a man he saw good in as he did in Darth Vader. The Last Jedi instead gave audiences an isolated Luke who abandoned the universe rather than the hopeful hero everyone had come to know and love.

Next: Luke Skywalker's Death In Star Wars: The Last Jedi Was Perfect