Many beloved protagonists and heroes have been introduced to the Star Wars fandom over the past forty years, but few, if any, are as revered and adored as Luke Skywalker. Throughout the original trilogy, and then in a slew of content since, he has captivated fans with his heroics, both on the grand scale of saving the Galaxy and in the smaller scope of helping his friends.
Throughout canon both old and new, there is a slew of moments that show off Luke's pure, good heart. While he may be rash, emotional, and hot-headed at times in his early life, he is still a kind being, and he shows off this niceness time and time again.
Taking On Jabba's Thugs
Most of Luke Skywalker's life before the events of A New Hope is explored through the extended canon of books and comics, and in these fans are shown a young boy with a lot of passion and ambition, with obvious Force sensitivity, and with a lot of kindness.
In the seventh issue of the 2015 Star Wars comic run, Luke Skywalker attempts to steal water from the thugs of Jabba the Hutt, who are terrorizing townspeople for water tax. He obviously took on far more than a young boy could handle, but, even when he was caught, he still stood up to the thugs, and his attempts to help people were heroic.
Staying On Tatooine
Luke Skywalker's character at the beginning of A New Hope longs to be among the stars, to be off the desolate rock of Tatooine, and be flying around the Galaxy.
However, despite these ambitions, and despite the fact all of his friends had already left, Luke stayed at the request of Owen to help with the harvests. He could have very easily got up and left at his age but stayed for his family.
Saving Uncle Owen
Jumping back to the comics, in issue 20 of the comic run mentioned earlier, fans see tensions rise between Obi-Wan and Uncle Owen, as well as Owen finding himself in trouble with Black Krrsantan.
Also in the comic is Luke running away from home; however, on the way, he senses something wrong, Krrsantan's capture of Owen. He takes a skyhopper from the homestead and goes after them, and, when Krrsantan finds himself battling Obi-Wan, Owen is thrown over a cliff, saved by Luke and his skyhopper. Not only is the saving/going after Owen a good thing, but he chose to return home when he sensed something bad.
Going After His Friends On Bespin
Luke's training with Yoda on Dagobah is not only a highlight of the Skywalker saga, but it's a crucial crossroads in Luke's story in the original trilogy, as he is forced to choose between finishing his training or going after his friends and falling into Vader's trap.
Luke was never not going to choose his friends—it is who he is. Any attention Vader would have paid to Leia, Chewbacca, Lando, and the droid's escape was diverted all towards Luke when he arrived at Cloud City.
...Twice
Of course, him helping his friends to escape Bespin in The Empire Strikes Back was not the only time that happened, with the very same thing happening in the 2020 main Star Wars comic run.
Luke, along with Leia and Lando, returned to Cloud City. Luke went in search of his lightsaber but realized that amongst all the debris, he could not find it, and, when he sensed Leia was in trouble, he abandoned that mission, saved Lando from stormtroopers, rescued Leia, and saved some of Cloud City's citizens also.
Rescuing Han
Of course, Luke Skywalker was not able to help in saving everyone on Bespin, with Han Solo famously frozen in carbonite, spending a year in that state before Return Of The Jedi. That film opens with Luke Skywalker's plan to rescue his friend in motion, with him, Chewie, Leia, Lando, and the droids all having a role to play in freeing Han from Jabba the Hutt and bringing him home to the rebellion.
Saving The Princess
That was not the only rescue of an individual spearheaded by Luke Skywalker in the trilogy, though, as, in A New Hope, Luke Skywalker rescues Princess Leia in one of the film's most iconic moments.
Luke does not just simply waltz through the Death Star and rescue Leia; it was hard, daring work. On top of that, he had to convince Han to get on board so it would be possible, which is a hard task when you are dealing with someone as stubborn as Han Solo. Nonetheless, Luke managed it and saved his sister.
Helping Rey
Luke Skywalker in the sequel trilogy is a different version of the character, a thirty-year older character who has experienced true evil in the Galaxy, who has learned the harsh truth of the Jedi's role in bringing about the Empire, and who is a lot more cautious.
It takes a lot, but Luke does eventually agree to train Rey in The Last Jedi. That is not the nicest thing he does for her on-screen, though, that comes in The Rise Of Skywalker. Luke shows Rey why she needs to return to the fight, explaining what it means to be a Jedi, and in what seemed like a dig at The Last Jedi, told Rey that he was wrong for doing what she was attempting to do on Ach-To.
Saving The Resistance
Rey did go back and join the fight, saving the Galaxy along with the Resistance and the Citizen's Fleet on Exegol. That would not have been possible, though, if it were not for Luke's actions in the previous movie.
After a lesson from Yoda and time with his thoughts, Luke realized that he needed to do something. He taps back into the Force and projects himself to Crait to face off with his nephew Kylo Ren while also reuniting with Leia in a touching scene. The purpose of this face-off was not to fight Kylo, but rather to stall him and allow the Resistance to survive, which they did.
Helping His Father
Perhaps Luke's defining heroic moment on a personal level, his most selfless and nicest act overall, is the saving of his father, his role in the redemption of Anakin Skywalker.
The destruction of the first Death Star was obviously heroism on a grand scale, but, in Return Of The Jedi, when Luke resists all the urges of hate and anger and retains belief in his father and the goodness within him, it really is beautiful. To this day, it's perhaps the most important and celebrated segment of the long-running Star Wars series.