The Star Wars universe is an incredible and vast one. Filled with generations of heroes who stand up against a dangerous threat, there have been many types of heroic protagonist characters, ranging from smugglers, to bounty hunters, to Jedi. One of the most prominent Jedi is the legendary Luke Skywalker, who is the main character of the original trilogy. His development through those movies and the sequel trilogy has garnered both praise and some controversy. However, there might be some facts that newcomers and Disney fans might not be familiar with.
As such, here are a few things about Luke Skywalker that everyone might've forgotten about, or might not have ever known at all, from both the canon and Legends continuity.
He Used The Force Before Episode IV In Legends
Although A New Hope is primarily known as the beginning of Luke Skywalker's journey, this isn't the first brush he had with the Force. In fact, during Legends continuity, the character has used the Force before.
Although it was brief and unintentional, the young Skywalker first used the Force when he was six years old. There he passively looked into the Force to look for his lost screwdriver. This was referenced in the novel Children Of The Jedi.
He Was Completely Different In The Drafts
Star Wars, just like any other films, had numerous drafts before the final product. In the films, Luke Skywalker is often described as a young hero who eventually defeated the Empire along with his friends, with his journey of enlightenment coinciding with his journey as a Jedi.
However, in earlier drafts, he was originally described as an old general and at one point he was a female character. He even had another name in the form of Luke Starkiller, which obviously changed.
The Majority Of His Learning Came From Personal Experience And A Book
One of the craziest things about Luke Skywalker is how distinctly different he is as a Jedi. Unlike previous Jedi that came before him, he was never taken as a child and never became a Jedi growing up.
Instead, he became one through a call of action. The majority of his teachings were brief and were more of a summarized version from Yoda. The rest of his knowledge came from Obi-Wan's journal, which gave him a couple of techniques and how to make a lightsaber, along with his own battle experience which forced him to perfect what he knows.
His Lightsaber Crystal Is Natural In Canon and Synthetic In Legends
When Luke Skywalker had his new lightsaber, it was one of the most triumphant moments for his character. No longer using his fathers' lightsaber, he had truly completed his training as a Jedi.
However, there is a notable discrepancy between the two continuities regarding his lightsaber crystal. In the canon continuity, he would use a natural Kyber crystal. However, in Legends, he would use a synthetic crystal, which is often used by the Sith.
He Fought Vader More Than Twice
Within the original trilogy, Luke Skywalker has only exclusively fought against Darth Vader in two instances, during The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi.
However, what newcomers might know is that he has actually fought him many times, both in Legends and in canon continuity. During the former, he fought Darth Vader in the ancient Temple of Pomojema, while in the canon continuity, he fought him in Cymoon 1.
He Was Briefly Palpatine's Apprentice
This is one of the most important moments that defined Luke Skywalker's character during Legends. Aspects of the story Dark Empire were also later used in Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker, primarily the clone Palpatine.
However, in Legends, the events of the clone Emperor was much closer to Luke Skywalker's younger days, where he was a full master and completely powerful. During that time, Luke was very close to the brush of the dark side like his father, but he ended up bouncing back out to the light.
He Created His Jedi Order From Trial And Error
When it came to Luke Skywalker, it isn't too much of a surprise that he eventually brought out the return of the Jedi. The difference is that within both continuities, they were done in many different ways.
Within the canon timeline, he attempted to bring it back, only for it to fail completely. Meanwhile, in Legends continuity, he did create the New Jedi Order. However, it took him years to fully figure everything out, as some of his students either initially left him or died. But nonetheless, he found his footing and trained many.
In Legends, He Is A Subject Of Different Prophecies
It is common knowledge that Luke Skywalker's dark father is the chosen one of the force. This bloodline has eventually led to him to be one of the most powerful Jedi in all of galactic history.
However, that doesn't necessarily mean he isn't a chosen one of another prophecy. According to Legends continuity, Yoda himself had a prophecy where Luke Skywalker would come to Dathomir and free it from the darkness. Before her death, Sha Koon had a vision of Luke bringing back the Jedi Order.
Luke Had A Wife And Child In Legends
When fans of the films saw Luke Skywalker during the sequel trilogy, he is generally similar to the Jedi of old who are without any close bonds in terms of marriage. He also tends to isolate himself and values the knowledge of the ancient Jedi.
Meanwhile in Legends continuity, while he values the Jedi of old, it is very clear that Luke Skywalker isn't one of them, as he made his new Jedi order to allow marriage and even different techniques. All of this resulted in his marriage to Mara Jade and having a son named Ben Skywalker.
He Was Originally Going To Become Like His Father
According to George Lucas, the original ending for Return Of The Jedi had it where Luke Skywalker was gonna become exactly like his father. He was going to go completely evil and follow the path of Darth Vader.
However, in the end, the film didn't follow through with that path. But that being said, it would've been very interesting to see what Luke Skywalker could've been. Would he be better than Vader, or far worse?