From his humble beginnings as a farm boy on Tatooine to Jedi Knighthood and eventually becoming one with the Force, Luke Skywalker is without doubt one of the most powerful heroes in the Star Wars franchise, but how does that change in each movie? Luke embodies hope, love, and the idea that anybody can aspire to be a hero. But Luke’s personality and symbolism (not to mention Mark Hamill’s iconic performance) aren’t the only reasons why he’s held in such high regard. In each of his appearances, Luke is a force to be reckoned with, as he goes up against sinister opponents such as the Sith and the Galactic Empire.
As the son of Anakin Skywalker (the exalted “Chosen One” who is destined to bring balance to the Force), Luke demonstrates a profound intrinsic connection to the Force, growing stronger in his ability to use it in each of his appearances, despite receiving relatively little training compared to the Jedi of past generations. Even before he begins learning the ways of the Force, Luke is shown to be an incredible pilot and a resourceful fighter.
In non-movie material, particularly the original Expanded Universe (now referred to as Legends), Luke’s journey to becoming a Jedi in the films is greatly expanded upon. The Legends version of Luke in particular is perhaps the strongest Force user in galactic history (though he struggled, failed, and learned his way to get to this point). With the release of The Rise of Skywalker, the Skywalker saga is now complete, and Luke’s powers in each of the films can be fully explored.
Star Wars
Even before he truly begins to tap into his potential as a Force user, Luke is shown to be quite formidable as the farmboy-turned-aspiring-Rebel seen in Star Wars: A New Hope. Luke’s upbringing on the harsh world of Tatooine results in him being a crack shot with a blaster, and he effectively defeats numerous Imperial soldiers and officers aboard the Death Star, implying that he’s fought armed, sentient, humanoids before. Luke’s fighting skills are impressive enough to be noted by Han Solo (a seasoned smuggler and incredible fighter in his own right), as he offers him a job aboard the Millennium Falcon.
Luke’s prowess in Star Wars goes beyond his fighting skills. On more than once occasion, Luke is shown to be skilled at improvising plans and means of survival. It was Luke’s idea to sneak into the Death Star’s detention area, using Chewbacca as a fake prisoner. Though, as Leia notes, he forgot to plan an exit strategy, Luke makes up for this later with inventive use of a grappling hook to allow him and Leia to swing across a chasm and out of danger. Luke is also built up to be an incredible pilot throughout the film, finally getting his chance to prove it in the third act, where he flies among the Rebellion’s Red Squadron in the Battle of Yavin. Luke is one of only three Rebel pilots to survive the battle, having evaded Darth Vader (one of the galaxy’s greatest pilots) for a time.
Despite minimal training, Luke shows astounding aptitude in the Force in Star Wars. In his very first lesson in lightsaber use and blaster deflection, Luke manages, through trial and error, to block several training blaster bolts in quick succession with his vision obscured. Perhaps Luke’s greatest feat in Star Wars, however, was his Force-guided volley of proton torpedoes, which landed a precise hit on the Death Star’s main reactor, something that even the Rebels’ targeting computers couldn’t manage.
The Empire Strikes Back
Having now fought in the Rebellion for three years (while further honing his lightsaber skills and Force abilities, as shown in non-movie material in both Star Wars canon and Legends), Luke is seen at the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back to have grown bolder and more resourceful. While dazed, injured, and hanging upside down in a Wampa’s lair, the still minimally-trained Luke manages to summon his father’s lightsaber in the nick of time to escape captivity. Later, during the Battle of Hoth, Luke makes use of a grappling hook, explosives, and the lightsaber to destroy a gargantuan Imperial AT-AT.
Once Luke finally begins his formal Jedi training under the tutelage of Yoda, he starts to realize how much he has left to learn. Luke makes numerous mistakes and struggles with many of his lessons, but nevertheless becomes a powerful Force user by the time he pauses his training prematurely to rescue his friends from Darth Vader. Luke is clearly outmatched in his fight against the Sith Lord, but he still manages to display his increased strength. Luke uses the Force to jump out of a carbon freezing chamber so quickly, his movement is blurred, impressing Vader. Towards the end of their duel, Luke surprises Vader with a glancing blow to his arm. Though Vader defeats him, Luke held his own in a one-on-one fight against one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy, something only that only an astoundingly strong being could do.
Return of the Jedi
Luke’s greatest feats in the original trilogy are found in Return of the Jedi. Roughly a year after his duel with Vader on Bespin, Luke Skywalker is nearly a true Jedi Knight. In his very first scene, Luke casually uses the Force to choke two Gamorrean guards and successfully entrances Bib Fortuna with a Jedi mind trick, proving that his strength in the Force has grown significantly since his defeat in Cloud City. Luke’s prowess with a lightsaber is seen most spectacularly when he later fights against a small army of Jabba the Hutt’s enforcers, defeating nearly all of them single-handedly. Luke even fights the legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett during this battle, with Luke disarming Fett and briefly knocking him unconscious with a deflected blaster bolt. Later on, Luke demonstrates his incredible Force-enhanced reflexes when fighting an Imperial Scout Trooper on Endor. After easily batting away the biker scout’s blaster bolts, Luke makes a precision lightsaber strike to the trooper’s speeder bike, sending it spiraling out of control.
Luke’s strength in Return of the Jedi is put to the ultimate test when he fights Darth Vader once more. Within the first moments of their duel, Luke proves to be capable of defeating the more experienced Dark Lord, matching him blow-for-blow before delivering a precise kick that sends Vader tumbling down a staircase. At the end of their duel, Luke’s constant provoking by both Vader and The Emperor pushes him to a breaking point, sending him into a rage that brings him dangerously close to giving in to the dark side. It is here that Luke, despite so little training and experience, bludgeons Darth Vader’s defenses, defeating the exhausted Sith with a final, dismembering, strike to the wrist. But despite his many feats of strength in combat, it’s the moment where Luke resists the temptation of the dark side and declares himself a Jedi that shows him at his most powerful. Luke’s greatest strength is his willpower and love for his friends and family.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Luke’s personality and characterization in Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a topic of intense debate among viewers, yet one thing that most can agree on is that Luke is shown once again to be one of the most powerful Force users in the galaxy. For most of the movie’s runtime, Luke has severed his connection to the Force, opting to let the Jedi die with him. It’s during his reluctant training of Rey, however, that he begins to reopen himself to the Force, and once again shows his great strength. Luke’s first use of the Force in The Last Jedi is easily destroying an entire stone hut with a simple gesture. The rest of the scene proves that he still retains his incredible melee combat skills, as he effortlessly blocks and dodges Rey’s attacks with a short metal pole, before disarming her.
The moment in The Last Jedi which proves that the canon version of Luke is comparable to his Expanded Universe counterpart was in the film’s third act on Crait. It’s here that Luke distracts a massive First Order military force and Kylo Ren with a life-like projection of himself. This power, first introduced in the Legends-era comic series, Dark Empire, demonstrates utter mastery of the Force, as Luke was able to project an image of himself from across the galaxy. Adding to this, Luke’s projection dodged Kylo Ren’s lightsaber strikes, showing that he’d have defeated his nephew, had he truly been on Crait. Luke’s final living act was to open himself to the Force, becoming one with it while retaining his consciousness, a rare feat that only the most powerful Jedi have achieved.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Even in the afterlife, Luke showcases his incredible power. Luke’s first appearance in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker begins with him catching his father’s lightsaber, a feat in and of itself, as he’s a Force ghost interacting with a solid object. The only other Jedi seen doing this is the legendary Master Yoda. After convincing Rey to rejoin the fight against the Sith (and a bit of leaning on the fourth wall in regards to his characterization in The Last Jedi), Luke once again interacts with the physical world, lifting his old X-Wing out of the Ahch-To waters to gift to Rey. Luke Skywalker finally lends his power to Rey in the film’s finale, along several other Jedi from past Star Wars movies and shows, in order to help her defeat Darth Sidious. With their incredible benevolent strength backing her up, Rey was able to prevail against her grandfather, and thus the Sith, once and for all.