Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Star Wars #50!SinceStar Warsfans first saw the infamous scene inThe Last JediofLuke Skywalkercontemplating murdering Ben Solo, they’ve been left in a state of frustrated confusion, as that seems like the opposite of what Luke would do considering he spent the entire original trilogy trying to save Darth Vader. However, asStar Warsdelves deeper into Luke’s pre-sequel trilogy past, fans are given one old quote that actually explains why he considered killing Ben (despite sparing Vader).
InStar Wars#50 by Charles Soule and Madibek Musabekov,Luke Skywalker is sitting with his young padawan, Ben Solo, many years after the fall of the Empire (and obviously beforeBen fell to the dark side and became Kylo Ren). Luke is telling Ben a story about the closest he, Leia, Lando, and Chewie ever came to assassinating the Emperor between the events ofEpisode VandVI, when they used a mystical weapon with the power to kill anyone from across the galaxy: the Grim Rose.
While Luke was telling this story to Ben, they began discussing Darth Vader, and how he, too, would have been affected by the Grim Rose if Luke’s mission was brought to its horrific conclusion. Luke admits that he didn’t want Vader to die, as he wanted the chance to redeem his father. However, now that Luke was an older man, he has a very different opinion. “Looking back, I had no real reason to believe that. The confidence of youth, the inevitability of happy endings. I wanted it to be true, so it had to be true”.
Post-Original Trilogy Luke Skywalker Wouldn’t Have Tried to Redeem Darth Vader
Luke’s Newfound Pessimism is Why He Even Considered Killing Ben Solo
This revelation makes it much easier to accept that Luke Skywalker would consider killing Ben Solo the moment he sensed the darkness brewing within him, as he would have done the same thing to Darth Vader if Luke faced his father as an adult. Luke admits that he didn’t actually sense the goodness in Vader, even when he was a kid. It was all just naive optimism (and perhaps Jedi hubris) that drove Luke’s insistence that Darth Vader could be saved.
While Vader did choose the light in the end, he gave absolutely no indication that he would try to find redemption - and, honestly, he didn’t deserve it. Darth Vader committed heinous atrocities on a cosmic scale. He slaughtered innocents in droves, he kept the galaxy in line through fear and sheer brute force, and - as every Star Wars fan remembers - he killed children before even donning the iconic suit. Only a dumb, optimistic kid could look at this person and think they could be saved, and in this issue, Luke was not that kid anymore.
If Luke Skywalker had faced off against Darth Vader as an adult, this Star Wars issue indicates that he would have killed him without a second thought. He saw Vader for the villain he was, not the Jedi Luke wished he could be. Sure, it all worked out in the end, but that was a major gamble. One that Luke would not have made later in life, and one he was not prepared to make again with Ben Solo.
Star Wars MUST Explain Luke Skywalker’s Breaking Point in Future Comics
Now that fans know why Luke Skywalker was so willing to kill Ben Solo, it’s time forStar Warsto explain exactly what happened to Luke to make him lose his optimism. Mere life experience during an era of peace in the galaxy shouldn’t be enough to break such an optimistic spirit as Luke Skywalker’s, especially when his optimism actually paid off in the original trilogy. Luke saw the goodness in Vader, and that’s exactly what saved him and the entire galaxy.
So, why would he lose that optimism? How did he get to the point where he’d raise a blade at his own nephew at the mere feeling of darkness within him? That is whatStar Warsnow needs to explain as it enters its next comic book era. TheStar Warscomics are about to detail the Battle of Jakku, all while publishing an ongoing Thrawn comic series, as well as stories set in the ‘Mandoverse’ era ofStar Warscanon. Therefore, Star Wars needs to make room to tell the story of how Luke lost his optimism.
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There are any number of events that could take place betweenEpisode VIandVII(which is the next era ofStar Warscomics) that could explain how Luke became a pessimistic shell of his former self. However, no matter what happened, thisStar Warscomic explains thatLuke Skywalkerviewed Darth Vader as someone who wasn’t worth saving while he was training Ben Solo, which perfectly explains why he was so willing to kill Ben in theStar Warssequel trilogy.
Star Wars #50by Marvel Comics is available now.
Luke Skywalker
The son of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala, Luke was brought up on the desert planet Tatooine. Initially mentored by Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke fired the fateful shot that destroyed the Death Star, and he became a rebel hero. Despite the fears of Obi-Wan and Yoda, Luke’s faith in his father was proved well-founded when Vader returned to the light. With the Emperor defeated, Luke dedicated himself to bringing back the Jedi; his first attempt ended in tragedy due to Palpatine’s manipulations, but Luke’s legacy lives on in Rey.
