In the past, I have spoken on, and analyzed many Expanded Universe characters. However, I have never given a bio to characters that were in the films predominantly. Since this website is about celebrating and educating on the Expanded Universe, I wanted to focus on characters who were mostly featured in the EU.
As time went on, I did branch out a bit and looked at the powers possessed by the Skywalker’s, and I personally really did enjoy that. So, in talking to fellow contributors to this website, I had suggested the idea of talking about film characters as well. However, the focus would be on their EU adventures and stories. More in likely, we all have seen those original six movies many times, (I probably one to many times) so I don’t want to focus on them during the films rather, what about after, or in-between? The contributors seemed interested in this idea and encouraged me to pursue it more.
So, I decided to incorporate film characters in my writings as well as EU characters. To start this “new age,” I want to talk about my favorite Star Wars character of all time to kick this off. I present to you my bio and analysis on Grand Master, Luke Skywalker.
As the son of Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala, Luke Skywalker became the most powerful Force-user in galactic history. He was successful in destroying the first Death Star and participated greatly throughout the Galactic Civil War.
Luke was trained by the exiled Grand Master, Yoda in 3 A.B.Y and was successful in helping turn his father, Darth Vader, back to the light side of the Force allowing the redeemed Anakin Skywalker to fulfill his destiny and destroy Darth Sidious, bringing balance back to the Force.
The day after the battle of Endor, Luke would lead a mission to the Bakura system which was being sieged by an alien species, the Ssi-ruuk. During this conflict, Luke would encounter the Force sensitive Dev Sibwarra during the Invasion of Bakura would motivate him to move to find more like him in the galaxy. He believed that not all Force users had been killed during the Great Jedi Purge.
While Luke wanted to create a New Jedi Order, his aspirations were unfortunately put on hold. He would aid the Rebel Alliance on many missions to aid those words that were still oppressed by the Empire. In 5 A.B.Y, the New Republic was formed. He would be made a general, however he greatly disliked military command and, shortly after the Battle of Mindor, he resigned the title.
In 8 ABY, Luke’s wtin sister, Leia Organa was being courted by the Hapan prince Isolder for her hand in marriage. In response, Han Solo abducted Leia and escaped with her to an unknown planet. The galaxy was scandalized by the apparent kidnapping involving two of the Rebellion's most famous figures. Luke naturally started investigating and found some Hapan investigators roughing up Drackmarian warlord Omogg. He stopped them and, as a reward, was given the name and location of the planet Han had won in a sabacc game from Omogg and where he was taking Leia: Dathomir. Luke and R2-D2 traveled with Isolder on the Song of War to Dathomir, where he faked his death and, using the Force, controlled his descent through the atmosphere. During their adventures on Dathomir, Luke taught Isolder the principles of the Force, despite Isolder having negligible Force-sensitivity.
On this planet, Luke discovered the ruins of the Chu'unthor, an ancient Jedi training vessel and an entire Force-sensitive culture of witches. Luke was seen as a rarity among the Dathomiri as there were not any male "witches." One of the young witches, Teneniel Djo, was at first attracted to Luke, but she later developed an interest in Isolder and would eventually marry him. Luke decided to aid Teneniel Djo's clan of witches, the Singing Mountain Clan, against the dark side users on Dathomir, the Nightsisters. In this battle, he was nearly killed by their leader, Gethzerion, but healed himself in only a few hours using the Force. He then went on to pilot the Millennium Falcon, operating all of its systems by himself, using the power of the Force to greatly enhance the effectiveness of the ship, and rescued Han from certain death at the hands of Gethzerion. Using the Falcon, Luke shot down Gethzerion's shuttle, killing her and all aboard, and disabled the orbital night cloak placed in orbit by Zsinj.
After a conversation about the Killik Twilight, Leia and Luke talked about their discoveries about their father's childhood on Tatooine. Luke told his sister that he had done a name search on the HoloNet and had discovered that Anakin was a Podracer and had won his freedom by winning the Boonta Eve Classic. Leia told Luke about her experience with the Force and her fears of becoming like Darth Vader to which Luke encouraged her to forgive him, and told her that if she held onto her fear and anger, those feelings would turn her into what she feared.
After these events, Skywalker's Jedi search intensified, and the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi once again visited him. Kenobi said his final farewell to Skywalker in 9 ABY. His spirit would no longer pay Luke any visits, lest for one meeting two decades later. Skywalker, although saddened, realized he was not the last of the old Jedi, the first of the new.
Luke would go on to participate in the Thrawn Campaign, during this time he met his future wife, Mara Jade, who was attempting to kill Luke to fulfill her master, Darth Sidious’ final command, “You will Kill Luke Skywalker.”
Luke helped her break free of the Emperor and even gave her his father’s lightsaber which was recovered from Cloud City many years ago.
In 10 A.B.Y, it was revealed that Palpatine's spirit had been staying away death by using Sith knowledge and Spaarti cloning technology. Palpatine would grow clone duplicates of his own body to serve as tools for his evil life force should his body die. With this technique, Palpatine had escaped death aboard the second Death Star and now called for Luke to kneel before him and become his servant. Luke, realizing that the Emperor was all-powerful, knelt before him and pledged to learn the ways of the Sith from him.
Luke, like only a few other individuals, believed that he could defeat the dark side from the inside. However, he had underestimated the power of the dark side, ignoring one of Yoda's most important lessons. Luke worked for the light side in the shadows just like Quinlan Vos had during the Clone Wars. And just like that Jedi Master, he found he was unable to break away from its snare once he was immersed too deeply in it.
With the help of his sister, Leia, Luke was able to fight back the darkness before it consumed him and turned against his master. Skywalker finally defeated Palpatine in single combat. This confrontation was foretold by a Jedi Master a thousand years earlier.
After Palpatine’s final death, Luke Skywalker was a full Jedi Master, and felt that the galaxy needed a new Jedi Order to defend it and serve it. He presented his request to the New Republic and granted him the request and recognized his role as lead instructor. Luke would go on to recruit many different students. Some of his most notable students included Kyp Durron, Coran Horn, Kyle Katarn, Streen, Brakiss, Desann, Tionne Solusar, and Cilghal.
During his time as the lead Jedi Master, Luke and his students dealt with the return of the spirit of the Sith Lord Exar Kun, the Eye of Palpatine, The Empire Reborn movement, the Disciples of Ragnos, the dealing with Warru, and the first Correllian Insurrection.
Luke would eventually, after several failed romances, fell in love and married Mara Jade. After a few more missions, such as the rediscovery of the Outbound Flight project, and the creation of the Junior Jedi Academy with Tionne, Luke began to take more of an instructor role in teaching the next generation of Jedi Knights, including his niece and nephews, Jaina, Jacen and Anakin Solo.
Luke began to consider the idea to reform the Jedi Council. The Jedi were lacking unity and focus which would not allow them to do their best work possible. The New Republic began to lose their trust in this New Jedi Order.
Around this time in 25 A.B.Y, the extragalactic species, the Yuuzhan Vong invaded the known galaxy. Luke would serve as the leader of the Jedi, although there were some Jedi who favored some views on the Jedi and the Force that were held by Kyp Durron.
The Jedi seemed to form two factions. Luke Skywalker’s Jedi, and Kyp Durron’s Jedi.
Kyp’s Jedi believed that they needed to be aggressive to combat the Vong. Luke knew that fear and a too aggressive a path would lead his Jedi to the dark side. Instead of an aggressive counteroffensive, Luke called for the help of Han and Leia, engineering an underground fugitive network, dubbed the Great River, and two secret havens called the Shelter and Eclipse Station, to protect the beleaguered Jedi Knights.
During the Vong War, Luke’s wife Mara, found out she was pregnant. She gave birth to a son whom they named Ben Skywalker, after Luke’s mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Luke continued to fight in many battles for the New Republic. Ultimately, the Yuuzhan Vong would attack the capital Coruscant and cause the world to be won for the enemy. Around this time, the New Republic was reformed into the Galactic Alliance, (The Galactic Federation of Free Alliances). By reforming and coming together, the Vong were beginning to be pushed back and the tide was slowly turning in favor of the Alliance.
Luke, with the aid of the planet Zonama Sekot, was able to lead a successful assault on the Supreme Overlord of the Yuuzhan Vong, Shimrra Jamaane. The Vong eventually surrendered and were forced to live on Zonama Sekot.
Luke vs. Shimrra
After the war, Luke would establish a new Jedi Academy on the planet Ossus, where students would continue to be trained as Jedi, including Ben Skywalker. A new Jedi High Council would form from this action as well. Luke realized that he needed to take control and named himself Grand Master and ordered any Jedi who did not put the order first to resign from the order.
Despite the success of the Dark Nest Crisis and the Swarm War, there would not be peace yet as soon, the Second Galactic Civil War would break. Jacen Solo fell to the dark side of the Force and became the Sith apprentice to the Dark Lady of the Sith, Lumiya. Solo, needing to sacrifice a loved one to fully commit himself to the dark side killed Luke’s wife, Mara in a lightsaber duel using a poison dart, as she died, she claimed that her nephew had become worse than Palpatine.
Luke, believing it was Lumiya who killed his wife beheaded her in a lightsaber duel and Solo became Darth Caedus.
Ben Skywalker began to slowly embrace the dark side as he was consumed with the thought of bringing his mother’s killer to justice. Caedus began to turn the Galactic Alliance against the Jedi. Therefore, Luke founded the Jedi Coalition to stop the threat of the Galactic Alliance that his nephew had created. With the Luke’s aid, Jaina Solo was able to defeat her brother and the Second Galactic Civil War came to an end.
Natasi Daala in the aftermath of the war rose to the Chief of State position and banished Luke into exile from the Jedi Order for failing to stop Jacen Solo from turning to the dark side. Luke was accompanied by Ben to try and find the reason behind Jacen’s fall. During this journey, Luke would encounter the Lost Tribe of the Sith as well as the entity know as Abeloth. By defeating Abeloth and with the help of Jedi, Luke was able to return as Grand Master of Jedi Order.
Many Years Later, Luke Skywalker would pass away becoming one with the Force. Luke, like his father, and teachers’ became a Force Spirit and would return to aid Cade Skywalker in defeating the Sith Lord Darth Krayt.
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