(Tie) 3. Luke Skywalker – Luke Kalamar
Why I Ranked the Character So High: Luke Skywalker is undoubtedly my favorite Star Wars character. There’s a few reasons for this too. First, and probably the most obvious, we share the same name. My entire life has been filled with people saying they’re my father. The reference has long since passed dead horse beating territory. Fortunately, I’m a massive fan of the franchise, and cannot readily remember ever getting annoyed by these constant exclamations (still happens at least once a month). I consider it a compliment to be compared to such a classic hero. If I was just a smidgen of the Luke we saw in Return of the Jedi, I’d consider my life a success.
He’s also the character I’m invested in the most throughout the films. Even though Luke isn’t the first person we see on screen, he’s definitely the principal character everything revolves around. Being one of the last members of a lost order will do that to you. His story is also the only thing that overshadows the leading narrative of Rebels vs. the Empire. We don’t watch every conflict between the two forces, but Luke’s growth into a Jedi is integral throughout the original trilogy. Watching him evolve from a simple moisture farmer to attain his true destiny was exciting and handled in the best manner possible. It has a distinct, clear, and coherent beginning, middle, and end.
The payoff was absolutely worth it too. After watching Luke successfully destroy the Death Star but fail to defeat his father, it was time to watch him fully embrace the power he can wield. We heard so much about The Force too but had no idea the full extent of its strength. We got to see that with Return of the Jedi, which is why it’s also my favorite of the original three. The confident Luke in Jabba’s palace was exactly what I wanted after two films, and his fight with Vader while the Emperor watched was phenomenally intense. These were the only three active Force users left in the galaxy after all. To make things better, Luke even redeemed his father, letting him die as Anakin and not the terrifying evil he became.
Favorite Line: “Nevertheless, I’m taking Captain Solo and his friends. You can either profit by this or be destroyed. It’s your choice, but I warn you not to underestimate my power.”
Quintessential Saga Moment: Luke has a lot of these throughout the films. Blowing up the Death Star, training with Yoda, saving Leia and Han, meeting Obi-Wan, saving Anakin…the list just goes on. For me though, the quintessential moment was what I already mentioned previously: his trip to Jabba’s palace in Return of the Jedi. True Jedi power was teased in A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, and this was the first time we actually saw him cut loose with it. He’s confident, much more assured in his abilities, and isn’t afraid to show that. It’s the most in control we’ve ever seen Luke and it was just pure awesome seeing him as a full-fledged Jedi. I also loved his green lightsaber, and still make it a point to use that color in any Star Wars games.
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