Luke Skywalker Has A Fire Burning In His Eyes In Star Wars: Episode VII
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Now that we know the title of the next Star Wars movie, there’s nothing more to discuss, right? Oh wait, there’s still everything to speculate about because aside from the fact that it is now officially called Star Wars: The Force Awakens, we still don’t know all that much. But now there’s a report going around that could shed some light on the state of one of the returning characters: Luke Skywalker.
Two things. First, SPOILERS! SPOILERS!! SPOILERS!!! Or at least potential ones. Which brings us to point number two, this is completely unsubstantiated, and though it does seem to jive with other things we’ve heard, take it with a grain of salt.
We all know Luke as the blond-haired, blue-eyed, idealistic young Jedi who sees the best in people even when they don’t see it themselves. It appears that some of that youthful optimism and goodness has worn off as he’s aged.
One of the biggest things we’ve heard about his character in The Force Awakens is that he is missing. That’s been a fairly consistent piece of the puzzle, but the why has changed. In this latest report from Making Star Wars, his absence is intentional.
Apparently, over the years, he has become the most powerful Jedi ever, but there’s one moment where he does something so big, so game changing, that it scares the shit out of him. Because of this, whatever it is, he comes to the realization that he may not be so good for the universe. Even though he’s the most powerful Jedi, he doesn’t necessarily believe he’s the wisest, and goes into seclusion so his power and skills can’t be misused. He’s afraid he’ll start to go down a dark path like his father, and believes everyone will be safer if he’s gone.
It also sounds like he’s not always 100% in control of his powers, which can be hazardous, and that years of isolation have led to him going a little strange in the head. When that massive bomb of a spoiler dropped a while back, it made it sound like he was turning full on evil, which upset some fans. This, on the other hand, makes it sound like he’s conflicted and struggling with forces that move him in different directions, not entirely sure himself what path he’s on. This power manifesting could also be what the newly revealed title refers to.
That’s actually much more interesting to me than if he was a straight up villain. He’s always felt the pull of both sides of the Force, and if this is correct, it appears that internal battle has only intensified as he ages. It will reportedly become clear by the end whether he is good or evil, but it sounds like that is going to be a process, his character arc. He’s described as looking “frightening’ and creepy,” with a fire burning in his eyes, but that doesn’t automatically mean evil. Again, he’s alone, isolated, and afraid, that can lead to looking rather disheveled. Either way, it’s going to be an interesting ride.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens everywhere in just over 400 days on December 18, 2015.
