Summary
Luke Skywalkeris the ultimate hero ofStar Wars, the living embodiment of galactic hope in the face of tyranny and evil. Luke later goes on to be an accomplished Jedi Master, and even creates his own academy in the hopes that he can help shape the next generation of Jedi. While Luke’s feats of galactic heroism and later efforts to create a better future are, indeed, noteworthy, the story of Luke Skywalker is far more extensive than that - especially in the comics.
BothStar Wars Legendsand canon expand uponLuke Skywalker’s journey from humble farm boy to Jedi Master, creating far more adventures for the iconicStar Warshero than fans of just the films would ever experience. In fact, there are almost too many to count, with more being written every day, on top of an already extensive catalog. However, there are definitely some storylines better than others, ones that should become a reading priority forStar Warsfans everywhere. Here are the10 best Luke Skywalker stories inStar Warscomics, ranked!
Luke Skywalker Finally Embraces His Sith Potential in Mind-Bending New Star Wars Lore
Luke Skywalker may be embracing the dark side to become the Sith Apprentice of either Darth Vader or Emperor Palpatine in an upcoming Star Wars story.
10Star Wars Tells Luke Skywalker’s Story BEFORE He Became A New Hope
“Luke Skywalker’s Walkabout”Star Wars: Luke Skywalker - The Last Hope for the Galaxyby Phill Norwood
Luke Skywalker’s story inStar Warsfamously begins withA New Hope, as he’s the one destined to take down the Empire and give rise to a new era of peace in the galaxy. However, that’s certainly not when his life began, and his childhood was rife with noteworthy moments on Tatooine - including and especially the one in this comic. In “Luke Skywalker’s Walkabout”, Luke is being attacked by a Krayt Dragon, and when all hope seemed lost, Old Ben Kenobi saved his life and brought him safely home.
This comic not only gives fans a Luke Skywalker story before he fulfills his destiny, but it also marksthe first time Luke meets Obi-Wan. Unfortunately, as far as Luke Skywalker stories go, this one has little to do with his career as a Jedi, making it far less interesting due to that fact alone.
9Luke Skywalker Faces the Legendary Starweird (Making Them Canon)
“Resonance”Star Wars: Doctor Aphra#34 by Alyssa Wong and Minkyu Jung
Luke Skywalker is kidnapped by Doctor Aphra, as she needed a Force-user to break into an abandoned Jedi Temple, one where the ability to wield the Force is required to enter. Being the genuinely good guy that he is, Luke isn’t even mad, and is instead simply along for the ride, willing to help Aphra any way he can. When they enter the temple,Luke and Aphra inadvertently release an entity that had been imprisonedthere by the Jedi many years earlier:a Starweird.
The battle with the Starweird is exciting, to be sure, but the really cool aspect of this comic is the fact that it made Starweirds canon. Previously, it was only aLegends‘space creature’, but afterLuke Skywalker tangled with a Starweird, its entire species became canon, which is very significant for the widerStar Warsuniverse (even if it doesn’t add much to Luke’s personal journey).
8Luke Skywalker Defeats the Knights of Ren Like It’s Nothing, but Fails Ben Solo
Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren#2 by Charles Soule and Will Sliney
While training Ben Solo and the rest of the young Jedi at his newly formed academy, Luke Skywalker invites his nephew on a recovery mission to an abandoned Jedi Temple. It’s there where they run into the Knights of Ren, a dark side cult that worships the very red lightsabers they wield, calling the destructive energy it emits ‘the Ren’. Though menacing,the Knights of Ren were nothing compared to Luke Skywalker, who defeated them like it was nothing. Unfortunately, that moment is also when he began to truly lose Ben.
Luke Skywalker’s inability to save Ben Solo from falling to the dark side and becoming Kylo Ren is the greatest failure of his life, which is what makes this storyline so interesting, as that failure is paired with a truly spectacular victory against a dangerous dark side cult.
7Luke Skywalker Trains Cade Skywalker as a Force Ghost
“A Clash with Destiny!“Star Wars Legacy#39 by John Ostrander and Jan Duursema
While Luke Skywalker may have failed Ben Solo inStar Warscanon, he was evidently determined to not make the same mistake inLegendswith his descendant, Cade Skywalker.Star Wars Legacytakes place roughly a century after the original trilogy, and Luke Skywalker has been dead for some time. But that doesn’t stopLuke from coming back as a Force Ghost and training Caderight as his descendant was on the precipice of falling to the dark side.
Luke Skywalker was famously guided by the Force Ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi, and then that of Yoda. So to see him do the same for Cade Skywalker is a truly significant moment in his history, as it marks a completion of hisStar Warsstory - especially given that Cade ends up saving the galaxy, just as Luke did decades earlier.
6Luke Skywalker Purifies a Red Kyber Crystal, an Early Confirmation of His Immense Strength in the Light Side of the Force
“The Healing Force”Star Wars#43 by Charles Soule, Steven Cummings, and Jethro Morales
Luke Skywalker metaphysically enters a red kyber crystal that was bled by an ancient Sith, whose essence still exists within the kyber crystal itself. Luke’s essence faces off against this Sith, who tries to corrupt Luke with the overwhelming dark side energy that is literally encompassing them. However,not only does Luke fend off the seduction of the dark side that he’s totally surrounded by, but he manages to redeem this ancient Sith and purify the entire kyber crystal.
Luke basically falls into a world of pure, concentrated dark side, yet the tiny fragment of the light side that he represents by being there is enough to overpower the entire metaphysical reality, resulting in the purification of this kyber crystal. This story takes place betweenEpisodes VandVI, making it one of the earliest examples of Luke Skywalker’s immense strength in the light side of the Force.
5Luke Skywalker Battles His Dark Side Reflection: Luuke
Star Wars: The Last Commandby Timothy Zahn, Mike Baron, and Edvin Biukovic
In the immediate followup toReturn of the JediinLegendscontinuity, theHeir to the Empire Trilogy, Luke Skywalker discovers that there’s another Jedi Master alive in the galaxy, and so he seeks him out to help in the New Republic’s current conflict with Grand Admiral Thrawn. Come to find out, this ‘Jedi Master’ is actually a clone of a long-dead Jedi Master, Jorus C’Baoth. The clone,Joruus C’Baoth, was actually in-league with Thrawn, and using Imperial resources, made a clone of Luke Skywalker named Luuke.
Luke has to face off against Luuke in a battle that mirrors his experience in the dark side cave on Dagobah, as he’s quite literally fighting a version of himself who has been corrupted by the dark side. This story happens at a time when Luke is unsure of his position in the galaxy following the fall of the Empire, but after this fight, Luke becomes more self-assured, which helps him grow into a stronger Jedi.
4Luke Skywalker Defeats the Grand Inquisitor After Getting His Yellow Lightsaber
“The Destiny Path”Star Wars#6 by Charles Soule and Jesús Saiz
After Luke Skywalker lost his original blue lightsaber on Cloud City, and before he got his iconic green lightsaber first shown in Return of the Jedi, he wields a yellow lightsaber - and the story of how he got it is absolutely epic. Luke travels to an abandoned Jedi Temple that (unbeknownst to Luke) has been used for several years by the Inquisitors as a trap for surviving Jedi. When Luke travels there, he finds a yellow lightsaber almost as soon as he walks through the door, only to be immediately attacked by the undead spirit of the Grand Inquisitor.
The Grand Inquisitor was being kept alive through ancient dark side techniques Darth Vader learned in his attempt to resurrect Padmé, and Vader chained his spirit to this temple, using him to kill any Jedi who wandered through the door - including Luke. However,Luke bested the Grand Inquisitor(something many previous Jedi couldn’t do post-Order 66),and his victory was marked by Luke claiming his new yellow lightsaber.
3Luke Skywalker is Finally Corrupted to the Dark Side by Emperor Palpatine’s Clone
Star Wars: Dark Empireby Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy
After fending off the pull of the dark side throughout the original trilogy, immediately following the original trilogy, and for years after that,Luke Skywalker finally succumbs to the dark side when he faces the clone of Emperor Palpatine. At first, Luke only accepts Palpatine’s offer to be his apprentice to destroy the Sith from within, and prevent the rise of Palaptine’s new, dark Empire, but that plan quickly backfires when Luke becomes fully corrupted by the dark side.
While Luke would eventually find his way back to the light, this moment inStar Wars(Legends) continuity is immensely significant to Luke’s wider storyline, as it marks the first time the previously incorruptible ‘hope’ for the galaxy becomes the very thing he swore to destroy.
2Luke Skywalker Shapes His Jedi Legacy While Rejecting Dark Side Corruption
Star Wars: Age of Rebellion - Luke Skywalkerby Greg Pak, Chris Sprouse, Scott Koblish, and Stefano Landini
Between the events ofEmpire Strikes BackandReturn of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker is traversing the galaxy, looking for ways to help the Rebellion any way he can. He comes across a group of Rebels who could use his assistance, and when they see him in action, a number ofRebels are in awe that they’re in the presence oftheLuke Skywalker- the man who blew up the Death Star and is the Rebellion’s own personal Jedi. Their reaction to just seeing Luke speaks volumes to how he’s shaping his legacy as a Jedi Knight, perpetuating the belief that he truly is ‘a new hope’.
During this mission, the Emperor reaches out to Luke Skywalker through the Force, trying to corrupt him. And while Palpatine pulls all the right strings,Luke rejects the urge to give in to his inner darknesseven for a second. This story is a perfect reflection of who Luke Skywalker is as a person, and how legendary he becomes as a Jedi.
1Luke Skywalker’s First Official Lightsaber Duel with Darth Vader is Star Wars History
“Skywalker Strikes”Star Wars#1-2 by Jason Aaron and John Cassaday
When mostStar Warsfans think of the first lightsaber duel between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, they assuredly think of their fight on Cloud City inEmpire Strikes Back. However, in the canonStar Warscomics, it’s revealed that they had their actual first duel some time before that - immediately following the events ofA New Hope, in fact. After the Rebellion blew up the Death Star, the Rebels hit the Empire hard with a number of attacks, some of which were led by the crew of the Millennium Falcon, which included Luke Skywalker. However, on one mission in particular,Luke found himself face-to-face with none other than Darth Vader.
Luke Skywalker faces Darth Vader with hardly any Jedi training under his belt, as his lightsaber is mostly wielded for show, given that Luke is at a stage in his life where he’s still more comfortable using a blaster. However, that doesn’t stop Luke from igniting his lightsaber and standing his ground against Vader in a moment that goes down inStar Warshistory as their first official lightsaber duel - and that is why this is the bestLuke Skywalkerstory in the history ofStar Warscomics.
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.
