Luke Skywalker is one of the most iconic fictional characters of all time. The Jedi Master has appeared in Star Wars movies and shows since 1977 before he eventually died in The Last Jedi. But how and why did Luke Skywalker die?
Why Luke Skywalker died
Luke Skywalker died after he used The Force to create an astral projection of himself on a distant planet to fight Kylo Ren. The incredible amount of power that was required to achieve this resulted in Luke’s death on the planet Ahch-To.
Mark Hamill, the actor who plays Luke Skywalker, likened the character’s death to that of an addict who re-uses after being clean for a long period of time. ‘The Force’ in this case being Luke’s drug.
“THE FORCE KILLED LUKE. You have to acknowledge the irony in his fate. Almost like an addict that kicked his habit cold-turkey, remained clean for decades, only to re-use just once & then, tragically, overdoses.” – Mark Hamill on Luke Skywalker’s death.
The death remains a contentious issue among the Star Wars fan base to this day with some fans not happy with the manner of Luke’s death. Despite it’s controversial nature, it was the perfect send off for Luke in a number of ways.
- It gave Luke a similar send off to that of Obi-Wan Kenobi, in that he died while facing off against his Padawan before passing over to become a Force Ghost.
- Luke sacrificed himself to save others.
- It allowed Luke to come to finally confront with his own mistakes when dealing with Kylo Ren/Ben Solo.
Does Luke Skywalker come back to life?
Luke Skywalker does not come back to life but he does return as a Force Ghost/Spirit in The Rise of Skywalker to help Rey and give her guidance. He convinces Rey to face off against her Grandfather, the evil emperor Palpatine.
