So I did
My Hero, Luke Skywalker
Really quality piece of writing about depression and seeing it represented in a character like Luke.
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My Hero, Luke Skywalker by Zac Bertschy
- Thread starter The Adder
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So I did
My Hero, Luke Skywalker
Really quality piece of writing about depression and seeing it represented in a character like Luke.
I had similar thoughts after seeing The Last Jedi. It was humbling, powerful, and personal to see your childhood favorite crumble and grapple with their sadness and rise up and find peace and meaning through it all. As someone who has struggled with depression in the past, it was just really nice to see.
It's weird that someone as depressed and mired in self-loathing as I am didn't really notice the similarities. I noticed that he was depressed and broken, but for whatever reason I didn't really look into it because I was paying attention more to Rey's story, and framed Luke's depiction as how she would see it.
Viewed on it's own...yeah, Luke's in a bad spot, and one I now see myself immensely relating to.
You know, the dark side of the force is just summarized as "Space Magic, but EEEEEVUL", but in this case, Luke could be said to have fallen to his own sort of dark side. Not murderous or maniacal, but just empty. He's willfully cut himself off from the Force, which he acknowledges is basically life force, so how dead must that make him feel inside.
I feel like I got to see the movie again and observe Hamill's performance with this in mind now.
Viewed on it's own...yeah, Luke's in a bad spot, and one I now see myself immensely relating to.
You know, the dark side of the force is just summarized as "Space Magic, but EEEEEVUL", but in this case, Luke could be said to have fallen to his own sort of dark side. Not murderous or maniacal, but just empty. He's willfully cut himself off from the Force, which he acknowledges is basically life force, so how dead must that make him feel inside.
I feel like I got to see the movie again and observe Hamill's performance with this in mind now.
Luke behaved so much out of character - even as the TLJ-Luke. It was just inconsistent. His death was also so pointless and anti-climatic. Like, he dies from exhaustion after using long-distance-force-facetime... really? It's not like he was 500 years old like Yoda or some shit.
He was the the spark that will light the fire, that will burn away the first order by:
Saving what was left of the resistance;
Inspiring a new generation (broom kid).
Watch the movie breh. Its good.
It's an amazing goddamn character arc that so many people can relate to.
I know exactly what it's like to be totally crippled by anxiety and self-loathing because of a past personal failure. Watching Luke move beyond that and find peace in the end was truly the most heroic thing I've ever seen in this kind of movie. I dream of being that at-peace with myself in the end.
I know exactly what it's like to be totally crippled by anxiety and self-loathing because of a past personal failure. Watching Luke move beyond that and find peace in the end was truly the most heroic thing I've ever seen in this kind of movie. I dream of being that at-peace with myself in the end.
It's not suicide though? He was at peace with himself, with his actions and his place in the galaxy, and moved on to the next phase of existence, embracing the Jedi way. Like all great science fiction/fantasy it's taking something mystical and amazing and applying it to a concept we can relate to as normal people.
His last act in the living world was one of pacifism, which is beautiful to me.
That doesn't change anything? He could have sent a letter, that brought peace to the entire galaxy and it wouldn't make the fact that he died doing so any less dumb and anticlimactic. Also, his character is just all over the place and not consistent.
Broom Kid wasn't even needed. The whole "resistance is rising" was kinda the setup of TFA already, so they essentially made the same thing twice.
Same reason Obi Wan "died." He was balanced with the Force and had complete faith in the new Jedi to carry out the necessary actions for the greater good of the galaxy.
How does a letter save the trapped members of the remaining Resistance on Crait? And, how does a letter spark Hope for the rest of the Galaxy? Luke went out, ALONE, and faced down the entire First Order, by himself. And, apparently held them all off. That's the story that is being told across the galaxy now. One man held off the ENTIRE FIRST ORDER. It's the new spark for Resistance across the galaxy.
Because Rian said so and he wanted to undo TFA and any and all OT-connections as much as possible. This point really irks me almost the most about Luke. His death feels just "convenient to the plot", but doesn't really make much sense.
The moment when Rey says, "You've cut yourself off from the Force...of course you have," really resonated with me, but I could not put my finger on why until reading this piece. I have chronic depression and anxiety, but by now I've learned to spot when they are rearing up. The first thing I do is cut myself off. From family, from social media (which is probably a good thing), from everyone. I withdraw, and slowly drown in the isolation. It's the place Luke is at. Mark Hamill's performance is heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting, in its honesty.
Yeah, but where does him dying ties into any of that? It doesn't. In fact, him surviving is what "sparks hope".
100%.
I spent the better part of this year a sad self-loathing mess cut off from the world and my family & friends, afraid to face anyone. Seeing my childhood hero Luke Skywalker going through similar shit was really powerful to me.
TLJ in a nutshell really. Just seems like a very, very badly written script that would have needed a few rounds of reiterations.
I can see that. Leia's space Jesus power and Luke's astral projection really don't follow anything thats been established and the movie gives no explanation other than these are things now in Star Wars.
He didn't die on Crait. The story is he stood up the first Order and they couldn't beat him. He saved the Resistince.
Only Leia and Rey knew he died.
So like nearly every Star Wars movie to date? Nearly every single Star Wars movie introduced new powers and usually never explained what they were.
Nothing in ANH gave you any indication you could use the Force to lift objects and make them float around. That was new in ESB.
Nothing in ANH and ESB gave you any indication that you can use the Force to shoot LIGHTNING BOLTS from your fingers. That was new in ROTJ. Way more out there than anything Leia did.
Nothing in the OT gave you any indication you could use the Force to run crazy fast like the Flash. That was new in TPM.
Do I have to keep going?
I dunno how you read choosing to die as anything but suicide.
Luke sat down on his couch, sent some snarky texts to his punkass nephew, lied to the whole galaxy, and then bailed.
Which, fine. From some angles that's a worthwhile story. But specifically framing this as an inspirational story about depression is wild. Luke didn't even leave the damn apartment he'd shut himself into.
I don't think he should've died, but the movie clearly communicates that his last act took every last bit of effort out of him performing an unparalleled feat with The Force unlike any before ever witnessed.
You want The Force explained now? Like some video game shit? Like the prequels?
"If you strike me down now, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."
"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force."
One the one hand, he is that seemingly hermit that is fed up with the Jedi and force and everything, on the other hand he is still on that fucking Jedi island for no real reason. Then he cracks jokes, but is utterly somber and depressed and what not. Then he refuses anything Jedi, but still teaches her, but then goes back to being against it, but then does it again etc How he treats her is also all over the place. It just feels like he is a character with schizophrenia aka written by 2 people with very, very different ideas for his characters.
It's just not consistent. And that's not even compared to the OT, where he is the fucking most hopeful character in the universe. I mean even Mark Hamill himself said "'The Last Jedi' Was Not His Vision Of Luke".
In Kylo and Rey's first conversation, he says, "You're not doing this, the effort would kill you."
What Luke does is the most incredible use of the Force in the series to date. The effort took all he had. It makes sense, and being an act of pacifism that also saves the entire rebellion while ALSO concluding Luke's return to the light is quite fitting and beautiful.
And from a narrative standpoint, Luke had to go, so Rey could step out from under the shadow of the OT. Rian Johnson found a perfect way to do it.
Neither did freezing blaster shots or force lightning when they first appeared. And Leia isnt even the first to do this, Kanan did it on rebels.
He sent himself (or a projection) to Crait to inspire hope in the rebels (at a point where even Leia, bastion of undying optimism in the galaxy had given up) and give them an opportunity to escape. He didn't want to actually fight his nephew, and if he actually went there he would have just been pulverized by cannon fire. He went out without violence in his heart, completely at peace with himself in the end. Fully embracing his ideals and the Jedi way.
He didn't even have any way to leave the island so...how would he have done anything physically?
So if you hold them off and survive you are a hero but if you hold them off and die you're a failure? He still single-handedly saved what was left of the Resistance regardless of whether or not he survived.
What?! How was that "perfect". That was almost the most awful way I could imagine getting rid of Luke.
I mean, why not go with Rey on the MF and be there in person and do it from closer distance? Or why not have him do it IN PERSON and then die somewhere else, watching into the sunset? That would have actually meant something and made the scene - hell the movie- a fuckton better.
Also, why does EVERYBODY see Luke's projection, when only "force-sensitive" people / user can see the projection? So why did Hux and everybody else see him as well?
=
It's not about Luke dying, it's about Luke dying just like that. It serves no purpose.
This totally reads as a smart, self-loathing individual who has been broken by their own failures and cooconed themself in isolation. Depression rarely manifests as outright morbidity in people who don't really have any in their personality.
I loved the treatment of Luke in TLJ, maybe the most impactful ( if not the most effortless) character arc in the series.
I dont remember that exchange but at least they suggested the strain of using some Force powers puts them under considerable strain. But thinking about it this way makes it seem less disappointing. But after having waited 30 years for Luke to take some punks to school as a Jedi Master, theres always going to be some regret. We never got to see Luke in his prime which is a shame.
I agree with this sentiment, somewhat. It's why I said his death, while executed well, was unearned. I'm fine with a Luke that is depressed, tired, and just wanting to die so the Galaxy can never again be drawn into a war between two competing ideologies of the same religion. However, if that's what you are going to do then fucking commit to it. Instead, Luke just feels all over the place. I wanted a Grand Master Jedi Luke Skywalker, haggard, but reluctantly deciding to teach Rey about The Force. I wanted a kind of Galdalf Luke. Instead, he just acts weird and assholish the whole time, only teaches Rey one valuable lesson, the rest of his lessons are horseshit ramblings about the Jedi needing to die. Then Rey gets fed up with his bullshit and leaves to try and turn Ren and so Luke decides to burn it all down. Then, suddenly, Yoda shows up and burns it all down for him, explaining to him that, that stuff was never important. That he needs to teach his pupils his failures, not just his victories and the gilded past. Then Kylo murders Snoke and tells Rey to "let the past die" and "burn it all down," but she refuses. Then Luke shows up, does amazeball Force Magic, says "see you around, kid." And then, dies. So, I guess he meant, "see you around" metaphorically? But then, at the very end, we see that Rey stole the Jedi books which Yoda convinced Luke weren't important. Huh? Who the fuck are we supposed to be agreeing with here?
Is the past supposed to die? Or are we supposed to hold on to that shit? Yoda tells Luke to burn it down and then Kylo says the same to Rey, which would seem to suggest that Kylo is in the right. Then we see Rey holding onto the books at the end suggesting that instead she is right. The fuck is the message of this movie?
I was not a fan of how Luke was portrayed in this film. Mark Hamill did a great job acting, but they turned Luke into a grumpy old man who basically betrayed the characters arc in the OT. In the OT Luke was unwilling to kill the second most evil person in the galaxy, who was even was responsible for blowing up a planet. He believed in his fathers redemption so much so that he threw his lightsaber down and to not give into his hate, and accept his fate at the hands of the Emperor as long as he tried to find the good in his father again. Which he miracously achieved but now Luke is willing too kill his nephew while he was sleeping in the middle of the night, because he has dark side tendencies. Huh? So much for trying to talk to the kid first.
If you enjoyed this interpretation of Luke, more power to you but I just was let down. This is not the same Luke I grew up with. Plus the mysteries built up from TFA were thrown out the window. I felt like Rian Johnson was saying "Fuck you, JJ" the entire movie by taking away the mysteries that went unaswered in TFA. Which were really the only interesting things in TFA. So in a way this film also retroactively ruins TFA.
If you enjoyed this interpretation of Luke, more power to you but I just was let down. This is not the same Luke I grew up with. Plus the mysteries built up from TFA were thrown out the window. I felt like Rian Johnson was saying "Fuck you, JJ" the entire movie by taking away the mysteries that went unaswered in TFA. Which were really the only interesting things in TFA. So in a way this film also retroactively ruins TFA.
Why was it shocking? I thought they telegraphed the whole "Obi won" send off for him. You didn't think this Trilogy was gonna be Luke focused as well?
See above post,
I always figured Luke would die but that it would be in the third movie after spending some good time with him and him spending some time with the new cast. I didn't figure the new Trilogy would focus on him, but I didn't expect the hero of the entire last trilogy to be sidelined into one movie where he sat on an island the whole time doing fuck all. Han Solo got a better send off than Luke.
Why would you jump into a thread talking about Luke Skywalker if you haven't seen TLJ?
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