Luke Skywalker

Luke Skywalker

Jedi Knight

Raised on the desert world Tatooine by his aunt and uncle, Luke Skywalker always dreamed of traveling across the galaxy, but wasn't sure if he would ever leave his uncle's farm. Skywalker got more adventure than he bargained for when he became mixed up with a pair of droids and an old man named Ben Kenobi, who lived out in the mountains alone. At Ben's home, Luke was presented with his father's old lightsaber, a blue-bladed energy weapon that the Jedi used to protect the galaxy long ago. Ben imparted to Luke that he, too, could be a Jedi, if he chose to train with Kenobi. Luke accepted, realizing that he had somehow always known he was different from the people he grew up with on Tatooine - only he never could have predicted that he was attuned to the Force.

Luke was certainly strong with the Force, taking to his training with Obi-Wan very quickly. After the murder of his aunt and uncle by a group of storm troopers, it was all the motivation he needed to join the Rebel Alliance. His first mission at hand was to rescue Princess Leia from Darth Vader and the Imperials aboard the Death Star. In order to do that, they needed pilots. Finding the Corellian Han Solo and his Wookiee first mate, Chewbacca, Luke and Ben soon realized they were being followed by storm troopers on Tatooine and escaped the planet.

Although Luke was successful in rescuing Princess Leia on the Death Star, he suffered the loss of Ben Kenobi, who was cut down by Darth Vader in a lightsaber duel. Vowing revenge, Luke joined Leia at the Rebel base and agreed to use his considerable piloting skills in an attack on the Death Star. Skywalker was ultimately the one who dealt the heaviest blow to the Empire, firing the shot that destroyed the space station. Honored with a medal for his bravery, Luke continued fighting for the Alliance over the next few years, becoming close to Leia and forming a friendship with Han Solo.

However, if he wanted to progress in his Jedi training, Luke needed to seek out the wisest Jedi Master still alive - Master Yoda, who he found by accident on the muddy planet of Dagobah. However, finding Yoda was no accident - it was the will of the Force, as Luke was destined to be the Jedi who overthrew the Empire. Spending valuable time training with Yoda, Luke was present at the time of the Jedi Master's passing, witnessing his body disappearing into thin air as he joined the Force, alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi. Newly revitalized, Luke went back to Tatooine to save his friends from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt and his gang of mercenaries.

It was before the final battle against the Empire - on the Ewok homeplanet of Endor - that Luke revaled to Leia that they were, in fact, brother and sister, and that she too had potential with the Force. Confronting his father, Darth Vader, in a final lightsaber match, Luke ultimately came out victorious. However, attacked by Emperor Palpatine's blast of Force lightning, Luke would have been killed if not for the intervention of his father, who grabbed the Emperor by his robes and threw him over the railing. As the Emperor fell to his death and the newly reconstructed Death Star fell under attack by the Rebels, Luke helped his injured father to the ground. Taking off his mask, Vader revealed his face to his son for the first and only time, now a shell of the monster he once was. Luke and his father made peace with each other before his passing, and Luke again was honored for his courageous actions in helping to bring down the Empire. Although more challenges would come forward in the future, for the moment, Luke had the entire galaxy at his feet.