Rian Johnson, The Last Jedi, and Luke Skywalker’s message of hope

Before The Last Jedi, many saw Luke Skywalker as an invincible hero — one who could never do wrong, never turn away from those in need, and never, ever die.

After The Last Jedi — when this was not the Luke Skywalker portrayed in the story — many lashed out at director Rian Johnson and the fans who supported and enjoyed his story.

One of the biggest complaints surrounding the film — the same comments that brought about the “not my Luke” ramblings online — was that Luke Skywalker wasn’t who a certain portion of the fan base expected him to be.

Johnson explained to Empire nearly five years after the film’s release that this was, in fact, the entire point of Luke’s characterization in the story. He said:

"“The final images of the movie, to me, are not deconstructing the myth of Luke Skywalker, they’re building it, and they’re him embracing it. They’re him absolutely defying the notion of, ‘Throw away the past,’ and embracing what actually matters about his myth and what’s going to inspire the next generation. So for me, the process of stripping away is always in the interest of getting to something essential that really matters.”"

Luke wasn’t going to show up on Crait laser sword swinging the way so many wanted. That wasn’t the message his character needed to send in The Last Jedi. He even says so directly in the film.

As Johnson says, Luke had to travel to that place of solitude, away from the Force, in order to come to a full understanding of what was really most important.

If anyone’s take on what a Star Wars film was actually trying to say should be trusted, it’s the person who created and directed the film. Some things in a story will always be left up to interpretation. But Johnson understands Luke Skywalker and the journey he had to take during the sequels.

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