Luke Skywalker’s exile inThe Last Jedihas been a big point of contention amongst hardcoreStar Warsfans, who balk at the idea of one of the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy going away to be alone instead of fight with the Resistance. As it turns out, that idea came from none other thanStar WarscreatorGeorge Lucas. No matter what, it seems that Luke was going to be off by himself, deep in self-reflection, and isolated from the rest of the crew. Rian Johnson and J.J. Abrams took some ideas from Lucas' initial plans for what would’ve been his version ofEpisode VII.
A new book detailing the art ofThe Last Jedifeatures some concepts George Lucas had done before he sold Lucasfilm off to Disney. He was reportedly set to direct what becameThe Force Awakensbefore he handed over the reins to Disney and had some concept art drawn up to reflect his vision. In the concept art and Lucas' pitch, Luke is exiled away on an island that looks like Ahch-To, but with Jedi temples that look more like something fromReturn of the Jedi.
George Lucas originally had the idea that 30 years afterReturn of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker was in a bad place and shut himself off from his friends, refusing to teach a new generation the ways of the Jedi. So again, you can put your blame on the man who gave you the prequels when you whine about Lucas doing it better. There is one major change though. George Lucas was going to have Mark Hamill’s Luke come back midway through the events ofEpisode VII, which makes sense when you think of Hamill talking about liking some of Lucas' ideas better. It was determined that the first installment of the new trilogy should focus more on the new characters and that Han Solo was already eating up enough nostalgia time on the screen.
George Lucas' ideas for thenew trilogymight come out someday and then fans will get to decide which ideas they like better. For now,The Last Jediis tearing up the box office while creating amighty big divide among Star Wars fans. It goes perfectly with what a newStar Warsmovie does every time one is released: causes a huge uproar from the fans who feel that they have been robbed of their childhoods and blameJ.J. Abrams and Rian Johnsonsince they can’t blame George Lucas anymore.
For fans griping aboutLuke Skywalker hidingand being a broken Jedi, blame the creator, George Lucas for that planted seed. And then thank J.J. Abrams for watering the idea, and then Rian Johnson trying to salvage as much of the harvest as he possibly could. Luke Skywalker was going to be on Ahch-To no matter what, so you might as well get over that complaint. You can read more about George Lucas' concept art forThe Last JediviaSlashFilm.
