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Hero

There are many heroes and heroines in the series, but the main hero would be Luke Skywalker.

Plot Summary

Brief huh? Well it all started with this boy named Luke. He was your average both who lived on a desert-like planet called Tatooine. Luke has bigger dreams though, he wants to join the Imperial forces, but unfortunately he is needed to tend his uncle's farm one more season. Disappointed Luke tends to his daily chores and buys a few droids. These droid would change Luke's life forever. Without going into so many details, Luke's dream of fighting with the Imperial army comes to life sooner than he realizes. Through his journey Luke finds strength, maturity, and a family he never knew he had.

Departure

Call to Adventure

I would have to believe the first real call to battle Luke received was after he had met Old Ben Kenobi and they were working through who had ambushed and destroyed the Jawas. Once they figured out storm troopers were searching for the droids and that would lead them to Luke’s home, he rushed there to find his aunt and uncle dead and the land destroyed. Knowing that he had nothing left for him there, he chose to be trained by Obi-Wan and off to save the Princess they went.  

Refusal of the Call

I think during this portion of finding his aunt and uncle had perished. You can see that Luke was pondering about what he could be getting himself into. These people aren’t playing capture and let go, they were killing innocent people. For a spilt second here, you can see Luke is second guessing the thought of going with Obi-Wan. Like he’s realizing once he goes, there will be no turning back.

Supernatural Aid

Luke had many supernatural aides in my opinion. I’m going to try and focus on the help he received in the Star Wars: A New Hope film. I would definitely classify Obi-Wan as his supernatural help in this case. Obi-Wan introduced him to the force and began his trying in it. He gave him his first light saber, and though Luke didn’t have Obi-Wan for long, through the series Obi-Wan continues to guide Luke with thoughts and feelings.

Crossing of the First Threshold

There could be many places in the movie where people might say this step occurs, but I’m going to say it’s once the Millennium Falcon takes off after they have highered Han Solo and Chewbacca. From what we’ve learned about Luke up until this point, he’s been “stuck” on this planet his whole life and wanted off. Well, once the ship leaves we know he doesn’t return to the planet, so he has now entered the unknown for him.  

Belly of the Whale

Again this entire journey Luke takes is unknown for him and he seems to wing it as he goes. I think a clear case of this is when he is on the Death Star trying to find the Princess and rescue her. Luke and Han are running around the Death Star trying to locate the level Leia is being held on. Once they find the room and kill the Imperial workers in it (in a unplanned mini battle) the two find her cell and release her. Once released they find themselves under attack and slip into a garbage shoot. Of course, the garbage holding container has a huge snake like creature in it and Luke almost becomes it’s lunch. Luke lives to fight another day, but I doubt he had ever experienced that before on his home planet. Though Luke always seems to keep a cool head about him in his situations. It’s the Jedi way.

Initiation

Road of Trials

Luke goes through many trials through the trilogy. He first lose his mentor Ben, then finds out Darth Vader is his father, he goes to train with Yoda and then leaves during his training because he senses his friends in trouble, even when it’s against Yoda’s wishes, then he becomes a prisoner of Jabba the Hut, but of course gets out of that mess, finds out Leia is his twin sister who they were separated at birth (which is gross, because they kissed earlier on), defeats the emperor, and destroys his father. All the while we watch the young farm boy grow into a Jedi Master.

Meeting with the Goddess

This would be the love he feels for Leia. At first he finds her attractive, but then they realize they have an attraction deeper than that. It is all explained once they realize they are siblings/twins, but their bond grows the longer they are around each other.

Woman as Temptress

I think for Luke there was the constant temptation of Vader and the Emperor badgering him to join the Dark Side. You’d like to believe Luke wasn’t considering that, but you can tell at times he was, even though it was only for a split second.  I feel it had more to do to being close with his father (Vader) than the lure of the Dark Side though.

Atonement with the Father

Though Luke’s biological father is a powerful Jedi, it is not him who begins his belief in the force. Obi-Wan Kenobi shows the basics to Luke about trusting his feelings and letting the force flow through him. Later on, Luke has training with Yoda a Jedi Master who teachers him how to control his emotions and harness the true ability of his powers.

Apotheosis

In my opinion, this happens when Luke is fighting Dark Vader and the heated discussion leads to Vader telling Luke he is his father. This rocks Luke’s world, so much that he is distracted during the fight and Vader strikes in which causes Luke to lose his hand.   

Ultimate Boon

The ultimate goal of Luke’s quest is to destroy the Emperor and his army. Luke would like to be able to save his father and have him join back to the good side, but unfortunately this does not happen, at least in Vader's human life. We see Anakin as a “ghost” rejoined with his old collages Ben and Yoda. Luke does defeat the Emperor, with the help of Vader, but it ultimately is what kills Vader.