Star Warshas effectively erased one ofLuke Skywalker’smost impressive Force feats from the official canon. The Battle of Jakku was the definitive conflict that ended the Galactic Civil War a year afterReturn of the Jedi, the final reckoning that led to the Empire’s official surrender to the New Republic. In this major battle, the remnants of which can be seen inThe Force Awakens, Luke Skywalker’s role was said to have been much bigger according to galactic myth and legend. However,Star Warshas since revealed a true account of what the Jedi Knight was doing during Jakku.
Thanks to Marvel’s newBattle of Jakkucomic series, we finally know exactly what Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo were up toduring the canonical events leading up to and during Jakku. This is because previous canonical content had only shown the battle through other characters and perspectives, largely keeping them out of the spotlight.However, there was aStar Warsnovel published in 2017 that teased what Luke Skywalker accomplished during the battle, and many fans will likely agree that the legend is much better than the reality of what the Jedi was actually doing during the Battle of Jakku.
Luke Skywalker’s Original Role At The Battle Of Jakku Was Legendary
Bringing Down An Entire Star Destroyer
In Ken Liu’s novelThe Legends of Luke Skywalker, it’s strongly hinted via second-hand accounts that Luke brought down one of the Imperial Star Destroyers at Jakku…using the Force alone.Not unlike Starkiller in the Legends’Force Unleashedgames, this would have been quite an impressive feat for the Jedi Knight. Without a doubt, it was easily one of his most powerful acts, representing his great connection to the Force at a time when he was truly the last of the Jedi before his mission to rebuild the Jedi Order with a new academy.
Star Wars: 10 Things Only Die-Hard Fans Know About Jakku
Introduced in Star Wars: The Force Awakens as Rey’s homeworld, die-hard Star Wars fans know there’s a lot more to the desert planet.
That being said, the fact that this story was simply a myth in-universe and shared by a group of deckhands on board a cargo freighter meantStar Warscould easily provide a real account of what Luke actually did during the Battle of Jakku.Nearly 8 years later,Star Warshas indeed finally revealed what Luke Skywalker was really doing, thanks to theBattle of Jakkucomic series. However, it’s arguably far less impressive, at least when it comes to feats using the Force.
It Turns Out This Particular Tale Is Just A Legend, Not Reality
Star Wars Just Revealed What Luke Was Actually Doing…
In the final issue ofBattle of Jakkuby Alex Segura, Jethro Morales and Jim Campbell,Luke Skywalker faces Grand Moff Adelhard, a rogue Imperial who initially was in denial about the Empire’s losses at Endor, and refused to bend to Palpatine’s posthumous orders given by Councilor Gallius Rax. Commanding a force of loyalists and allied spice runners, Adelhard eventually decided to attack both the Empire and New Republic forces assembled at Jakku.However, the spice runners eventually turn on him, and the final issue sees a defeated Adelhard rejecting Luke’s attempts to save him from his damaged Star Destroyer set to explode.
It’s still nice to imagine that the Force feat is something Luke still could have accomplished in theStar Warscanon, if now only in theory…
Although it’s a strong conclusion forLuke and Adelhard’s ongoing rivalry in the year between Endor and Jakku, it certainly does come at the expense of rewriting and erasing such an epic moment where Luke used the Force to bring down an entire Star Destroyer. Despite being an in-universe legend, there had been no actual account to refute it for so long that many fans had taken it as a canonical feat (until now).At any rate, it’s still nice to imagine that the Force feat is something Luke still could have accomplished in theStar Warscanon, if now only in theory.
