When someone says Star Wars, you think of a lightsaber, right? The franchise and its most iconic weapon share a symbiotic relationship that is hard to shake, but it turns out Luke Skywalker, the main man in the saga, doesn’t really care for his laser sword all that much.
Star Wars has produced some of the best movies of all time, and many of the most exciting moments from the Skywalker saga are rooted in the battle between good and evil, or the Jedi and the Sith, if you want to get technical. Truth is, all the best Star Wars characters carry a lightsaber.
Luke Skywalker is perhaps the most iconic hero of that wonderful galaxy far, far away, and he’s definitely had his fair share of experience with a saber. He’s so cool, in fact, that he’s wielded a blue one and a green one! But, you may be surprised to learn that when watching the Star Wars movies in order, you’re unlikely to see Luke with a lightsaber in his hands very often.
In fact, if we look at the first Star Wars movie, A New Hope, Luke actually does not use his lightsaber for anything of note at all. Sure, he swings it around in a hut on Tattooine for a while after Obi-Wan Kenobi gives it to him, and he practises his skills for a minute on board the Millennium Falcon, but then it’s put away for the rest of the film.
Then, when we get to The Empire Strikes Back, the best science fiction movie of all time, we are shown in the very opening scene on Hoth just how powerful the lightsaber can be when Luke escapes the ice wampa’s lair. It’s quite the leap to go from us seeing that shiny hilt swinging around on Luke’s belt for the entirety of A New Hope, to seeing him slicing up a space yeti in the sequel.
When you consider the big picture, Luke does use his lightsaber in some of the best Star Wars scenes, like the duel with Darth Vader at the end of Empire, or when he raids Jabba’s palace in Return of the Jedi. But in the grand scheme of things, Luke doesn’t make the most of the incredible weapon he has at his disposal.
So many people were up in arms when, in The Last Jedi, Luke throws away his lightsaber after Rey hands it to him. But we should have seen this coming. Luke has never had an overreliance on the Jedi weapon, and clearly sees it as disposable. And, when you can Force-project yourself and win a fight against your nephew without it, why would you bother with a light-up sword?
If, like us, you are obsessed with Star Wars, you may want to learn more about the Star Wars cast or find out what’s going on with the new Star Wars movies. Or, if you’re all done with the ways of the Jedi, maybe you’d be more excited about new movies like Avatar 3 and Deadpool 3.