The Last Jedi answered one of the biggest questions Star Wars fans had about the new Canon:
What happened to Luke Skywalker after Return of the Jedi?
I'm assuming those details are pretty fresh in your mind right now,
so today I'm gonna go through the basics of Luke's Legends story after Return of the Jedi
and then we'll compare the two versions.
After the Battle of Endor, Luke remained very involved with the growing New Republic as they hunted down and defeated what remained of the Empire.
He continued his own studies in the Force and trained Leia as well.
He was involved in the fight against Grand Admiral Thrawn, in which he met and befriended a former student of the Emperor, Mara Jade.
When the Emperor resurrected himself, Luke willingly fell to the dark side to become his apprentice,
but he was redeemed and Palpatine was killed for good.
Seven years after the events of Return of the Jedi, he finally began the New Jedi Order,
teaching new students about the Force on Yavin 4.
He and his new Jedi continued to assist the war effort until the Galactic Civil War finally came to an end eight years later.
Throughout that time he trained, fell in love with, and married Mara Jade.
He also began training his sister's children, the twins Jaina and Jacen, and their younger brother, Anakin.
Six years later, the galaxy was invaded by the Yuuzhan Vong.
Luke and the New Jedi Order were on the front lines against an enemy who was not as vulnerable to the Force.
The war saw heavy losses throughout the galaxy including Anakin Solo,
but the Jedi were ultimately victorious thanks to Luke's assault on the Vong Supreme Overlord.
During the war, he and Mara had a son they named Ben.
Another six years later saw the Dark Nest crisis, which was the cause of conflict within the New Jedi Order.
It was during that time that Luke assumed the title of Grand Master,
which gave him direct control over the Order.
The crisis and the following Swarm War set the stage for the Second Galactic Civil War only a few short years later.
Skywalker's other nephew, Jacen, fell to the dark side and became the Sith Lord Darth Caedus.
Caedus personally killed Mara Jade and was later killed by his sister Jaina, bringing an end to the war.
The actions of Jacen Solo brought about tension between the Jedi Order and the Galactic government,
which was now called the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances.
The chief of state had Luke exiled and forbidden from interfering with Jedi matters.
He and Ben set out on a journey to investigate Jacen's fall to the dark side
where they encountered the Lost Tribe of the Sith and the dark side entity known as Abeloth.
The Jedi Order was able to bring Luke back as their Grandmaster, and together they defeated Abeloth.
Eventually, of course, Luke Skywalker became one with the Force.
Over one hundred years after the events of Return of the Jedi,
his spirit offered guidance to his likely great-grandson, Cade Skywalker.
Clearly, Luke's Legends history is far different from what we saw in The Last Jedi.
Canon Luke took on a much more passive role in the Rebellion and the New Republic almost immediately after the Battle of Endor.
He traveled the galaxy to learn about the Force and collect Jedi relics.
From what we can tell, he kept himself separate from the rest of the galaxy, having little contact with even his close friends and family.
The fall of Ben Solo and Jacen Solo are obvious similarities,
and honestly, Legends Luke had a ton of students either die or fall to the dark side,
but the aftermath of those events is completely different.
I think it's interesting that both versions of Luke wound up in exile at one point or another just for different reasons.
Canon Luke felt that the galaxy would be better off without his involvement, and in Legends it was the other way around.
The government felt that the galaxy would be better off without Luke.
Luke's family is another major difference.
In Legends, he had a wife and a son, and he trained Leia as a Jedi.
In Canon, none of that is true as far as we know.
No wife, no son, and while he taught Leia some things here or there,
she decided not to be trained fully as a Jedi, preferring to stay in politics.
We don't know the details surrounding Luke's death, but both Legends and Canon Luke became one with the Force
and I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Luke's ghost in Episode 9.
While there are some fun connections we can make between Canon and Legends,
there's no denying the two versions of Luke Skywalker are radically different.
I think that's part of the reason so many people had trouble wrapping their heads around the Luke we saw in The Last Jedi.
I know my expectations were more along the lines of Legends Luke, just because that's what I was used to.
We got decades worth of books telling his story, and it's hard not to have all that history in the back of your mind.
But what do you guys think? Are there any other connections or details from Luke's Legends history you think are worth mentioning?
Are there any other characters you'd like to see me compare to their Legends counterparts?
Let me know in the comments. If you haven't already please like this video, subscribe to the channel, follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook,
and consider checking out my Patreon page. As always, thanks for watching and may the Force be with you.