This Is Luke Skywalker

Jedi Master Luke Skywalker made a return to the Star Wars small screen in the penultimate episode of The Book of Boba Fett & it had a far more mixed response than I myself expected. I was quite happy with both his portrayal & the means in which they brought him to life for this episode, even as I learned more about how each facet of this character was created. The obvious being Luke's face being digitally created similar to what they did in the season 2 finale of The Mandalorian but obviously they've come a lot farther with this tech, not to mention the far better lighting conditions they were working with this time around.

What may come as a shock for those who've yet to learn, Luke's voice was also created entirely through digital means. It was made through an AI that was essentially fed archival footage of Mark Hamill that created the voice. Albeit the voice in the episode does have it's off moments, when I first learned this I thought it was quite a feat they pulled off. That isn't a view I've really seen shared online & it has a lot to do with the fact this technology can be misused, which is one hundred percent true. It also very much has been misused for the wrong purposes in the past. With that said, that was not the case here as made obvious by the creditting of Mark Hamill & his own likes on twitter.

I don't think it's anything anybody should be fretting over when it's used properly & with consent. Even with The Rise of Skywalker, they made sure to get the blessing of Billie Lourd who even got a chance to play her mother's character wielding a lightsaber nonetheless. It's worth mentioning too that just because they've done this with Mark Hamill, there's really no reason to believe they're going to be suddenly bringing back every actor who's aged out or has passed. I believe this was very much the people at Lucasfilm wanting to try out new things & to expand on the technology just as they always have.

CGI Luke aside there has also been plenty of discussion of him having made an appearnace at all & how he was portrayed. From a certain point of view it's easy to see this as a fairly Luke centered episode but then one may be glossing over how much of Grogu's story is actually progressing & how much we learn about where his journey started & where it is headed. As far as Luke is concerned he's really just a guide & voice for Grogu throughout this episode. Ahsoka's role is about the same making it clear to Din Djarin & the audicence that Grogu has chosen the path of the Jedi, at least for the moment.

There's also been some slight misconception as well about a particular scene in which Luke helps Grogu remember, unfortunately, the time of order 66. There've been some who have seen it as Luke forcing a traumatic memory onto him but he asks Grogu before he does anything & it's very clear Luke & Grogu communicate much like Grogu & Ahoska did in The Mandalorian. We may not hear it but there is clearly a dialogue between the two force users.

A more decisive point in the episode is when Luke offers Grogu a choice between taking his Master Yoda’s lightsaber & becoming his first student or taking the beskar armor which Din has delivered to him & returning to his friend. Many took this as a heartless act by Luke considering the entire prequel trilogy but we have to remember that’s our point of view looking in. All he has to work with is the history of a fallen order that was greatly destroyed & hidden for over two decades by the Empire. At this point he has not yet learned the error of their ways as this is but decades from the Luke we see in The Last Jedi.

When it comes to the choice laid out in front of Grogu, it’s not too big of a question to ask. I also don’t view it as Luke making the same mistakes as the Jedi before him as this was always the Jedi way. Attachment as we’ve seen throughout the whole series has been a very touched on subject & it’s been viewed through a variety of different Jedi. What makes Grogu stand out from other Jedi & why this question is posed so directly is what would be ten years for another student could be decades for Grogu given his species. It’s a big commitment & an even harder choice for him so there’s no reason for Luke to give him the impression it will be easy.

This is all just one fan’s point of view on the return of Luke Skywalker.