Where’s Luke In Star Wars: The Force Awakens?

It will be the biggest cinematic reveal of 2015 – where in the galaxy is Luke Skywalker? We’ve all pored over each and every snippet of information, and each and every frame of marketing material – the teaser trailers, the full-length trailer, the still images and the poster – but, for all that effort, director J.J Abrams is undeniably a Jedi Master when it comes to protecting his Star Wars plot. A big part of that mystery is the fact that the face of Luke Skywalker – the ultimate rebel – appears to be absent from the marketing campaign for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and in true fandom fashion, we cannot help but wonder: What does it mean?

The Security Guard Theory

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Is Luke Skywalker in a secret location, guarding a Sith tomb? This theory speculates that the tomb contains a powerful evil which Kylo Ren and his Knights wish to unleash among the stars. It also speculates that the reason for Luke’s lengthy shift is that the tomb can only be opened by his old lightsaber – or perhaps even his lost hand – last seen tumbling into the void in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. There follows a race against time, in which our heroes, old and new, must try to reach Luke ahead of the forces of darkness.

Certain shots from the trailers could arguably support this theory – Luke’s mechanical hand on R2-D2, the melted helmet of Darth Vader atop some kind of shrine, Han and Chewie in the Millennium Falcon, Finn and Kylo Ren battling in the forest, Kylo Ren putting the psychic whammy on Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and envisioning laying waste to a forest, Han comforting a concerned Leia in an ‘I’ll get your loved one back’ kind of fashion – all these snippets could be interpreted as being part of a ‘Race To The Jedi’ situation.

I would humbly suggest that this is the least likely of all the theories, however. While it does contain a call-back to an event in the original trilogy – the loss of Luke’s hand – it features no other threads that are really in keeping with the Star Wars universe of Luke Skywalker. The existence of a Sith tomb seems almost too random and, frankly, has more in keeping with the plot of Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade.


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Author
Sarah Myles
Sarah Myles is a freelance writer. Originally from London, she now lives in North Yorkshire with her husband and two children.