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

The Exile Theory

Is Luke in self-imposed exile? Perhaps. This theory certainly does have merit. Yoda hid himself away for years until Luke found him in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Although, this does not mean that Luke Skywalker is essentially the new Yoda – which is a further take on this Exile Theory. There is a female voice in the final full-length trailer that could be construed as fulfilling that role (perhaps Lupita Nyong’o’s ‘pirate’ Maz Kanata?).

Instead, this theory harks back to the original trilogy, during which Yoda repeatedly warned Luke to get his anger under control, lest he follow in the footsteps of his father, Darth Vader. Once Luke embraced the Force, he became a powerful Jedi and, with the passage of time, has arguably become the most powerful of all. That power can be easily corrupted, however, and it is very possible that the son of Vader might isolate himself in order to protect both the galaxy, and his loved ones.

Viewing the final trailer with this in mind, and with the idea that its opening shot has Rey (Daisy Ridley) finding a relic from the original trilogy, then the movie takes on a pleasing ‘We’re getting the band back together’ tone. The Dark Side is gathering, Rey finds a relic which puts her in mind of stories she heard as a child, Han confirms the myths, then the old guard and the new guard set out to find Luke because they think he’s their only hope. As it turns out, however, there’s a New Hope, and a new generation of Jedi.

Gosh, that’s beautiful.