Luke Skywalker/Legends

Luke Skywalker (born 19 BBY), is a fictional character of the Star Wars universe, a Jedi Knight, who plays a major role in the series of films.

He is the son of Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker, and brother of Princess Leia Organa. As an orphan, he was raised on the planet Tatooine for the first twenty or so years of his life, where his uncle Owen Lars and aunt Beru Lars tried unsuccessfully to beat out all tendencies towards the Jedi Order from him. He was told by his uncle that his father had been "a navigator on a spice freighter." Obi-Wan Kenobi told Luke that his father had been killed by Darth Vader, a rogue Jedi Knight.

Yoda had hidden his sister Leia on Alderaan where she was safe from her true father. But when Darth Vader intercepts her spaceship carrying plans for the superweapon/battlestation, the Death Star, she sends droids R2-D2 and C-3P0 to meet Kenobi. However, on their journey they end up enslaved to Luke himself, who follows the droids to meet the Jedi.

Joining with Kenobi, they departed from Tatooine on Han Solo's ship, the Millenium Falcon. They travel towards Alderaan, only to find that the planet has been replaced by mere rock, debris, and a huge, weaponized battle station. Taken in by tractor beams, they barely escape the Imperials after saving Princess Leia from being terminated by her captors. Obi-Wan Kenobi is apparently killed by Darth Vader, but in fact vanishes, having ascended to a higher plane of existence and becoming one with the Force. (His cloak, as it falls to the floor, is unsinged by Vader's lightsaber.)

They travel back to the Rebel base at Yavin 4, but they are tracked by an Imperial tracking beacon. The Death Star follows and the Empire prepares to destroy the moon with its superweapon. The Alliance uses the stolen plans to the station to lead a final attack on the Death Star. Luke himself pilots an X-Wing, and under the guidance of Obi Wan's spiritual voice, uses the Force to send a proton torpedo into the reactor shaft, destroying the Death Star.

Desperate to find Luke, whom he recently learned was his own son, Vader sends probe droids to thousands of planets across the galaxy in search of the Jedi hopeful. When a droid discovers the new base on Hoth, the Vader brings the hammer of the Empire down on the planet. Luke plays a key role in the defense, including downing an AT-AT singlehandely and escapes in his X-wing.

Following advice from the spirit of Obi-wan Kenobi, he travels to Dagobah to learn the Jedi Arts under Jedi Master Yoda. The old Jedi Master has little confidence in the young man's potential, but is persuaded to train him. However, Luke eventually has a vision of his friends being captured by Vader, and against the warnings of Kenobi and Yoda about confronting the Sith Lord prematurely, he travels to Bespin to save them, only to be trapped by Vader. On Bespin he learns that Vader is his father, and loses his right hand in combat with the Dark Lord of the Sith. (Ironically, Vader had lost his right arm when he was younger.) Faced with this horrifying claim and the even more fearsome temptation to join Vader, Luke finds the moral courage to choose death instead by throwing himself down a long shaft. However, fate allows him to survive, and he escapes on the Millennium Falcon.

Sometime later, Luke confirms from the dying Yoda and the spirit form of Ben Kenobi that Vader is indeed his father, Anakin, a former Jedi Knight who turned to the Dark Side of the Force. Furthermore, Luke realizes that Leia is his sister and in terrible peril from their father should he find out as well. On Endor, Luke surrenders to Vader in an attempt to bring the Dark Lord back to the good side, but he ultimately becomes a prisoner of The Emperor on the half-completed second Death Star.

Once there, the Emperor and Vader attempt to corrupt Luke with promises to save his friends from their trap if he joined the Dark Side. As a backup idea, the Emperor goaded Luke to strike him down to save the Rebels who were being defeated in the Battle of Endor. Luke, in a moment of weakness, momementarily lashes out but, Vader stops his strike and father and son duel one another one final time. Despite the clash, Luke manages to keep emotional control, much to the frustration of his enemies. However, that control is lost when Vader senses telepathically the existence of Luke's sister and threatens to concentrate on corrupting her instead. Luke attacks Vader with the power of rage, and just manages to regain control before killing him. At the realization that he is able to control himself in the face of the most profound provocation, Luke declares himself a Jedi as his father before him, and throws his lightsaber away.

In defiance, the Emperor unleashes Force lightning against Luke in an attempt to kill the young Jedi. Seeing his son dying, and perhaps remembering the mercy shown him, compassion finally breaks Vader's stony heart. In an act of self-sacrifice, Anakin Skywalker re-emerges to destroy the Emperor once and for all. On the deteriorating Death Star, at the foot of Vader's shuttle, Luke removes the former Vader's mask and looks upon his father's eyes for the first and only time before Anakin becomes one with the Force. Luke and his father's body escapes the Death Star's destruction. Back on Endor, Luke cremates his father in the manner of a Jedi's funeral, and joins in the celebration of the apparent defeat of the Empire, thus Luke comes full circle both as a Jedi and as a person.

In the Star Wars books "The Expanded Universe" Luke meets Mara Jade. He falls in love with her, and eventually they wed. They have a son called Ben Skywalker (after Obi-Wan Kenobi, who used the pseudonym Ben). He resigned his commission in the New Republic's starfighter corps to pursue his Jedi studies and rebuild the Jedi Order, a decision some anti-Jedi politicians would use against him.

Luke Skywalker was portrayed by actor Mark Hamill in:
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope original title was Star Wars; the first Star Wars movie to be released (May 25, 1977)
 * The Star Wars Holiday Special (November 17, 1978)
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (May 21, 1980)
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (May 25, 1983)