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Luke Skywalker's Poor Leadership Skills
It should come as no surprise to anybody who is familiar with Star Wars that Luke isn't known as one of the better Jedi's. He certainly doesn't live up to the standard set by Yoda, Windu, or Kenobi. Perhaps it's unfair to compare him to those Jedi Masters, but as the leader of the New Jedi Order, you'd hope that the Grand Master would be an elite Jedi.
In the past few months, I've really got into the Star Wars expanded universe. I used to think that the stories after Return of the Jedi would be weak. To my surprise, the stories actually get better. You have the Thrawn Trilogy, the Thrawn Duology (anything with Thrawn is great), I, Jedi, etc. They are all really, really good reads. They strongly capture all the original characters as well as add more to the characters. Unfortunately, this means we get to see how poor a Jedi Luke really is.
There is no question that Luke has strong lightsaber skills. In the expanded universe, Luke is renowned for his technique and athleticism. That's what makes his poor Jedi skills in other areas so unusual. His wisdom is lacking, his self-confidence is non-existent, and his sense of the force is inconsistent. Here are some of his mistakes:
1) He starts the New Jedi Academy on Yavin 4, where a 10,000 year old Sith Lord's ghost is lingering. Despite some of his student's objections, he ignores the danger. A few of his students die or turn to the dark side because of Luke's lack of forsight.
2) He fails to help the New Republic stabilize. Starting a new government is always hard, but you would think having a Jedi/War Hero close by would help things move along. Unfortunately, Luke's distaste for politics and desire to get the Jedi Academy starting puts the galaxy in a bad place. While Leia tries to prevent Civil War, Luke is out an about doing what he thinks Jedi should be doing.
3) Luke believes he is the only remaining Jedi Master, and therefore he believes that he needs to save the galaxy by himself. Unfortunately, he is consumed by self-doubt. He constantly puts himself in positions where he needs help to escape, either luck, outside help, or the general failures of his enemies.
4) He turns to the dark side. When the Emperor is reborn, Luke thinks that the only way to save Han and Leia (and their kids) is to destroy the Emperor from the inside. He agrees to becomes the Emperor's new apprentice. With Leia's help, he eventually escapes and destroys the Emperor. Unfortunately, everybody knows he turned to the dark side, and the galaxy's faith in his undermined.
As I said before, Luke has all the physical skills to be a quality Jedi Master. Unfortunately, his mental command of the force is weak. His weakness likely has to do with the fact that his training was extremely short and started at a very late age (Yoda knew what he was talking about). Additionally, he is a very, very poor teacher. Several of his early students turn to the dark side quickly. Other students just leave unannounced. In the Thrawn Duology, Mara Jade (his future wife) calls him out for being a shitty Jedi and whiny bitch. Luke agrees with her and then proposes to her. Would Obi-wan have done that?
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In the past few months, I've really got into the Star Wars expanded universe. I used to think that the stories after Return of the Jedi would be weak. To my surprise, the stories actually get better. You have the Thrawn Trilogy, the Thrawn Duology (anything with Thrawn is great), I, Jedi, etc. They are all really, really good reads. They strongly capture all the original characters as well as add more to the characters. Unfortunately, this means we get to see how poor a Jedi Luke really is.
There is no question that Luke has strong lightsaber skills. In the expanded universe, Luke is renowned for his technique and athleticism. That's what makes his poor Jedi skills in other areas so unusual. His wisdom is lacking, his self-confidence is non-existent, and his sense of the force is inconsistent. Here are some of his mistakes:
1) He starts the New Jedi Academy on Yavin 4, where a 10,000 year old Sith Lord's ghost is lingering. Despite some of his student's objections, he ignores the danger. A few of his students die or turn to the dark side because of Luke's lack of forsight.
2) He fails to help the New Republic stabilize. Starting a new government is always hard, but you would think having a Jedi/War Hero close by would help things move along. Unfortunately, Luke's distaste for politics and desire to get the Jedi Academy starting puts the galaxy in a bad place. While Leia tries to prevent Civil War, Luke is out an about doing what he thinks Jedi should be doing.
3) Luke believes he is the only remaining Jedi Master, and therefore he believes that he needs to save the galaxy by himself. Unfortunately, he is consumed by self-doubt. He constantly puts himself in positions where he needs help to escape, either luck, outside help, or the general failures of his enemies.
4) He turns to the dark side. When the Emperor is reborn, Luke thinks that the only way to save Han and Leia (and their kids) is to destroy the Emperor from the inside. He agrees to becomes the Emperor's new apprentice. With Leia's help, he eventually escapes and destroys the Emperor. Unfortunately, everybody knows he turned to the dark side, and the galaxy's faith in his undermined.
As I said before, Luke has all the physical skills to be a quality Jedi Master. Unfortunately, his mental command of the force is weak. His weakness likely has to do with the fact that his training was extremely short and started at a very late age (Yoda knew what he was talking about). Additionally, he is a very, very poor teacher. Several of his early students turn to the dark side quickly. Other students just leave unannounced. In the Thrawn Duology, Mara Jade (his future wife) calls him out for being a shitty Jedi and whiny bitch. Luke agrees with her and then proposes to her. Would Obi-wan have done that?
D
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