In Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Luke Skywalker isolates himself on the distant planet Ahch-To, driven by deep regret, guilt, and a growing disillusionment with the Jedi Order.
His self-imposed exile stems primarily from his failure with Ben Solo. After briefly considering a preemptive strike against Ben upon sensing the darkness within him, Luke inadvertently pushes his nephew further down the path to becoming Kylo Ren.
This moment of personal failure becomes symbolic for Luke, who concludes that the Jedi Order itself is inherently flawed and has consistently fallen short throughout history. Rather than seeking redemption or attempting to rebuild, Luke retreats to Ahch-To, the site of the first Jedi Temple, not to preserve the Order, but to let it end with him.
Director Rian Johnson crafted this arc to explore the idea that even heroes can stumble and lose their way.
However, the decision proved highly divisive. Many longtime Star Wars fans felt this portrayal contradicted Luke’s established character. Instead of giving up, they argued, Luke would have continued striving to restore the Jedi or sought out Ben to bring him back, rather than withdrawing in shame and silence.
Luke actor Mark Hamill also didn't agree with this direction as he's revealed an alternate head canon for his character that he used while on set.
While appearing on Bullseye with Jess Hord podcast, Hamill offered a ton of praise for Rian Johnson and admitted that he wished he'd have just kept silent about his reservations about the reasoning behind Luke's isolation.
However, he did reveal that he told Rian that he believed what happened with Ben and the rest of his students would make Luke just "double down" even more on restoring the Jedi Order.
"Rian, I saw entire planets get wiped out. If anything, Luke doubles down and it hardens his resolve in the face of adversity."
He went on to add, "I thought, what could make someone give up a devotion to what is basically a religious entity... to give up being a Jedi. Well, the love of a woman. So he falls in love with a woman. He gives up being a Jedi. They have a child together. At some point the child, as a toddler, picks up an unattended lightsaber, pushes the button and is killed instantly... The wife is so full of grief, she kills herself."
The conversation about The Last Jedi begins at the [31:48] mark in the video below.
It might lean into melodrama, but could that actually be a more compelling narrative choice than what The Last Jedi ultimately presented?