12 Star Wars Plot Decisions That Were Smarter Than You Think

Director J.J. Abrams concludes “The Force Awakens” with Rey extending Luke’s lightsaber to him, a wondrous moment as the young scavenger finally locates the near-mythic hero. Rian Johnson’s “The Last Jedi” picks up at the same moment, with Luke dismissively tossing the lightsaber aside, uninterested. Actor Mark Hamill wasn’t about it. “I told Rian this. It’s no surprise,” Hamill candidly shares in “The Director and the Jedi,” a 2018 documentary. “I said, ‘I just fundamentally disagree with your concept of this character and how you use him. Now, having said that, I’ll do everything within my power to realize your vision.’ It’s not my character to decide.”

Following Luke’s death at the end of “The Last Jedi,” his afterlife self returns to encourage Rey in “The Rise of Skywalker,” which Abrams again directed. Here, when Rey is the one to dismiss a saber, Luke knowingly teases, “A Jedi weapon deserves more respect.” He stops short of winking at the camera. In the 2020 documentary “The Skywalker Legacy,” Hamill comments on what he sees as Luke’s redemption. “He was a symbol of optimism, and I think that’s probably the most satisfying aspect of the character.” Daisy Ridley, who plays Rey, adds, “It’s probably nice for Mark to be more like the Luke of old, which I think J.J. felt like he really wanted that. It was nice to feel, and even in the scene to feel really comforted that Luke Skywalker is here.”