Or did he at least try?
For years after the old expanded universe was turned into the non-canon Legends line, the post-Return of the Jedi timeline was shrouded in mystery. All we really knew was that thirty years had passed between the destruction of the second Death Star and the beginning of The Force Awakens. Now that more material has been released, giving us a better picture of the post-Battle of Endor events, even more questions are being asked.
Most of those questions center around Luke Skywalker, who hasn’t really appeared in any of the posters or trailers for the film. While we know what happened to the character a year or two after the end of Jedi, after that things get a little fuzzy. However, this new subplot in Star Wars: Shattered Empire might give us a clue as to what Luke’s been up to.
What happened in Star Wars: Shattered Empire?
After helping liberate Naboo with Princess Leia, Rebel pilot Shara Bey requested to be relieved of duty as she was afraid she’d never be able to experience a normal life outside of the Galactic Civil War. Before she was mustered out, however, she was assigned to a special mission with Luke Skywalker. The two infiltrated an Imperial base on Vetine in order to obtain something very special…
What did they take?
Apparently, Emperor Palpatine had stored the remains of a Force sensitive tree that once grew in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Two pieces of the three remained. Luke took one for himself and gifted the other to Bey, who planted it on Yavin IV where she settled down with her husband Kes Dameron.
So, why was Luke after this tree?
Well, every forest begins with a single tree as it were. At least as a symbolic victory, recovering this force sensitive sapling appears to be the first step in rebuilding the Jedi Order. So, our big question is… what steps did Luke take after that? Did he train people? Did he create a new Jedi Temple or Enclave?
Could he have done it on Yavin IV like in the Expanded Universe?
Well, we wouldn’t be surprised if Shara planting her sapling on Yavin IV was a shout out to the Jedi Academy that was established there in the EU… but we’re more inclined to believe it was turned into a Resistance base down the line.
So, what about Luke’s Jedi Order?
We’re inclined to believe he never really got to reestablish a Jedi Order. If he did, we’re willing to bet it didn’t last long based on the implications from The Force Awakens trailers that there are no more Jedi left. One theory is that any Jedi Luke trained were corrupted and turned into the Knights of Ren, which made Luke go into hiding.
Perhaps Kylo Ren was Luke’s star pupil gone bad, just like Anakin to Obi-Wan?
