The Last Jedi’s title turned out to be an epic misdirection. While Luke did believe that the Jedi had to die while he was in exile on Ahch-To, he learned that his own guilt was blinding him to the hope represented by Rey. In a powerful conversation with Yoda, Luke learned that failure is part of the Jedi journey and that his exile did not have to be the end for the light side of the Force. The way his return and death were treated in The Last Jedi shows that the Star Wars franchise is not interested in subverting Luke, or in trying to prove that his philosophy was wrong. Instead, the movie shows how even the greatest heroes must continue to grow and learn until their dying day. It turns out that the answer for Luke is both yes and no. Writer-director Rian Johnson’s story sends him to a dark place. It would not surprise me to learn that one of the strongest points of contention between Johnson and Hamill, who was initially concerned about Luke’s portrayal in the film, was the moment in which Luke stands over Ben Solo with a lightsaber, considering killing his nephew. But that’s the beginning of the story of the Sequel Trilogy, not the ending. Luke is a legend in The Force Awakens. Both Rey and Finn refer to him as a myth, someone whose whereabouts are important enough to turn the tide of their own adventure. The First Order is gaining strength, but Luke is the secret weapon of the Resistance, and they push forward in the hope that they’ll find the Jedi Master. Despite being absent from most of the film, Luke manages to inspire Rey to trust in the Force through his legend – and with a little help from his old lightsaber. When Finn is faced with insurmountable odds at Starkiller Base, he decides to trust in the Force – even if he doesn’t actually know how the Force works. Luke’s ability to change the course of people’s lives for the better is pivotal to the story of the Sequel Trilogy despite the Jedi’s own insecurities and flaws.
This makes it especially significant that Rey notices that Luke cut himself off from the Force entirely. Even while speaking of balance, he is in fact disconnected from the cosmic energy entirely. Luke had not fallen to the dark side on Ahch-To; he had fallen out of the Force, outside of the balance he was supposedly preaching. When he returns, it’s with a powerful light side ability. The ability to project his image convincingly onto another planet is not one we’ve seen in Star Wars before, but it fits firmly into the light side of the Force: it’s not aggressive, and in fact can only effect some physical things. Instead, it’s thematically an extension of the mind trick, an ability that warps people’s senses. Like the first Force trick Obi-Wan ever showed him, Luke’s last act is one of gentle misdirection. Hamill compared Luke’s sadness over Ben’s fall and the rise of the First Order to his own reflections on the hippie era. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he said, “It was a movement that largely didn’t work. I thought about that. Back in the day, I thought, by the time we get into power, there will be no more wars…” This certainly matches the Luke we see in most of the film. His belief in his own powers as a means of bringing eternal peace to the galaxy proves to be a misguided one. Again, it’s Yoda who reminds Luke that he is just as responsible for the present as he is the future – that without fixing things in the now, he can’t possibly hope to create a better life for his friends. Luke needs to do the work, and because he is a powerful Jedi, death won’t be the end of his fight. His last words in The Last Jedi suggest that he might see Kylo again as a Force ghost. His death isn’t the end for the Jedi, either, since Rey chooses the light side and may carry on Luke’s legacy in her own way, as she interprets the ancient Jedi texts she stole from Ahch-To. The Last Jedi flirts with the idea that the division between the light and dark is itself incorrect, but in the end it debunks that idea entirely. Luke and the Jedi still symbolize hope for the galaxy through the light side, their choices, and their mistakes.
