Luke Skywalker's Best Quotes From the Star Wars Saga
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"But I was going into Tosche Station to pick up some power converters!" - Star Wars
There's much debate to be had about how the above piece of dialogue could be considered "best," but Luke's pleas to head to Tosche Station early on in the films help demonstrate how far his journey would take him.
Audiences first met Luke while he worked on his "Uncle" Owen's farm, spending his days looking after droids and tending to moisture vaporators in the arid deserts of Tattooine. Even more interesting, given where his adventures with Obi-Wan Kenobi would take him, the young pilot had hoped to join his friends at the Imperial Academy, unaware of how nefarious the organization truly was.
Lucky for Luke, and lucky for audiences, the farm boy never did get to go to Tosche Station and instead embarked on an adventure to save the whole galaxy.
prevnext"I'm Luke Skywalker and I'm here to rescue you!" - Star Wars
With only a few days having passed since Luke wanted to go to Tosche Station, the hero really had to put his money where his mouth was when it came to supporting the Rebellion. Granted, Luke might have mostly been hoping to win the affection of a princess he saw in holographic form, but that doesn't change his actions.
The heroic actions Luke took shouldn't be overlooked, although seeing his guardians burnt to a crisp at his house and witnessing an entire planet blown up left him with few other options of what to do with his life.
Regardless of his motivations or lack of options, Luke bursting into Leia's prison cell was a defining moment for the character, as he sounded like he believed he really was the hero he had wanted to be.
"I won't fail you. I'm not afraid." - The Empire Strikes Back
Rescuing a princess and destroying a Death Star goes a long way in building one's confidence, which allowed Luke to take some time away from the Rebellion to seek out the Jedi master Yoda for training.
During his training on Dagobah, Luke's devotion was tested both physically and mentally. Yoda told the Padawan that he was too old to embark on such training, with Luke refusing to accept this dismissal as an answer. Luke tried to reassure Yoda that he wouldn't fail his mentor, only for Luke to go on and abandon his training to save his friends.
Luke went on to confront Vader, ultimately losing his hand and learning Vader was his father in the process. The young Skywalker might not have "failed" Yoda, but it was clear Yoda knew how unprepared the Padawan was when facing such a ruthless enemy.
prevnext"You can either profit by this or be destroyed. It’s your choice, but I warn you not to underestimate my power.”
Our favorite heroes went through many trials and tribulations between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, which is bound to happen when one of them gets frozen in carbonite and displayed as a trophy by a vile gangster.
The plan to bring Han Solo back to life after Boba Fett sold him to Jabba the Hutt was a complicated one, with Lando, Chewbacca, Leia, C-3PO and R2-D2 all making an effort to save the pilot. Luckily, Luke put careful thought into all of these plans and had backup plans to ensure the safety of all of his friends.
Considering his confrontation at the end of Empire Strikes Back went so poorly, hearing Luke demand, "Nevertheless, I am taking Captain Solo and his friends. You can either profit by this or be destroyed. It's your choice, but I warn you not to underestimate my power," helped restore our faith in the hero.
"I am a Jedi, like my father before me." - Return of the Jedi
Luke helped his friends infiltrate the Imperial base on the Forest Moon of Endor, but the Jedi knew he needed to confront his father and Emperor Palpatine on his own. His skills as Rebel would have been put to good use in the covert operation, forcing the Jedi to make a difficult decision.
During his confrontation with the Emperor and Vader, Luke had to stand by and watch the Rebel's fleet of ships attack the second Death Star, while Palpatine informed him that the space station was fully operational. Throughout the confrontation, Palpatine attempted to coerce Luke into taking up his lightsaber in hatred, knowing that this embrace of his anger would be the first step towards the Dark Side.
Luke might have eventually given into his anger, momentarily, but his confession that he was a Jedi like his father clearly helped trigger powerful feelings within Vader, causing him to come to his son's aid and overthrow Palpatine for good.
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