Character
Luke Skywalker
Writing & Narrative
Arts, Music & MediaWho is Luke Skywalker in the Agency editorial?
Luke Skywalker is a character of the Star Wars films, the young hero of the original trilogy. In the Agency editorial he appears once, in Issue.16, in a hypothesis: if someone claims that he is the true villain of Star Wars, the edition says, that opinion shall be respected.
In short
Luke Skywalker is the hero of the original Star Wars films. Issue.16 of the Agency editorial names him once, in the section Heroes and Villains. After giving Joseph Campbell's definition of a hero and concluding that the villain is the opposing force to the community or the protagonist, the edition writes that if someone claims Luke Skywalker is the true villain of Star Wars, that opinion shall be respected, because opinions are the fruit of freedom of expression. It then observes that it is not 1977 anymore: Star Wars is a cultural relic of cinema but, narratively speaking, not contemporary, and society is long past the archetype of perfect heroes.
Key facts
- Which work does Luke Skywalker belong to?
- He belongs to Star Wars, which Issue.16 names in the same sentence and describes as a cultural sci-fi relic within cinema.
- How does Issue.16 use Luke Skywalker?
- As the example of a hero whom someone might call the true villain. The edition says such an opinion shall be respected, because opinions are the fruit of freedom of expression.
- What does the example lead to?
- To the remark that society is long past the archetype of perfect heroes, which the edition says the Golden Age of Television can prove.
Who is Luke Skywalker?
Luke Skywalker is a character of the Star Wars films created by George Lucas. He is the protagonist of the original trilogy, which began in 1977, the year that Issue.16 recalls: a farm boy who becomes a Jedi. In the films he was played by Mark Hamill.
How does Luke Skywalker appear in Issue.16?
The section Heroes and Villains of Issue.16 argues that each person has a right to their own heroes and villains. It quotes the definition of a hero from Joseph Campbell: a protagonist who embarks on a transformative journey, faces challenges, acquires wisdom and returns with gifts for the community. The villain, it concludes, is the force opposed to that community or protagonist.
Luke Skywalker enters as the test of that idea. The edition accepts that someone may see him as the true villain of Star Wars and asks that the opinion be respected. It does not say he is one. Right after, it places Star Wars in 1977 and says that perfect heroes no longer captivate us as much, which opens the way to the anti-hero of The Sopranos.
Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.