Even before he was born, Luke Skywalker was destined for greatness. The son of Darth Vader and Padme Amidala was always going to stand out, but no one could have predicted just how much he would achieve. His journey in A New Hope took him from being just a dreamy farm boy on Tatooine to becoming a Jedi and joining the Rebel Alliance, where he blew up the Death Star in the Battle of Yavin. However, that was just the beginning of his journey.
After Disney acquired the rights to Star Wars, they began releasing new comics through one of their other properties, Marvel. These continued the story of Luke and his fellow Rebels, showing his many adventures between the films as he grew to become the legendary Jedi Knight fans know and love.
10 Luke's First Duel With Darth Vader Was At An Imperial Weapons Factory
At the end of A New Hope, Luke Skywalker had proved himself to be an incredible pilot. He destroyed the Death Star and saved the Rebellion. However, he was still an absolute amateur as a Jedi and possessed only the most rudimentary knowledge of the Force or lightsaber combat.
Despite this, he tried to duel Darth Vader in the first issue of the new comics series. To Luke’s credit, he evaded one of the Sith Lord’s strikes but was quickly disarmed. Just before being beheaded, Luke was rescued when Han Solo drove an AT-AT into the hallway where they were fighting, giving the young Jedi a chance to escape.
9 He Fought Boba Fett In His Old Home On Tatooine
Boba Fett is probably the most beloved minor character from the original trilogy. He only has four lines (five if one counts his death scream while flying off into the Sarlacc pit) but he still commands a sense of gravitas. Plus, his armor is so cool, the entire concept of the Mandalorians as a group was inspired by it.
When Luke returned to his old home on Tatooine, Boba Fetts tracked him down and tried to incapacitate him with a flash grenade. Despite being blinded, Luke managed to deflect the bounty hunter’s blaster shots with the Force and eventually drove Boba Fett off.
8 He Flew His X-Wing Straight Into Darth Vader's TIE Advanced Ship Over Vrogas Vas
It is difficult to say just who the greatest pilot in the galaxy is. In most conversations, fans are likely to list four major contenders: Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Wedge Antilles, and Darth Vader.
At the start of the infamous Vader Down story, the Sith Lord singlehandedly wiped out two Rebel X-wing squadrons while they were performing drills over the planet Vrogas Vas. Then Luke took out Vader’s ship by flying straight into it. Both crashed down on the planet below, and somehow, both survived. That is something neither Han nor Wedge could pull off.
7 Luke Dueled In A Gladiatorial Arena On Nar Shaddaa
Luke was captured by Grakkus, a powerful member of the Hutt Cartel who operated on the smuggler’s moon of Nar Shaddaa. Grakkus had a deep appreciation for the Jedi and collected their artifacts. He also had his very own gladiatorial arena.
After one of the people in Grakkus’s employ trained Luke on how to properly use a lightsaber, the young Jedi was ordered to fight to the death in the arena for the entertainment of a crowd. Amazingly, as the fight commenced, Han, Leia, and Chewbacca came to his rescue, all wielding lightsabers stolen from Grakkus’s personal collection. At the same time, the Empire attacked, forcing Grakkus's gang to also join the fray in an all-out pitched battle right in the middle of the arena.
6 The Rebels Hijacked An Imperial Star Destroyer
The Harbinger was an old Star Destroyer captured by a small group of Rebels, including Luke and most of the other main characters. With just a skeleton crew, they piloted the massive ship, intent on crashing it into their enemies.
The mission was already near-suicidal. Then the Empire’s elite S.C.A.R. Troopers boarded, killing every Rebel they found. Led by Sergeant Kreel who carried a lightsaber and had trained with Darth Vader, the S.C.A.R. Troopers were lethally effective. In fact, Kreel had previously worked undercover, pretending to serve Grakkus, and had been the one who trained Luke to use a lightsaber. While Kreel was the better duelist, Luke had the Force on his side. It helped that he was accompanied by some coolest Rebels in the Galaxy fighting beside him.
5 He Bested The Abersyn Symbiote Queen At The Screaming Citadel
The Absersyn symbiotes were a species of dangerous parasites believed to be extinct until Doctor Chelli Aphra discovered their remains and unleashed them on the Galaxy. These creatures could take control of a host body and control them while remaining undetected.
On the planet Ktath’atn, Luke and Aphra met with the Queen of Ktath’atn who was possessed by an Abersyn symbiote. Aphra planted one of the symbiotes on Luke, who tapped into the hivemind and wrested control of the hive from the queen. He then freed himself from the symbiote’s control and killed her with his lightsaber.
4 He Made A Force Pilgrimage To A Site Of Destruction On Jedha
After Luke learned about the Rogue One mission that stole the plans to the Death Star, he became burdened with guilt that the entire team had given their lives.
He traveled to the ruins of Jedha, the first world destroyed by the Death Star and the site of an old Jedi Temple. The devastation on Jedha had created a rift in the Force and attracted a cult of death-worshippers called the Central Isopter. Luke traveled to meet with the Central Isopter, hoping to learn more about the Force. Here, he encountered more than he bargained for, feeling the destruction unleashed and recognizing the dark side, even as it corrupted a friend of his. This was his first brush with the dark side and he proved able to both recognize and withstand it.
3 He Flew Against Closed Hangar Doors To Fight The Empire And Formed Rogue Squadron
After the Rebels made a deal with Queen Trios of Shu-Torun to gain help building their fleet, they discovered that the Queen had betrayed them. Their ships were not working and the hangar doors would not open. Worse, the Empire arrived to destroy the entire Rebellion in a single attack.
Knowing that there had to be some way to get out of the main hangar of the starcruiser he was aboard (and that the ship would be blown to smithereens soon if it was left unprotected), Luke flew his X-wing straight at the hangar bay doors. Thankfully, the doors opened automatically and let him through. Other ships followed, allowing the Rebels to mount a defense and escape.
2 Luke Reconnected To The Force After Returning To Cloud City
After losing his hand in the fight with Darth Vader during The Empire Strikes Back, Luke struggled to connect to the Force. When Lando led him and Leia to Cloud City so Luke could retrieve his old lightsaber, Leia was captured and Lando was pinned down by Stormtroopers.
In this time of need, Luke regained his connection to the Force. He saved Lando, hurling Stormtroopers out a window of Cloud City, then used his powers to simultaneously free every prisoner in the Empire’s care and give the Stormtroopers’ guns to said prisoners. In that moment, he transformed from a Force-powered farm boy to a true Jedi Knight.
1 He Fought The Grand Inquisitor In A High Republic Jedi Outpost
Needing a new lightsaber, Luke began searching for any leads to acquire one. He eventually arrived at an old Jedi outpost from the High Republic Era. Here, he encountered the Grand Inquisitor, who had actually died, but whose spirit was trapped in the outpost as punishment for his past failures.
The had Inquisitors hunted Jedi down and killed them for the Empire. Even in death, the Grand Inquisitor was a fearsome opponent. Fighting amid ancient Jedi artifacts, Luke seized a High Republic lightsaber and bested the malevolent Force spirit in single combat.