WARNING: The following contains spoilers from Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett, “Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger,” streaming now on Disney+.
While fans have rejoiced in Luke Skywalker returning to the Star Wars universe, his return has been far from perfect. It's great that he's a hero again, wanting to train Grogu and rebuild the Jedi temple, which acts as a prelude to the later movies in which he eventually became bitter and reclusive. But there's a major problem Disney has in how the younger Luke looks and sounds because of the de-aging process. However, the solution to that issue already exists, and it can be found in the substance and style of The Clone Wars.
The Book of Boba Fett's version of Luke was a major step up from the lifeless face he had in The Mandalorian, but it felt a tad creepy since the mouth movement didn't fit the lines. The constant attempts to perfect CGI with body doubles rather than recast with a younger actor -- like Sebastian Stan, who's willing to take the role -- will just keep producing results that'll detract from what the character is meant to be on-screen.
Doing a Luke Skywalker-centric animated project like The Clone Wars can do justice to the character at a time when animation is at its peak in pop culture. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was a critical and box office success, while Amazon's Invincible and its upcoming cartoon spinoff of The Boys have garnered plenty of attention on the small screen. All Disney has to do to repurpose what Clone Wars was and use it as a vehicle for Luke.
That series rehabilitated Luke's father Anakin Skywalker, with Dave Filoni's team filling in the gaps in his struggles with the Dark Side and why he eventually became Darth Vader. It fixed how rushed everything was in Revenge of the Sith while adding nuance to the likes of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Maul, General Grievous and Emperor Palpatine. A similar direction with Luke could detail his journey way more impressively without worrying about fans' reaction. Luke could cut loose with new powers across new worlds and meet old mentors as Force Ghosts, while the series could involve Ahsoka Tano or introduce new characters who could also make their way to live-action someday.
An animated show could be as expansive as it wants, which is a huge plus in a COVID-19 era where live productions can be shut down and actor contracts and schedules get messy. Animation would allow for grand ideas, like dissecting the supernatural realm similar to Anakin's mystical journey on Mortis. It'd also open a way for Luke to begin teaching Leia and Ben, foreshadowing Kylo Ren, the Knights of Ren, Palpatine's rebirth and Snoke's rise with the First Order -- all stories that would be costly on film or TV.
Most importantly, a Luke Skywalker animated series would allow Hamill to lend his voice, as he's done for so many other animated series. Carrie Fisher's daughter Billie Lourd could potentially voice Leia to minimize risk when recreating these characters again. That would be the ideal way to continue the Skywalker Saga that fans haven't seen in cinemas, without creative constraints, now that fans are clamoring for more of Luke's secret adventures.
To see if Luke returns to save Tatooine, watch The Book of Boba Fett’s Season 1 finale, which streams Feb. 9 on Disney+.