From the very beginning of Luke’s life in Star Wars, he obviously deeply values his friends and family. His loved ones on Tatooine are mourned by him; when Obi-Wan brings him off-planet, Luke is always searching for new friends. He is an important unifying force, and seen as a valuable leader. While he is, of course, all of these things, he’s also still a human man.
He can’t do anything alone, and he relies on his loved ones to help him save the galaxy. He needs to save the galaxy countless times, and nobody can do that alone once, let alone as frequently as Luke needs to do it. If he didn’t have such close bonds, he’d never be able to save the galaxy at all.
10 Obi-Wan Kenobi Sacrifices Himself So Luke Can Escape
Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru are unfortunate casualties in Luke’s life, killed by stormtroopers while Luke himself isn’t even home. When Obi-Wan Kenobi takes Luke off of Tatooine, he’s essentially becoming the only family Luke has left. He is the only one still left from Luke’s old life.
Obi-Wan is also one of the only people who knows Luke’s true value and power in the galaxy, and knows that he must do all he can to ensure that Luke survives to restore balance to the Force. After Luke is captured by the Empire, Obi-Wan fights Darth Vader and dies by his hand, thus sacrificing himself so Luke could live to save the galaxy at all.
9 Han Saves Luke From Darth Vader
Luke Skywalker has a falling out with Han Solo before the Rebels are meant to attack the Death Star. Han doesn’t see the plan working out and, as a result, doesn’t see a lot of value in launching a suicidal attack. However, Luke still has hope, and makes it clear to Han that he’s distressed by his choice to abandon the Rebels.
Han Solo, of course, has to return to the battle after that. Just as Darth Vader is about to attack Luke Skywalker, Han reappeared in the battle in the Millennium Falcon, earning Luke just enough space and time to take down the Death Star himself.
8 The Force & The Rebels Guide Luke To Victory
Luke actually can’t take down the Death Star only by himself. While Han is busy distracting the Empire’s forces— primarily Darth Vader— Luke still has to actually destroy the Death Star. Other Rebel pilots like Wedge Antilles are still alive, and they keep firing, fighting the good fight while Luke reaches within himself to fly his plane and land the shots he needs to land.
The voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi reaches through the Force to him, using the energy of the Force to help Luke guide his proton torpedoes into the exact tiny exhaust port he needed to hit the Death Star’s reactor. Without that guidance, Luke never could have destroyed the Death Star.
7 Han Saves Luke’s Life On Hoth
When Luke was on Hoth and failed to report in when he was supposed to, Han Solo knew right away that something was wrong. He always seems to know when something is wrong with either Luke Skywalker or Leia Organa, and he definitely senses something is up with Luke. Luke, of course, is in grave danger; he was captured by a wampa.
Luke is able to fight his way out of the ordeal, but he collapses in the snow and ice of Hoth. It’s there that Han finds him, delirious and nearly succumbing to the elements. Han saves his life, cutting open his tauntaun and stuffing Luke inside so he doesn’t die from exposure. He even hauls Luke all the way back to base and gets him into a bacta tank in time to save his life.
6 Yoda Gives Luke Vital Training Before He Fights Vader
While Luke is unconscious in the blizzard on Hoth, he hears voices reaching out to him through the Force. These voices, Obi-Wan’s among them, are telling Luke to go to Dagobah, and receive Jedi training from Master Yoda. Luke does as he’s told later on, flying to Dagobah, a swamp planet, to receive this training.
While Yoda isn’t quite what Luke expected, he still learns many valuable lessons from him. Yoda even insists that Luke stay longer, but Luke values his relationships above his training.
5 Leia Saves Luke After He Fights Their Father
Luke Skywalker confronts Darth Vader face to face in a lightsaber duel that leaves the both of them relatively stunned. During this battle, Vader reveals to Luke that he is Luke’s father, Anakin Skywalker. Not only that, but Darth Vader slices Luke Skywalker’s right hand off of his body.
Luke realizes he would rather die than succumb to the Dark Side like his father has, and he allows himself to fall off of their elevated walkway and get sucked into an air vent. It seems like he really is going to die; Luke reaches out in the last moment to the only other mind he has an attachment to. It turns out that mind belongs to his sister, Leia, who saves Luke’s life.
4 Leia, Han, Chewbacca, & Lando Help Luke Stop Jabba
Many terrible events culminate at Jabba’s palace, and Luke certainly can’t get out of the place on his own. With figures like Jabba the Hutt and Boba Fett on top of Luke at all times, he needs his friends and family to get through these battles.
Not only does his sister Leia help, even though she was previously captured and enslaved by Jabba, but Han Solo and Lando Calrissian help out as well. Even Chewbacca gets involved in the battle against Jabba the Hutt and his men, and if it weren’t for the help of these four, Luke would have never been able to succeed in battle before the barge exploded.
3 Darth Vader Stops The Emperor
Just when it seemed like Luke Skywalker was going to die at the hands of Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader decided to turn on the Dark Side. Previously, Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader were on the same side, and Vader would do anything that Palpatine asked of him. However, knowing that Palpatine was torturing his son, who valued Anakin so deeply and refused to bow to the Dark Side, was just too much for Vader.
In the end, it was Darth Vader who stopped Emperor Palpatine. He bodily lifts the Emperor into the air while the Emperor was torturing Luke with Force-lightning; it’s Anakin who kills the Emperor in the end, at the cost of his own life.
2 Din Djarin Brought Grogu To Luke
After the events of the original trilogy in the Skywalker Saga, Luke has apparently decided it was necessary to train any Force-sensitive children he can find. While, in the timeline of The Mandalorian, Ben Solo is still a ways off from being trained by his uncle, Luke has already begun collecting these children to train.
Among these children is Grogu— also known as The Child or Baby Yoda. Grogu has been taken care of recently by the Mandalorian, Din Djarin, who was charged with protecting the Child until he could be brought to a Jedi. Luke, of course, being that Jedi, needs Din to provide him with Grogu so he can help train this new Jedi Order.
1 Rey Reminded Luke Why It Was Important To Save The Galaxy
After Luke feels that he has failed everyone in allowing Kylo Ren to rise to power, he places himself in exile. It is there that the supposed last Jedi remains for many years, until the Rebels realize they need him again. At that point, they send Rey out to find Luke once more. She is able to find him, but she finds him in a sorry state; he has forgotten all that he once valued.
Luke has begun to believe that the galaxy would be better off without him, but it’s Rey who reminds him that he is the one who has saved the galaxy time and time again. She convinces Luke to return; without her, he may not have known to return and save the galaxy at all.