“Skywalker was the one who once took down twenty AT-ATs with his lightsaber.”
The other deckhands chimed in.
“My mother told me it was two hundred! And he rode a tauntaun while doing it.”
... “My uncle said he used magic to smash two Star Destroyers together.”
“It wasn’t magic. It was just good piloting. And it was six Star Destroyers-“
- The Legends of Luke Skywalker, pg. 8-9
After the Rebel Alliance’s defeat of the Empire at the Battle of Endor, Luke Skywalker rose to unparalleled prominence. As the last of the Jedi and the apparent defeater of Darth Vader, the figure of Luke Skywalker was soon regarded as a modern legend by the citizens of the galaxy, to the point where such a heroic and powerful Jedi Knight had to be a myth, according to some.
Indeed, countless contradictory stories and second-hand accounts centered around Luke Skywalker elevated a mere farm boy from Tatooine into a messianic figure whose exploits defied imagination and possibility. Passed on through table conversation, bedtime stories, and campfire tales, the Legend of Luke Skywalker was the coalescence of thousands of embellishments and tall tales that greatly distorted who Luke actually was (as illustrated above).
Perhaps the closest, or at the very least more well-known, real life parallel to Luke is that of Arthur Pendragon, better known as King Arthur of Camelot. Much like the stories told about Luke Skywalker within the galaxy, the various tellings and retellings of King Arthur’s legends has resulted in a nearly indecipherable canon, certainly a portrait far different from the 5th Century Romano-British war hero who stood against Saxon invaders Arthur’s legend is suspected to be inspired by.
As the case with those who regarded Luke as a myth, almost everyone today considers King Arthur a fictional character of legend. Yet, despite the various contradictions between the architects of Arthurian literature, we all recognize at least a basic outline of Arthur’s legend. Pulling a magical sword from stone, Arthur, mentored by the wizard Merlin, went on to rule the fabled Camelot and establish the Knights of the Round Table.
At first glance, there appears to be more commonalities between the story of Luke and Arthur than there are differences, even if they’re painted in broad brushstrokes. Both descendants from powerful bloodlines (Anakin Skywalker and Uther Pendragon), Luke and Arthur adopted magical weapons of power (the Skywalker lightsaber and Excalibur) to fight evil and established a reigning, just kingdom (New Republic and Camelot) and an order of fellow Knights (Luke’s Jedi and Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table) before losing it all to a traitorous nephew (Kylo Ren and Mordred).
Luke Skywalker and Arthur Pendragon: Twin Sons of Myth and Legend
Of course, the parallel isn’t perfect. There are no obvious reflections of the ever important Guinevere/Lancelot subplot, Galahad and the Holy Grail, the Lady of the Lake, etc. in Star Wars. But the similarities in the formation, structure, and influence of each hero’s legend on their respective universe and character is worthy of analysis.
Now, I realize I have thus far only discussed some overarching similarities between Luke and Arthur, when I promised to argue how Luke is the Anti-Arthur. Let’s delve into that.
The conclusion of Arthur’s legend simultaneously mirrors and contradicts Luke’s. After Mordred’s betrayal, Arthur confronts his nephew in the climatic Battle of Camlann. Mordred is slain by Arthur, but Mordred fatally wounds his uncle. Retreating to the Island of Avalon, Arthur dies and is laid to rest, rumored to rise once again as a messianic hero when his people need him most.
The similarities are plain. Ahch-To can be seen as the equally impossible to find Avalon, both Luke and Arthur died confronting their fallen nephews, and both are promised to defy death when called upon.
Ahch-To (left) and Avalon (right)
The differences, however, are just as obvious.
Unlike Arthur, who sought Avalon as a place of rest and a symbol of heroic retirement, Luke seeks Ahch-To out of despair and loathing. His exile is one borne out of failure, not costly victory, and although both came to their respective islands to die, Luke’s resignation is one of self-hatred and shattered hope.
The reasoning for this symbolic reversal lies in the difference between Arthur’s legend compared to Luke’s. Arthur’s legend came about centuries after his death. Luke lived to not only hear his legend, but to bear the full burden of being regarded as a savior.
Luke is a man being told he’s a god.
When he fails to stop the rise of darkness in Ben, and indeed even is partially responsible for Ben’s fall, he fails the himself, his loved ones, and the impossible expectations of the galaxy. Arthur lived under no such expectations, and more importantly, never had Luke’s heart. Herein lies another reason Luke necessarily counters Arthur.
Arthur ‘s legend is that of a king and warrior, a distributor of justice and a great monarch first and foremost. Luke is a Jedi, whose greatest triumphs were informed by love and compassion, not righteous might.
His “duel” with Kylo on Crait is a testament to the Jedi philosophy of peace and trust in the Force. He doesn’t confront and kill Kylo as Arthur confronts and kills Mordred because Luke doesn’t seek justice as Arthur does, he seeks reconciliation with Ben and the safety of the Leia’s Resistance.
Luke confronting Kylo during the Battle of Crait (left), Arthur confronting Mordred during the Battle of Camlann (right)
Ultimately, we know no other Arthur than the King Arthur of legend. For all intents and purposes, Arthur’s character is his legend. We do know Luke apart from his legend, and we do know that the legends are all hearsay. As such, Luke’s character is not his legend nor his destiny.
This is the truth that Luke confronts at the end of his life, the lesson Yoda teaches him. Luke is not his legend, he is simply Luke Skywalker, a man of “strength, mastery but also weakness, folly, [and] failure.”
Luke’s Anti-Arthurianism is derived from his humanity relative to Arthur’s deified icon, by the fact that although the legends paint Luke as the ever-praised Jedi Master destined to continually save the galaxy, rebuild the Jedi, and wield untold power, Luke is very much like us.
He’s insecure, self-critical, and worries about his loved ones to a fault. But he’s also brave, selfless, hopeful, compassionate, and heroic. He’s a representation of the full scope of the human condition. Arthur is a legend, but Luke is more than that: he’s a hero.
Luke Skywalker and Arthur Pendragon: A hero and a legend
One final musing. There is only one King Arthur. Only one person who could pull the sword from the stone. Only one person could defeat Mordred. Only one person could rest in Avalon’s mists and await his reawakening. We can’t be King Arthur, because we can’t do any of those things. We can’t all be legends.
But we can all be Luke Skywalker. We can all be heroes.
(Credit to @WriterBuddha. Without knowing it, one of his comments inspired this post. Thank you, my friend in the Force).
