The former orphan and moisture farmer who became the Rebel Alliance’s savior at only 18. After liberating Princess Leia from the Death Star, he went on to destroy the space station at the Battle of Yavin. Three years later, he led the Rebel troops against impossible odds at the Battle of Hoth, and then risked both his life and Jedi training to save his friends from Imperial forces on Cloud City. He was also the mastermind behind the rescue o Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt. Luke’s greatest achievement, however, was convincing his father to turn away from the dark side, a feat which brought an end to the Emperor’s terrible reign and allowed Anakin Skywalker to die in peace.

Unlike many of his allies, Luke’s past is exceptionally well-documented. Born the son of Anakin Skywalker, who would eventually become the villainous Darth Vader, Luke was separate from his mother and twin sister at birth. In order to protect the children, Obi-Wan Kenobi entrusted Luke to Owen and Beru Lars, moisture farmers on Tatooine, while Luke’s sister, Leia, was adopted by Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan. For the next 18 years, Luke toiled on the moisture farm, unaware of his true heritage, his father’s true identity, or the existence of his sister.

In his early years, Luke became an experienced pilot by racing his T-16 skyhopper through Tatooine’s treacherous Beggar’s Canyon, using the craft’s stun cannons to shot womp rats. He became fast friends with Biggs Darklighter and a group of youths that included Tank, Fixer, Camie, Windy, and Deak. Together, this group spent many hours a Anchorhead’s Tosche Station. While Biggs and Tank eventually escaped Tatooine and joined the Academy, Luke could only dream of leaving the desert world.

When he was 18, however, Luke’s life changed forever after he encountered the druids C-3PO and R2-D2. Artoo carried a hologram of a beautiful princess seeking Obi-Wan Kenobi, a powerful Jedi Knight who Luke had known as the crazy hermit "Old Ben." At Ben’s house, Luke learned that his father had been a Jedi Knight, and that he had been betrayed and murdered by Darth Vader. Ben also gave Luke Anakin’s original lightsaber, and urged the boy to join him on a quest to Alderaan. Luke refused, unwilling to abandon his commitment to Owen and Beru.

Sadly, Luke returned home to find that his adopted aunt and uncle had been murdered by stormtroopers searching for Artoo and Threepio. Luke then realized that fate had placed him in Kenobi’s hands to learn the ways of the Force. The group booked passage to Alderaan aboard the Millennium Falcon, a starship piloted by the smuggler Han Solo and the Wookiee Chewbacca. Yet, when they arrived at the planet’s position, they discovered that it had been destroyed by the massive Imperial battle station, the Death Star.

After the Falcon’s capture by Imperial forces, Luke became involved in a series of heroic acts that resulted in the rescue of Princess Leia. Unfortunately, he was also forced to watch as Darth Vader struck down Obi-Wan in a terrible lightsaber duel. Kenobi’s sacrifice allowed the heroes to escape, and the Falcon fled to Yavin 4. There, Luke joined the Rebel Alliance and was reunited with Biggs. The plans carried by Artoo were analyzed and General Dodonna discovered the Death Star’s one weakness, a small, thermal exhaust port in one of the battle station’s trenches. Biggs, Luke, Wedge Antilles, and several other brave pilots agreed to make the assault on the Death Star.

During the climactic Battle of Yavin, most of Luke’s fellow pilots were slain. Darth Vader nearly killed Luke as well, but Han Solo arrived to protect the young Skywalker. As Luke approached the exhaust port, he heeded the words of the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi, shut down his targeting computer, and used the Force to fire a pair of proton torpedoes that destroyed the Death Star.

Over the next few years, Skywalker became an integral part of the Reel alliance, flying many missions and eventually rising to the rank of commander. Along with Wedge, he founded the X-wing Rogue Squadron, and later helped slave off the Imperial attack on Hoth’s Echo Base until the Rebels could escape. After the Battle of Hoth, Luke devoted himself to his Jedi training by traveling to Dagobah, where he encountered the Jedi Master Yoda. The training proved difficult, forcing Luke to strengthen his body as well as his mind. Yoda feared that Luke was too impetuous, and that he too could be seduced by the dark side.

During his training, Luke received a vision of his friends in danger on Bespin’s Cloud City. Despite Yoda’s warnings, Luke left Dagobah to rescue Han, Leia and Chewbacca. As a result he stepped into a trap planned by Darth Vader. During the fierce duel that followed, Vader severed Luke’s right hand and revealed the truth about the young Jedi’s parentage. Vader offered Luke a chance to join him in ruling the galaxy, but Luke refused and leapt into one of Cloud City’s seemingly endless reactor shafts, choosing certain death over the dark side. Miraculously, Luke survived the encounter and was rescued by the Millennium Falcon.

During the next year, Luke returned to Tatooine and rebuilt his lightsaber using instruction discovered in Obi-Wan’s home. He also defended himself against and assassination attempt by Prince Xizor, head of the Black Sun criminal organization.

Within the year, Luke also planned the rescue of Han Solo, who had been frozen in carbonite and delivered to crime lord Jabba the Hut by Boba Fett. When Jabba proved unreasonable, Luke and his allies toppled the Hutt’s cartel. With Han safe, Luke returned to Dagobah to find Master Yoda dying. Yoda confirmed that Vader was his father, but insisted that Luke had to confront the Dark Lord one more time. The spirit of Obi-Wan appeared and revealed that Leia was Luke’s twin sister.

Luke ultimately delivered himself to Darth Vader, intent on rescuing Anakin Skywalker from the dark side. Vader did not relent and presented Luke to the Emperor aboard the second Death Star. There Vader and Luke again clashed, and the Dark Lord learned of Leia’s existence. Luke lashed out, severing Vader’s right hand. However, despite the Emperor’s urgings, he did not slay his father. Incensed at the young Jedi’s willpower, the Emperor attacked Luke with blue Force lightning. In his anguish Luke called out to his father and Anakin Skywalker finally emerged. Despite his own injuries, Vader hurled the Emperor into the Death Star’s reactor core. Vader himself perished soon after, but not before Luke looked upon his father’s face for the first--and last--time.

After the Battle of Endor and the destruction of the second Death Star, Luke played a major role in turning the Rebel Alliance into the New Republic. He helped fight the reptilian Ssi-ruuk invaders at Bakura; followed Han Solo and Leia to the planet Dathomir fought the forces of Grand Admiral Thrawn and stymied the attempts of a former Emperor’s aide, Mara Jade, to kill him; and battled a crazed cloned Jedi who had also cloned Luke.

Ten years after the Battle of Yavin, Skywalker attempted to destroy the dark side of the Force from within. He agreed to become the reborn Emperor’s apprentice, but slowly succumbed to Palpatine’s powers on the planet Byss. Fortunately, Leia arrived and rescued him from the brink of corruption. Together the twins destroyed the Palpatine clone. Soon after, the Emperor returned again, only to suffer defeat once more.

Throughout his many adventures, Luke discovered that many other Force-sensitive beings were spread across the galaxy. He ultimately decided to gather and train a new army of Jedi Knights and thus founded a Jedi academy in the Great Temple of the Massassi on Yavin 4. However, Luke did not realize that the evil spirit of an ancient Dark Jedi named Exar Kun inhabited the temple. Kun killed one trainee, seduced another to the dark side and nearly murdered Luke, who was eventually saved by the combined powers of his students.

In addition to his numerous missions for the New Republic, Luke has searched in vain for details about his mother. Eventually he discovered the Jedi Callista and fell I love, but Callista had her own path to follow. Luke has also grown closer to Mara Jade, his would-be assassin and now a powerful Force-user.

Luke continues to maintain his Jedi academy, training the Solo children and Chewbacca’s nephew, Lowbacca. He still routinely embarks on missions for the New Republic and will instantly rise to meet any threat facing his friends and allies.

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