“Will He Finish What He Begins?”

One question that has always plagued my thoughts of the Star Wars universe is the completion of Luke’s Jedi training. There is the standard path to becoming a Jedi Knight as it was conducted during the time of the Old Republic. Luke began his training 19 years displaced from the fall of the Republic. That standard path no longer existed when Luke started his training. How can we know Luke actually completed his training?

I know he did. I know the exact moment Luke truly completed his training and exactly when he became a Jedi Knight. It may seem obvious, but it’s not about that moment, it’s about why and how that moment came.

We need to start from the beginning.

In the times of the Old Republic children were tested from birth for being Force-sensitive. If deemed Force-sensitive, the child would be taken from their family and plunged directly into a life of strict discipline and training. From the time they’re able to walk they are given their lightsaber and begin daily instruction as a Padawan learner. As the child matures they are selected one-by-one by a Jedi Knight or Master for apprenticeship. Unfortunately many young Padawan are never selected and end up with more menial lives within the Jedi Temple.

As a Jedi Apprentice, the now maturing child would be completely tied to their now Master. The Apprentice would follow their Master all over, from simple land disputes to daring missions to liberate war-torn planets. After many years and defying death multiple times the Master would recommend their Apprentice for the Jedi Trials.

Upon completion of the Trials the young Jedi would receive the rank of Knight. At that point the options are endless as to how this Jedi Knight will spend the rest of his or her life to protect those that cannot protect themselves.

This is not always the case, even in the time of the Old Republic. For instance, Obi-wan Kenobi had a different path along the way to being a Knight. Obi-wan spent more time as a Padawan under Yoda than most. He was a free thinker and a bit unruly at times. This fact is what made Yoda convince a reluctant and typically solitary Qui-gon Jinn to take on Obi-wan as an apprentice. Yoda felt they were very similar as Qui-gon’s differing opinions kept him away from sitting on the council. Obi-wan was also Knighted without the Trials. When a Sith Lord is vanquished by an Apprentice they are given the rank of Knight immediately.

Severing a pissed-off Zabrak in half has its perks.

Now let’s discuss Luke’s journey in comparison to the above.

Luke was 19 years old upon meeting Obi-wan Kenobi and even first learning of the Force. He was also given his first lightsaber in the same conversation of learning the Force existed. Luke did not start his near-formal training until 2 rotations (our “years”) after Obi-wan’s transition to the Force. Making him 21 before his actual training really began. This training was administered by Yoda on Dagobah.

This was not even completed as Luke had a vision of “a city in the clouds.”

There were no Padawans. There were no classes. There was no taking Luke away as a baby and thrusting him into vigorous training. There were no Jedi Trials. So….how do we quantify the completion of Luke’s training? How do we understand the culmination of training for who we speculate as the most powerful Jedi in existence?

Figuring this out on my own became a very personal journey for me. When I understood Yoda’s words in “Empire” and “Jedi” it rang deep within me. I’ll do my best to explain what is a very personal realization to me. It comes in many parts.

I will start with a quote from Yoda and we will come back to it later:

“…for my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. It’s energy surrounds us and binds us…you must feel the Force around you.”

What did Yoda mean by this? Is it just Jedi, dogmatic, mumbo-jumbo?

In Return of the Jedi, Yoda explained to Luke that to complete his training he must confront Vader. Based on how Obi-wan completed his training, on the surface level, you would think that the vanquishing of a Sith would grant Luke the rank of Jedi Knight. I know for certain at this point that Luke thought the same.

We all know what happens. Luke surrenders himself to the Empire on Endor. He knows for certain he will face his father and worse, the Emperor himself.

It happens, the Emperor knew the right words to say. In haste Luke was the first to draw his lightsaber on Vader, to Palpatine’s delight. They square off, Luke is now far more powerful than he was on Bespin. Red and Green clash to the cackles of a maniacal Emperor. Back and forth they struggle and a few times nearly match the other in strength and ferocity. Luke then hides in wait. He knows he had touched the Dark Side a few times during this fight. He needed to center himself. He refused to continue to fight his father while dancing with anger and hatred that fed into the Dark side. Vader reached into Luke’s now semi-fractured mind:

“…sister. So you have a twin sister?…if you won’t turn to the Dark Side then perhaps she will!”

The ignition of Luke’s lightsaber at that moment is scarred into my brain.

Luke swung at Vader with all his might. He over-powers him, pins him against the floor, and separates Darth Vader’s hand from the rest of his body. The Emperor, pleased with this turn of events, congratulates Luke, “good….good…”

Luke looks at the now fizzing and smoking wires sticking out from his fathers wrist. Luke then looks at his own hand, that is now robotic after Vader severed it in Cloud City.

Pause.

I watched this scene time and time again when it finally clicked….with help from a young Vader himself:

“Attachment is forbidden. Possession is forbidden. Compassion, which I would define as unconditional love is essential to a Jedi’s life.”

The beauty in the irony of his father’s past words.

Now this is where Yoda’s words made sense. In the aforementioned quote Yoda was describing the Force, but can love not be described the same way?

Luke now triumphantly walks toward the Emperor. Feeling the Force flowing through him. He now understands what Yoda meant. He understands what it is to be a Jedi Knight. He transforms instantly and his words seal his own Jedi Trials.

“I am a Jedi. Like my father before me.”

That is the instant I knew Luke completed his training. Think about his words:

The obvious: “I am a Jedi.” Thus proclaiming himself.

Then, “Like my father before me.” This is the big one. Luke is saying “I forgive you dad.”

There is nothing more powerful and humbling than showing compassion through forgiveness. The Dark side has always been the quick and easy path because it is fueled by hate. It is easy to hate. Anger is easy. Rage is easy. So in the exact opposite, the Light side is fueled by love. Love is hard. Compassion is hard. Forgiveness is hard.

Luke did complete his training. Luke is a Jedi Knight. He needed to empathize with the tortured soul that was Darth Vader. He was able to forgive and love his father for who he was, not who he became. That difficult realization was his Jedi Trials.

He needed to understand the truth behind a Jedi’s power, love.

“Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter.” -Yoda

~Rocco Vasta