Directed by J.J. Abrams, it's no surprise that Star Wars: The Force Awakens is cloaked in mystery. But of all the secrets up Abrams' sleeves, none has drawn more attention than the mystery of Luke Skywalker, who has yet to be seen in any of the film's promotional material.
We know Luke Skywalker is in the film. We've even seen leaked shots of Mark Hamill dressed in costume. So what gives?
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Abrams finally addressed the mystery of Luke Skywalker. Though he doesn't reveal any spoilers, it's the most we've heard of Abrams talk about Luke yet.
“No one forgot about him!” J.J. Abrams assured. “We were hoping people would care, but there are a lot of things that are not on the poster, as busy as the poster is. Certainly Luke is a very important aspect of the story.”
Addressing the disappearance of Luke, Abrams likened the character to that of King Arthur — seen as a myth to many across the galaxy.
“It was the thing that struck me the hardest, which was the idea that doing a story that took place nearly 40 years after Jedi meant that there would be a generation for whom Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Leia would be as good as myth,” Abrams said.
“They’d be as old and as mythic as the tale of King Arthur. They would be characters who they may have heard of, but maybe not. They’d be characters who they might believe existed, or just sounded like a fairy tale.”
His comments are in line with what was shown in the most recent trailer, Rey and Finn talking to Han Solo who assures them that the stories of the Jedi are, in fact, true.
Speaking about Rey (Daisy Ridley), who grew up a scavenger on the desert world of Jakku, Abrams suggested that someone "living alone and struggling without a formal education or support system" like her could have heard anything about the Force, Jedi, and the heroes from the original Star Wars trilogy.
“So the idea that someone like that would begin to learn that the Jedi were real, and that the Force exists, and that there’s a power in the universe that sounds fanciful but is actually possible, was an incredibly intriguing notion," Abrams continued.
On escaped stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega), Abrams added that his character might have a totally different view on the Force and Luke Skywalker because of how he was brought up.
“For Finn, he’s been raised from the ashes of the Empire,” he said. “He’s been taught about Luke Skywalker, he knows about his history. For him it’s like joining the army and then learning about one of the great enemies of your country. It has that effect on him. But in terms of the Force, and the magical stuff that happens, that is the point where Finn kind of questions what is what. What is the Force, what part does Luke Skywalker play in all of this?”
All these different characters, all with different views, it still doesn't answer our question — where is Luke?
Abrams won't answer, but perhaps EW raised a more interesting question — not where, but who is Luke? There's speculation floating around the internet — stemming from a 2005 episode of Kevin Smith's Dinner for Five — that Luke Skywalker may have turned to the Dark Side, and maybe that's why we haven't yet seen him.
To that, Abrams' only response: "It was definitely entertaining to be at that table, yeah."
