The Most Epic Fantasy and Sci-Fi Website

J.J. Abrams Addresses "Where is Luke Skywalker?" Question in Star Wars: The Force Awakens


We know for a fact that Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) is in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. We've seen his name in the poster credits, we've seen a quick glimpse of him, and heard his voice in the second trailer, quoting one of his original trilogy lines of dialogue. Even though Luke is missing in the official poster, final trailer, and other promotional TV spots and images, the film will continue his story.

During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, director J.J. Abrams talked about Luke's role in the story, and how many characters in the movie see him. Luke's story inspired Abrams to make the film:

"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. 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."

Abrams explains how Daisy Ridley would think of a legend like Luke Skywalker.

"To someone who is living alone and struggling without a formal education or support system, who knows what that person in the literal middle of nowhere would have ever heard about any of these things, or would ever know, and how much that person would have to infer and piece together on their own. 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."

And John Boyega, who plays Finn in the film said this about Luke:

"For Finn, he's been raised from the ashes of the Empire. 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?"

We probably won't see Luke until the climax of the film, and I bet fans will be hyped to see him when he finally shows up. It's called "The Force Awakens" for a reason, and I'm sure its context is Luke-centric. I'm so excited to see how Luke's story will unfold in this film.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be released in theaters on Dec. 18.

For more articles like this, take a look at our Fandoms page.