Dark Side Luke and the Star Wars of J.J. Abrams

The Force Awakens! Exploring the possibility of a Dark Side Luke Skywalker in the next Star Wars trilogy. This is part 1 in a multi-part podcast series.

A New Hope for the Dark Side: Luke Skywalker

I was convinced we’d see a Dark Side Luke as the big bad in The Force Awakens. He was arrogant and prideful in his dealings with Jabba. He also tried to murder the Emperor. Had he started down a dark path, forever dominating his destiny?

Citing events from Return of the Jedi, I explore the possibility of Luke Skywalker falling to the Dark Side in addition to what it might mean for the galaxy. I also revisit the theory, now having seen the movie.

A million voices cried out when J.J. Abrams took the reigns as writer/director for episode VII. “He’s gonna ruin Star Wars just like Star Trek!” “We’ve lost (pun!) Star Wars to a convoluted story and nonsensical ending!” Pshaw. Awesome!

J.J. Abrams tells stories much more subtly than Star Wars movies of the past. The unanswered questions from the conclusion of Jedi created fertile ground for some Abrams’esque twists. I thought he was a great choice to steer the franchise in a new direction and I couldn’t wait to see what he’d do.

This is the first podcast in a multi-part series covering The Force Awakens. We’ll focus on theorycrafting and speculation around what’s to come, tackling such questions as, “Who are Rey’s parents?” and “Who is Supreme Leader Snoke?” Let me know what you think, what I got wrong and what you might like to hear covered.

Hit me up with any feedback via the comments or the voicemail line; thanks for listening!