Do we like Luke Skywalker?
A character from Star Wars (the original trilogy) (1977–1983)
Our score: 9 out of 10. Yes, we'd back him. He's brave and kind, and he keeps hold of his compassion when it would be easier to let go. He's a bit whiny early on, but he grows out of it.
Luke starts out as a restless young farmer on the desert planet Tatooine, living with his aunt and uncle and dreaming of something bigger. When he comes across two runaway droids carrying a secret message, he meets the old hermit Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi-Wan tells him about the Force and the Jedi, and Luke is pulled into the rebellion against the Galactic Empire.
Over the trilogy he goes from impatient farm boy to X-wing pilot to Jedi in training. He's brave, loyal and quick to jump in for his friends, even when that's reckless. He's also stubborn and a little naive. That impulsiveness is his main flaw, and it gets him into trouble when he's tested. The trilogy keeps coming back to whether he can stay good while powerful people try to tempt or provoke him.
He scores so high because of his choices under pressure. He is repeatedly offered an easy path to power or revenge, and he repeatedly picks faith in people. In the climax of Return of the Jedi, he refuses to kill his father, Darth Vader, and the Emperor tries to push him to give in to anger. His refusal turns Vader back to the light, and Vader ends up sacrificing himself to save him.
The later films show him as a legendary but flawed older man who has withdrawn from the world. The Last Jedi has him dying on Ahch-To after making peace with his legacy. That shows he isn't a perfect saint, but his faith in the good in others never fully goes away.