Why Luke Joined Palpatine In Star Wars Legends (But Not In ROTJ)
In Return of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker rejects Palpatine, the Sith, and the dark side, but six years later, in the original Star Wars timeline, Legends (formerly called the Expanded Universe), he joins the reborn Emperor. Luke’s apparent fall to the dark side and Palpatine’s resurrection rendered the Dark Empire comic series one of the most divisive parts of the Legends continuity. In actuality, Luke never truly fell to the dark side, and his character arc in Dark Empire doesn’t undo or disrespect his iconic original trilogy characterization. The comics explore the dark side and enrich the arcs of not only Luke but also Leia and Palpatine.
The Dark Empire trilogy, which was published between 1991 and 1995, was one of Dark Horse Comics’ first Star Wars projects. At the request of George Lucas himself, Emperor Palpatine returned from the dead to menace the galaxy. With a hidden backup portion of the Imperial Military, nightmarish new superweapons, and new Sith apprentices launching from his fortress world of Byss, the Emperor began targeting key New Republic strongholds in what became known as Operation Shadow Hand. Upon discovering that Palpatine was alive again, Luke seemingly fell to the dark side, becoming a Sith like his father. Many readers and even Legends-era authors were not fond of Luke’s apparent corruption or Palpatine’s resurrection.
Luke’s actions and dialogue in Dark Empire reveal that he mainly joined Palpatine as a means to defeat the Dark Empire and the dark side from within, believing that he couldn't defeat the Emperor directly. Luke never truly fell but rather attempted to deceive the reborn Palpatine by feigning allegiance to the Sith. As one of the most brilliant beings in the galaxy, Palpatine saw through Luke’s ruse and attempted to genuinely corrupt him. Luke’s plan was risky, even by his standards, but it was successful in one regard. Luke sabotaged the near-invulnerable World Devastators, allowing the New Republic to destroy them and save Mon Calamari from destruction.
Luke’s arc in Dark Empire explores the addictive qualities of the dark side. The resurrected Palpatine played along with Luke’s ruse, knowing that he was also genuinely curious about the dark side, which is often enough to corrupt even the greatest Jedi. The dark side is a corruption of the Force’s natural balance, promising incredible power for even benevolent purposes, but leaving its users with nothing but themselves and their power in the end. Luke learned how seductive the dark side is the hard way, coming perilously close to a genuine corruption, but it was thanks to Leia (who was in the midst of her Jedi training) that Luke ultimately resisted it.
George Lucas suggesting that Palpatine’s return from the dead may have been an early reference to his studies under Darth Plagueis, who was obsessed with immortality. Vader’s sacrifice aboard the Second Death Star was not undone, as he became Anakin in his final moments. Moreover, the Sith Order of Darth Bane was destroyed upon Palpatine’s first death, and replaced by Lumiya’s Sith and the Dark Side Elite. Dark Empire also made good on Return of the Jedi’s promise of Leia becoming a Jedi. It was through the combined efforts of Leia and Luke that Palpatine was defeated. Luke’s triumphant defiance of Palpatine in Return of the Jedi was preserved in Star Wars Legends because he only joined him as part of a naïve but ultimately successful plan.