10 Reasons Why Fans Want A Luke Skywalker Jedi Academy Series
Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Book Of Boba Fett.
The Book of Boba Fett has mostly dealt with the former bounty hunter's struggle to maintain his new criminal empire. But in Chapter 6, the series throws open the door to another potential streaming series: one focused on the brand-new Jedi Academy run by Luke Skywalker. The episode offered a number of compelling reasons for fans to want such a series.
A Jedi Academy series would not only give fans more time with Luke during one of the most fascinating periods in his life, but also potentially bring in Legends characters and ideas from the comics and books. Most importantly, it could explore the early life of Ben Solo, providing fans with answers to the many outstanding questions that remain about the eventual Kylo Ren.
It appears that Grogu's time as Luke Skywalker's apprentice could be fleeting. With Grogu facing a major choice, he could likely decide to go back to Din Djarin. This may be his ultimate fate, but a Jedi Academy series would allow fans to see more of Grogu's training.
It's also not clear how long Grogu has been with Luke, allowing the show to explore this period. Days, weeks, or months could have passed between the end of the second season of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, and even within episode 6 of the series itself.
As monumental as it was to see Luke Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano on screen together, huge questions remain. The biggest is how did these two powerful Jedi meet? Is Ahsoka part of the Jedi Academy or is she just stopping by?
It's not clear, and a series could answer those questions. Fans may get answers eventually. A number of characters could appear in the upcoming Ahsoka series, and Luke Skywalker is now definitely one of the most exciting possibilities.
Though replacing Sebastian Shaw with Hayden Christensen in Return of the Jedi is arguably a bad revision to the Star Wars saga, it does open up enormous possibilities that the Jedi Academy series could explore. How much of a teacher did Anakin and the other Force ghosts remain?
Luke communes with Yoda in the sequel trilogy, but so far, fans have no idea what his relationship was with his father or Obi-Wan Kenobi after the original trilogy ended. With Hayden Christensen back in the role of Anakin for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, there's a great opportunity to have Anakin and Luke share a moment or two.
Princess Leia walked away from the path of the Jedi relatively early in her training, despite her clear talent. What remains a mystery is how involved she was in the ways of the Force after her decision to devote her life to her family and the Republic.
A Jedi Academy series could also tease out potential tensions between Luke and Leia as Luke devotes himself more and more to the ways of the Force and Leia resists it, perhaps to the detriment of her son, Ben Solo, early in his life.
In Legends comics and books, Luke established a new Jedi Order with many students. Some of them became popular in their own right, like Corran Horn. A live-action series would be a great way to introduce them into the canon, especially for longtime fans.
Fans know from the sequel trilogy that Luke had many students at the time of the academy's destruction, and some of them could be based on characters from Legends like Kyle Katarn and Mara Jade.
Mara Jade is one of the best Legends characters that deserve to be canon. Her status is uncertain though as the sequel trilogy seems to have closed the door on any romantic pairing for Luke Skywalker. The Jedi Academy series could be a way to figure her out though.
Mara Jade wouldn't necessarily need to be Luke's friend and eventual wife, but she could be a student with a dark background. This could help add to Luke's reticence with both Ben Solo and Rey, especially if Mara Jade goes on a different path in live-action.
As much as the series could provide insight into the past of Luke Skywalker before the sequel trilogy, it could also be a way to give more insight into the history of Jedi lore. Through his teachings, Luke could canonize some fantastic Legends stories.
Ulic Qel-Droma, Nomi Sunrider, and Exar Kun feature in Tales of the Jedi, a series set in the Old Republic that ranks among the best Star Wars comic book arcs ever. The series could bring them into the canon and also open the door to other series potentially focused on them.
One thing the series could do is fill in a lot of blanks between the original trilogy and the sequel trilogy. One of the biggest mysteries of the sequels remains the First Order. Much of its origin and rise to power remains unclear, though some clues exist in books and comics.
If Luke were going on adventures while also running the Jedi Academy, he could potentially uncover evidence of the First Order or perhaps even the Sith Eternal, the shadowy group that resurrected Emperor Palpatine in The Rise of Skywalker.
Luke Skywalker is perhaps at his most confident in The Book of Boba Fett, but fans know he still has much to learn. A Jedi Academy series would be a perfect way to discover how Luke grew from a promising young student into one of the most powerful Jedi ever.
There is a sense that Luke spent much of his time on Ahch-To studying the ancient Jedi texts, but what was his exploration of the Force before? Was he always a student even in the years he was a teacher to Grogu and eventually Ben Solo?
Perhaps the most intriguing reason to explore this period in Star Wars lore is watching the rise of Ben Solo. Very little is known about the early life of the eventual Kylo Ren, and a Jedi Academy series would be a perfect opportunity to see how he started.
Ben Solo's fall from grace is explored through many different points of view in The Last Jedi, but his life before is a mystery. Seeing him as a student or not - a big mystery is why he is not Luke's apprentice from the beginning - is a good reason to build a show around.