Luke Skywalker spent the entirely of the Original Star Wars Trilogy learning how to become a Jedi and resisting the temptation to cross over to the dark side. He succeeded with both goals by the time Return of the Jedi concluded, but as far as the dark side is concerned, a lot can change in three decades, especially since the Force moves in mysterious ways. After being almost completely absent from The Force Awakens, Luke will return to prominence later this year in The Last Jedi when he trains Rey on Ahch-To, but even after after all this time, is there still a chance Luke could turn to the dark side like his father before him? From Mark Hamill's perspective, it's not completely out of the question. When the subject came up, he said:
It's possible, anything's possible.
Last week was heavy with Star Wars: The Last Jedi content, from the release of the new trailer to new details about some of the movie's leading characters. In the midst of all that, Mark Hamill was asked about whether Luke Skywalker will turn to the dark side, and he gave the above vague answer, neither confirming nor denying if that will happen. Given how long Luke has spent as a Jedi and how he attempted to reestablish the Jedi Order between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, it's hard to imagine this iconic hero giving in to the dark side. While it remains to be seen whether or not Luke will pick up a red lightsaber in The Last Jedi or Episode IX, he seems to not be so keen on continuing the Jedi legacy, as evidenced by his dialogue in The Last Jedi trailer. Here's what he had to say about that particular moment to Nightline:
It was as shocking to me to read what Rian [Johnson, the director] had written as I'm sure it will be for the audience.
The Skywalker family certainly has a history of succumbing to the dark side. Anakin Skywalker kicked off the trend when he became Darth Vader and aided Palpatine in eliminating the Jedi so the Empire could rise to power, and decades later, Ben, Han Solo and Leia Organa's son, followed in his father's footsteps by becoming Kylo Ren and destroying Luke's Jedi academy with the Knights of Ren. Since Kylo Ren is still a main antagonist in the current Star Wars trilogy, having Luke suddenly turn evil feels like it would be redundant and overkill, especially since Rey is depending on him to help her combat the galaxy's sinister forces. He may not be as set on re-establishing the Jedi Order as he once was, but that doesn't mean he would do a 180 and turn to the dark side. But hey, time will tell what's in store for Luke in the near future.
You can see Luke Skywalker back in action when Star Wars: The Last Jedi is released on December 15.
