I remember making a thread somewhat like this pre-wipe so I figured I would bring it up again, to get some thoughts. So why do the majority of people think that Rebellion era Luke(Movie Luke) was a weak jedi? Is it because the way they did the fights? Or they didn't show him using any insane force powers? Folks need to remember those movies were made in the 70's/80's when they couldn't really do a lot with movies and things were on a real tight budget.

Hearing some quotes of the novels between the movies, and looking at his wiki page and also examining the movies he was a powerful jedi knight. Notice I said JEDI KNIGHT, so don't go asssuming that I think he is on par with a jedi master or anything. He became a fully trained jedi knight by ROTJ, he may have not been thrown into the jedi order's archives but his training...as a JEDI KNIGHT was completed. With me so far? Ok lets move on to the quotes from the movies, I would start with the books but I don't have them on hand with me(so if anyone does have them, would appreciate if you could help me out with that) I do remember somewhat in one of the quotes that Luke moved his saber so fast it was a blurr.

------

"There is a great disturbance in the force"

'I have felt it."

"We have a new enemy. The young rebel who destroyed the death star, I have no doubt this boy is the offspring of Anakin Skywalker."

"How is that possible?"

"Search your feelings Lord Vader, you will know it to be true. He could destroy us."

"He is just a boy, Obi-Wan can no longer help him."

"The force is strong with him, the son of skywalker must not become a jedi."

- Vader and Palpatine.

---------

Now from this conversation, it is clear that the emperor knows Luke could destroy both him and Vader and that the force is strong with him. Fast forward to Vader and Luke's first duel and their converstation.

---

"The force is with you young Skywalker....but you are not a jedi yet."

"You have learned much, young one."

"You'll find out i'm full of surprises."

"Impressive....most impressive."

"Obi-Wan has taught you well, you have controlled your fear."

-------

From here we see that Vader is complimenting Luke's skills who only had a short time training with Yoda. But theres the key point, he only had a short time training with Yoda, and yet he is able to hold his own against Vader in that duel even surprising him with his skill. Yes I know Luke is defeated, but the point that he held his own for a good while shows that he is skillful.

-----

Ok so fast forward 4 years to ROTJ, now at this point between ESB and ROTJ Luke has studied and self taught and trained himself and by ROTJ has completed his training. Which since he is the son of the chosen one, he learned at a much faster rate then any jedi infact he probably learned more then what it took a regular jedi knight 10 years to learn. Now here he has a plan to rescue Han Solo, and he has a backup plan and a backup plan for the backup plan. When he arrives at Jabba's he already knew he was going to succeed where his friends had failed this is evident in his quotes.

"Nevertheless I am taking Captain Solo, and his friends. You can profit by this, or be destroyed its your choice but I warn you not to underestimate my powers."

He boldy states this, very confident of himself that he is going to rescuse them all, and he does so again on the skiff before the scarlacc.

"Jabba this is your last chance, free us or die."

The fight breaks out and sure enough Luke rescues his friends, and Jabba is killed. Now I jumped ahead of myself here so i'll back track some with Vader and the Emperor talking.

"He has grown strong, only together can we turn him to the darkside of the force."

Now here this quote does say something, in that the emperor himself admits that Luke has grown stronger and that it is going to take him and Vader combined to turn Luke to the darkside.

------------

Ok so fast forward to Luke and Vader talking on Endor.

"I see you've constructed a new lightsaber, your skills are complete. Indeed you are powerful as the Emperor has forseen."

Now here Vader admits that Luke's skills are complete, that he is completely different then he was before and further emphases that he has become powerful. Now their fight aboard the DS 2, yes Vader was conflicted BUT!

Vader did NOT just roll over and die, he still fought Luke and even still tried to turn him to the darkside. Now here is where it truly shines that Luke is really powerful.

"Never...*throws saber to floor* i'll never turn to the darkside. You've failed your highness, I am a jedi like my father before me."

He DEFIED the emperor himself, where last I checked no one else had ever defied Palpatine before, not Anakin, not Dooku, not Maul they followed his every word and they did not do what they wanted to do. Luke didn't beat the emperor physically, but Luke beat him on a moral and personal level.

Now I am sure not all of you are going to read this, but I don't wanna put a TL:DR you don't read it well sorry not going to mostly cause I can't really sum it up in the way I would want. I was going to post far more information, but I figured it might be overwhelming plus as I said I don't have the novels between and of the movies so I can't throw in that info.

I didnt read that whole post, but in my opinion, its not like Movie era Luke was a weak jedi, it is just that EU Luke is about a million times stronger. movie era Luke far from reaches his potential.

EDIT: also, about defying him, Palpatine had nothing look truely wanted (blah blah blah power blah blah) whereas Dooku and Maul took apprenticeship undert Palptine, and Anakin had all sorts of conflicting emotions from his past as well as his romance with Padme and his vision.

So defying him isnt great evidence that Luke was a powerful jedi (im not saying he wasnt, i think he was, but that isnt good evidence).

Nevertheless, Palpatine pushed just the right buttons along with Vader, to make Luke fall and Luke resisted.

His fall wasn't as deeply and slowly planted as with Anakin or other jedi, since Palpatine had time to use his ways back then. Still, Luke wasn't trained like the old jedi either and had little experience against sith lords. And what he wanted most was his friends' safety. Perhaps if the Emperor had told him he'd spare his friends if he turned, Luke might have fallen (which is how he falls in the non-canon TFU expansion, when Starkiller holds the Millennium Falcon ready to crush it).

The part that really made him angry, was when Vader threatened to turn Leia, so it was again for the protection of someone, that a Skywalker almost fell but he didn't. So that showed he had some good willpower.

In my humble opinion.

I didnt read that whole post, but in my opinion, its not like Movie era Luke was a weak jedi, it is just that EU Luke is about a million times stronger. movie era Luke far from reaches his potential.

 

EDIT: also, about defying him, Palpatine had nothing look truely wanted (blah blah blah power blah blah) whereas Dooku and Maul took apprenticeship undert Palptine, and Anakin had all sorts of conflicting emotions from his past as well as his romance with Padme and his vision.

 

So defying him isnt great evidence that Luke was a powerful jedi (im not saying he wasnt, i think he was, but that isnt good evidence).

While yes Palpatine didn't have anything Luke wanted, I remember reading somewhere that Palpatine had a hypnotic lul in his voice with his strong mind control powers, which made his subjects do whatever he wished. Luke resisted that temptation, and when Palpatine told him to kill his father he did not.