'Terrifying Tales' Gives Us A Glimpse At How Powerful A Dark Side Luke Could Have Been
LEGO and Star Wars have been a match made in heaven since the release of their first collaborative kit back in 1999. The Prequel Era was a peak of Star Wars marketing and merchandise with video games, action figures, and more and more LEGO sets flooding the market. Since then, Star Wars fans have watched this partnership grow with great interest, spawning hundreds of different sets, kits, and scenes, all buildable in LEGO.
This ready-made pairing isn't limited to just LEGO sets however, with multiple video games already receiving "greatest hit" status and another highly anticipated title, The Skywalker Saga releasing in Spring 2022. The launch of Disney+ also presented a unique opportunity for Star Wars and LEGO, providing a platform to release several well-received specials, beginning with The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special. This tongue-in-cheek title was followed up by the Halloween-themed Terrifying Tales, which released on October 1st. This LEGO special gives us an inside look at Vader's castle after the fall of the First Order and follows the stories of a dark side acolyte, Vanee, as he guides Poe Dameron, BB-8, Graballa the Hutt, and a pair of twin Iktotchi through a labyrinth of Sith artifacts and spooky stories.
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One of these stories, satirically titled The Wookie's Paw, gives us a look at a much different version of Tatooine's favorite son, Luke Skywalker. While the Star Wars franchise was built on the story of Luke leaving his aunt and uncles homestead after their murder at the hands of Imperial troops, The Wookie's Paw presents what would have happened if Luke had been a touch more impatient, Old Ben Kenobi slightly less vigilant, and stormtroopers less trigger-happy. The events of this story are set in motion when Luke receives a magical Wookie paw from the Toydarian junk dealer, Watto. The paw grants the wishes of the user, much like a similar item from W. W. Jacobs' short story The Monkey's Paw. Luke wastes no time in wishing to be free of the sand and heat of Tatooine and is immediately brought into the fold by an Imperial recruiter.
Once sworn into the Imperial Navy, Luke is able to use his innate talents in the Force to attract the attention of Darth Vader, who takes him on as his Sith apprentice. Luke's training on the Death Star carries all the earmarks of LEGO humor and mastery of Star Wars lore. There are distinct call-backs to Luke's Jedi training from the Original Trilogy including fighting a training remote while wearing a blast helmet and carrying his master on his back during physical training runs. In this case however, instead of the diminutive Jedi Master Yoda, it is the towering, intimidating figure of Darth Vader clinging to to Luke's back. Eventually, like all Sith apprentices, dark side Luke begins to want more. More power, more glory, and recognition as the greatest pilot in the galaxy.
Luke's character traits that made him a hero of the Rebellion translate easily into the darker realm of the Force. His drive to better himself quickly becomes a desire for power, his faith in Obi-Wan and his friends translates into devotion to Darth Vader and his dark side studies, and his commitment to the Jedi arts shifts to the secrets of the Sith. Even with the humorous and welcome influences of LEGO aside, The Wookie's Paw efficiently displays how the personality of Luke was primed for great things, whether his mentor walked the path of light or dark. Fortunately Luke undertook the Heroes Journey and became the cornerstone of the Rebellion and the Star Wars franchise. However this has not stopped fans from speculating what a Sith Luke would look like, how he would behave, or how his role as Vader's right hand could have shifted the course of the Galactic Civil War.
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Source(s): ScreenRant
