In my ongoing game of guessing which of the 16 Desires motivates a character, let’s guess what Luke Skywalker wants. I am going to use the original trilogy as a reference, mostly because I wrote a book about its story structure.
“But I was going to Tosche Station to pick up power converters!”
“You can waste time with your friends when your chores are done.”
While most teenagers want to play with their friends, I think friendship is a primary desire and motivator for Luke. He wants to join his friend, Biggs Darklighter, as a pilot for the rebellion, and he gets to. Aunt Beru tells Owen, “he can’t stay here forever. Most of his friends are gone. It means so much to him.” Luke also makes fast friends with Threepio and Artoo. Very few people, except maybe Obi-Wan, treat droids as kindly as Luke. He also abandons his Jedi training to rescue his friends in Cloud City. He makes friends with Han Solo and Chewie. Luke is not after power, although he has plenty of it. Instead, he uses his power to help his friends.
I think idealism is second for Luke. He hates the empire and believes in the rebellion. Even when his father offers him the chance to rule over the empire, Luke refuses. The rebellion wants to free the galaxy from the empire’s stranglehold and Luke believes in it. Luke will sacrifice for his beliefs. He walks into many traps to rescue his friends and assist the rebels.
The third desire on Luke’s list is honor. But honor can’t be the primary motivator for Luke, because he abandoned his Jedi training to save his friends. I am putting honor as his third because of how Luke accepts the role as a Jedi and works to save his father.
It might seem that Luke’s obsession with rescuing people would be the desire for saving, but that desire is more about collecting things than rescuing people. The desire for family is also a contender, but that desire is more about rearing children and nurturing, which does not quite fit for Luke. Luke wants to know all about his father, his family tradition, when he finds out Obi-Wan served with Anakin. Luke is also loyal, has integrity, and is very trustworthy. He is honorable.
I think Luke’s desires for idealism and honor are best seen when he refuses to join the emperor and kill his father, Darth Vader. “I’ll never turn to the dark side. You have failed, your highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me.”
So here are my guesses about Luke’s desires:
- Social Contact (Friendship, Companions, Group play)
- Idealism (Belief, sacrifice, Justice, and making things right)
- Honor (Integrity, Loyalty, Trust, Tradition)
Luke is never happier than when surrounded by his friends, even if it is in a pilot briefing room, a hospital bed, or a tribal barbecue. He will not betray the rebellion and he honorably accepts the role as Jedi even though he might be the only one left in the galaxy. I think Luke’s desires are contagious and influence the structure of the film, or maybe the structure of the film creates Luke’s desires. It is hard to pull some elements apart to analyze them. I intentionally gloss over individual character desires in my book, but I think they are a fascinating thing to analyze. You can check my book out here:
Daniel N. Blair 