Luke Skywalker may be gay?

[Sidewinder]

The Sun recently published the following article, under photos of Katy Perry performing at a charity event:

Luke in outed space

STAR WARS director JJ ABRAMS said this week he would love to see a gay character in the hit franchise.

His wishes may have already been answered.

MARK HAMILL, who played Luke Skywalker, has revealed his character could be gay. He says the Jedi Master’s sexuality was unspecified and wants it left to viewers to decide.

He said: “I just read online that JJ is very much open to that. In the old days you would get fan mail.

“But now fans are writing and ask all these questions, ‘I’m bullied in school... I’m afraid to come out’. They say to me, ‘Could Luke be gay?’ I’d say it is meant to be interpreted by the viewer.

“If you think Luke is gay, of course he is. You should not be ashamed of it. Judge Luke by his character, not by who he loves.”

Luke only ever kissed one person in Star Wars – his sister Princess Leia. That ought to put him off girls for life.

Vanity Fair misinterpreted Mark Hamill's comments as confirmation Luke Skywalker is gay, as noted in the following article:

'Of Course' Luke Skywalker Is Gay, Confirms Mark Hamill, Echoing Thousands of Fan-Fiction Prayers

The Chosen One himself confessed that Luke's sexual orientation is up for free interpretation.

BY CHARLES BRAMESCO

There are a handful of absolute laws in nature: matter can be neither created nor destroyed; every action has an equal and opposite reaction; and any TV or movie character has, at some point, been inserted into situations of roiling homoerotic tension by composers of fan-fiction. In the months since the release of world-conquering blockbuster Star Wars: The Force Awakens, amateur scribes have created a thriving subculture organized around the romantic and erotic coupling of Oscar Isaac's dreamy pilot, Poe Dameron, and John Boyega's turncoat stormtrooper, Finn. A few more clicks, and Adam Driver as the villainous Kylo Ren joins in on the action. But a new statement from original Star Wars cast member Mark Hamill has now made the most fanciful fan-fiction fantasy of all into something of a (nevertheless still fictional) reality.

The Luke Skywalker originator spoke with Britain's The Sun earlier this week and confirmed that the Chosen One's sexual orientation is up for interpretation. Responding to sentiments from director J.J. Abrams that it would be nice for the franchise to incorporate some non-heterosexual characters, Hamill said:

"...fans are writing and ask all these questions, 'I'm bullied in school... I'm afraid to come out'. They say to me, 'Could Luke be gay?' I'd say it is meant to be interpreted by the viewer... If you think Luke is gay, of course he is. You should not be ashamed of it. Judge Luke by his character, not by who he loves."

This comes in the wake of a widely circulated message that Hamill sent, via Twitter, to a fan inquiring as to whether Luke Skywalker might possibly be bisexual, in which he expressed a similarly flexible view.

His sexuality is never directly addressed in the films. Luke is whatever the audience wants him to be, so you can decide for yourself. All the best, mh

Indeed, the only character for whom Luke openly displayed any affection in the original trilogy of films was his sister Leia, so there is plenty of room for fans to project their own sexual preferences onto him. Hamill's messages have taken advantage of the films' deliberate vagueness to provide a little bit of inspiration for marginalized fans feeling frustrated that they haven't been able to see themselves reflected in the beloved franchise. But Hamill's endorsement of an openly revisionist approach opens up a galaxy of possibilities. For all we know, the impending eighth installment could finally answer the question of what gay clubs are like... in space.

MundaneMatt responded negatively to the Vanity Fair article, including the following comments in the linked video:

Mark Hamill coming out and saying that Luke Skywalker could be gay is just a way for him to avoid the progressive masses bring a "non-troversy" to his doorstep. The sad thing here is that the SJW blogs are treating this as a declaration of the character's sexuality, when the Expanded Universe said it was anything but.

My question to fellow board members is, will the worldbuilding, storytelling, and character development of 'Star Wars' be improved if Luke Skywalker is gay? Or will this just reduce Luke Skywalker to the "token gay guy" and an offensive stereotype in a bad writer's hands?

[The Romulan Republic]

Well, their's nothing in the films to indicate Luke is gay, and considerable reason to consider him heterosexual (and no, not simply the incestuous making out with Leia and such- I maintain that Force Awakens can be interpreted as very heavily implying that Luke is Rey's father).

I suppose Luke could be in the closet, or bisexual. I don't think either would particularly add to or detract from his character. The focus of Luke's character development and story arc in the films were never on his love life or sexual interests, beyond the obvious dead end hints of Luke/Leia early on.

[Joun_Lord]

It could work depending on the writer. A good writer would have Luke's sexuality matter little. He's gay, so what. Like any IRL person who is gay its only going to matter when they are kissing on someone they like, any other time they will be more or less identical to a straight person. For a Luke that is gay he'd be essentially the same as a Luke that is straight except instead of kissing on Mara Jade he'd be kissing on Chewbecca (because in my headcanon a Luke that is gay goes for bears).

But alot of writers tend to rely far too much of stereotypes and would try to make his sexuality front and center. It would not be a "Luke that is gay" but a "gay Luke" with him liking doods being a significant part of his character.

I like what was done with Juhani in KOTOR. She was a character who was lesbian, not a lesbian character. Her sexuality never came up except when the lead tried to hit in her and she wasn't a stereotypical lesbian (unless you count the angry lesbian stereotype but that wasn't the stereotype Juhani was playing towards, she was playing towards the angry dark sider stereotype).

The only real problem I have with this is it clashes with Luke's established character kinda. He did show an interest in women in the OT though people's preferences do change or he could be bi, but really my main problem is it goes against his established EU character. According to what was written Han and Leia had to hook up and have kids, Luke had to restart the Jedi Order and shack up with some force user lady to have Jedi babies, Mon Mothma had to be the terrible leader of the New Republic, and so on.

While the old EU is dead it still influences how I see the characters if that makes any sort of sense.

[Q99]

Gay, ace, bi, I'd be down for it. I like that they're officially leaving it open.

[The Romulan Republic]

Anyway, I thought Poe/Finn was the new hot couple for this kind of speculation?

Yeah, I know that in all probability they're going to either go Rey/Finn, or surprise us with Rey/Poe to repeat the Leia/Han romance.

[LastShadow]

It would be entirely unnecessary. We already have a gay character in Poe Dameron. While they may not have said it flat out (i have only seen the movie) He looks at Finn the way Finn looks at Rey, or the way a straight man looks at a woman who has caught his interest. You know the hey he/she is kind of cute (not that creepy predatory kind of way).

Making Luke BISEXUAL i could get behind, it doesn't cheapen what has come before, and opens a new avenue to explore.

Now i have nothing against a non hetero type character, but almost anytime they do one its never subtle. I know plenty of people who aren't Hetero, i actually know people all over the scale, and i will be honest the way hollywood often portrays them is just wrong, Though once in a while (i cannot remember the specific movies or characters) they get it right, and they are portrayed as completely normal people with a different sexual preference. Build the character first, then make an offhand note about the fact that he has a husband or boyfriend,

Oh take the book Armada for example. (mostly cause i just reread it) The characters Milo and Shin, Milo is a kind of douche in a way, and Shin is as far as he is described an average person but for the most part they are portrayed as perfectly normal people. Just as it should be.

[Grumman]

It's a fucking stupid idea.

[Thanas]

Completely unnecessary and directly contradicting the earlier films.

Yeah, put me down for "incredibly stupid" as well.

[Crazedwraith]

Unnecessary perhaps. But it would be hardly a huge contradiction. Luke has a bit of a romantic interest in Leia in ANH and ESB but nothing huge. Its not out of the realm of possibility that he could either be bi or just not fully cognisant of his gayness in his late teenagers/early twenties.

What I like most about this would be Rey is much less likely to be his kid. A probably inevitale plot I find hacknied in the extreme.

On the other hand, unless there's a reason like offspring to make it explicit, I don't think we really need to know. I don't want to see a romance subplot for Luke in eps VIII/IX for example.

[The Romulan Republic]

Honestly, I'm kind of indifferent to Luke's sexuality and love life unless it becomes a continuity issue or substantially undermines the aspects of the character that I do give a damn about.

[Purple]

I am going to say it's a bad thing for the simple reason that it places the Skywalker linage at a serious risk. What with the only other heir to the like of Anikin being a whiny emo kid with father issues.* Like it would be a shame for the dynasty to die out. But like if KR can produce functional breeding offspring I am with TRR on this. Luke has so far been portrayed as a character with no real sexual escapades in cannon so shifting him either way makes no difference.


* Don't take this wrong. As a character I really do like him. I think he is a very good fictional character overall. I just question his future ability to raise children into being functional individuals.

[Lord Revan]

I would say confirming Luke's sexuality in anyway is a bad thing as Luke's role in the story means his sexuality is a side path, he is gonna be a father figure to Rey even if he isn't her true biological father. It's one of those things that is neither important nor adds anything to the story really.

Also where was it said that Poe was gay, IIRC only confirmation of movie character sexuality is "probably not gay" for Han and Leia (though that doesn't mean Han, Leia or both couldn't be bi), is it a real confirmation or people just reading something about the Poe/Finn relationship that may or may not be true.

[The Romulan Republic]

I would say there's no harm in addressing it, and that Episode VII can definitely be taken as implying that Rey is Luke's daughter, in which case it would be kind of lame not to follow through with that. And if she is, then clearly, unless Rey was made in a test tube, Luke Skywalker at some point had sex with a woman.

And no, to my knowledge, their is no confirmation that Poe is gay. Its just a fan theory. Albeit a plausible one that would not contradict what was established in the film.

[Lord Revan]

I would say there's no harm in addressing it, and that Episode VII can definitely be taken as implying that Rey is Luke's daughter, in which case it would be kind of lame not to follow through with that. And if she is, then clearly, unless Rey was made in a test tube, Luke Skywalker at some point had sex with a woman.

And no, to my knowledge, their is no confirmation that Poe is gay. Its just a fan theory. Albeit a plausible one that would not contradict what was established in the film.

yeah there probably wouldn't be any harm from addressing said subject but it really doesn't add much either as it's essentially character trivia. That said however if they did address it (especially if they confirmed Luke to be homosexual) such a scene would probably have to stay no matter how badly it would destroy the pacing of the film. Also Luke being Rey's father and being homosexual aren't nesserly mutually exclusive as there has been homosexual people who were in heterosexual relationships before discorvering their true sexuality(and Luke was raised in the SW equilevant of the countryside), also being gay doesn't mean one doesn't want children

[SolarpunkFan]

I don't really care. Luke's sexuality was never anything that really crossed my mind and doesn't seem that important in the grand scheme of the story.

[Zaune]

Well, their's nothing in the films to indicate Luke is gay, and considerable reason to consider him heterosexual (and no, not simply the incestuous making out with Leia and such- I maintain that Force Awakens can be interpreted as very heavily implying that Luke is Rey's father).

Huh. I never did get around to watching Episode 7 so I thought she was Kylo's sister...

Oh dear Armok I can just see the twincest fanfics and I'm going to shut up now.

[The Romulan Republic]

Disturbingly enough, I felt that the scene where Kylo Ren interrogates Rey had a definite sexual vibe to it. I get the impression that if she hadn't escaped when she did, there's a high chance that the "interrogation" would have involved sexual assault.

I really doubt they're twins (I think it would most likely have been revealed in Episode VII, or if not, it should have been), but if I'm right in my guess that Rey is Luke's daughter, there's definitely a creepy incest vibe from Kylo Ren toward his cousin (definitely not reciprocated though).

[Zaune]

Not quite what I meant, but that really isn't any better.

[Khaat]

Barring some to-be-explained "attachment leads to fear, fear leads to anger (yadda, yadda, yadda*...)" angsty lost GF/baby-momma thing to be flashbacked, Luke's sexuality is irrelevant. I'd also like to see less OT folks, and more ST, thanks!

*or should that be "Yoda, Yoda, Yoda..."?

[Elheru Aran]

Historically, sexual orientation hasn't mattered much as far as turning out progeny goes, if the various generations of British aristocracy are anything to go by.

That said, the films aren't about sex. The only serious romance in them was Anakin and Padme's (necessary to produce the OT), and then Han and Leia. Luke did express a certain interest in Leia, but it obviously never went anywhere. The movies are more about epic arcs and good vs evil. If there's romance, it's basically a sideshow to build interest in the characters.

[Borgholio]

I don't think it matters in the slightest but there's no evidence that Luke is gay. At the MOST he's bisexual but we never see him form any kind of romantic-ish attachment with anybody but Leia. That puts him firmly in the hetero category unless otherwise contradicted in canon somewhere.

Regarding Poe, he is indeed very friendly with Finn but look at the big picture here. First, Poe is naturally a very friendly and outgoing guy. He is like that with everyone, just look at his relationship with BB-8 (don't start with any techno-sexual bullshit!). Secondly, Finn saved his life and helped rescue him from torture and almost-certain death. That would make put almost anybody on very good terms right there. So I don't see Poe being homsexual in any way. All I see is an upbeat guy who is just being best buds with the dude who risked everything to save his life.

[Simon_Jester]

I am going to say it's a bad thing for the simple reason that it places the Skywalker linage at a serious risk. What with the only other heir to the like of Anikin being a whiny emo kid with father issues.* Like it would be a shame for the dynasty to die out.

Why?

Frankly, the "Skywalker lineage" has done at least as much harm to the galaxy as good, and if it turns out that Kylo Ren and Rey are cousins, then it's even worse, because it essentially means that there have been about forty years of galactic civil wars and tyrannies created largely by the Skywalkers' family drama. That's rather contemptible.

I would say there's no harm in addressing it, and that Episode VII can definitely be taken as implying that Rey is Luke's daughter, in which case it would be kind of lame not to follow through with that. And if she is, then clearly, unless Rey was made in a test tube, Luke Skywalker at some point had sex with a woman.

Why would Luke, who had a loving family and then lost that family, knowingly abandon his own daughter on some godforsaken desert rock? That seems out of character for him. Luke really believes in family ties; remember "I can't kill my own father?"

[Elheru Aran]

I am going to say it's a bad thing for the simple reason that it places the Skywalker linage at a serious risk. What with the only other heir to the like of Anikin being a whiny emo kid with father issues.* Like it would be a shame for the dynasty to die out.

Why?

Frankly, the "Skywalker lineage" has done at least as much harm to the galaxy as good, and if it turns out that Kylo Ren and Rey are cousins, then it's even worse, because it essentially means that there have been about forty years of galactic civil wars and tyrannies created largely by the Skywalkers' family drama. That's rather contemptible.

I think when you put it into those terms, you're missing the big picture. Yes, Anakin Skywalker and his fall, and the rise of Luke as a Jedi, were important events... on an individual scale. The scheming of the Sith Lords to bring about the downfall of the Republic and the Jedi, however, and the resulting events of the growth of the Rebellion culminating in the Battle of Endor, were larger events in the background of the immediate individual stories that are depicted in the films.

It's very arguable that only a few, very key, events can be directly ascribed to the intervention of Skywalkers-- the end of the Battle of Naboo and the destruction of Death Star I, for two. In AOTC, Anakin was on the sidelines and as a matter of fact *failed* to stop Dooku; ROTS, if Anakin had failed to stop Dooku again on the Invisible Hand Palpatine could quite possibly have escaped anyway, and he had plans for the Jedi Purge regardless of whether he managed to turn Anakin into Vader or not. ESB, the Empire more or less *wins*, Vader's pursuit of Luke being a side plot, and in ROTJ, all Luke is ever involved in is family drama; Han and the Rebels bring down the shield generator without his help, and Lando and Wedge destroy the Death Star II. Granted, Vader kills Palpatine, but the Death Star would have been destroyed regardless, accomplishing the same task.

As for 'Skywalker lineage' talk... meh. That's just fanboy bullshit. It's important because, as I said, that's what the films themselves focus on. In the rest of the Star Wars universe though, it really isn't.

I would say there's no harm in addressing it, and that Episode VII can definitely be taken as implying that Rey is Luke's daughter, in which case it would be kind of lame not to follow through with that. And if she is, then clearly, unless Rey was made in a test tube, Luke Skywalker at some point had sex with a woman.

Why would Luke, who had a loving family and then lost that family, knowingly abandon his own daughter on some godforsaken desert rock? That seems out of character for him. Luke really believes in family ties; remember "I can't kill my own father?"

Remember that we don't yet know the whole story. I can buy Luke leaving his child on Jakku if he felt it was the safest place for her. Perhaps he knew Unkar Plutt from the past, and felt he could trust him to bring Rey up.

Alternatively, it has been posed that Rey was left on Jakku by another person, not Luke. Her mother and Kylo Ren have been posed as candidates.

[Simon_Jester]

I think when you put it into those terms, you're missing the big picture. Yes, Anakin Skywalker and his fall, and the rise of Luke as a Jedi, were important events... on an individual scale. The scheming of the Sith Lords to bring about the downfall of the Republic and the Jedi, however, and the resulting events of the growth of the Rebellion culminating in the Battle of Endor, were larger events in the background of the immediate individual stories that are depicted in the films.

It's very arguable that only a few, very key, events can be directly ascribed to the intervention of Skywalkers-- the end of the Battle of Naboo and the destruction of Death Star I, for two. In AOTC, Anakin was on the sidelines and as a matter of fact *failed* to stop Dooku; ROTS, if Anakin had failed to stop Dooku again on the Invisible Hand Palpatine could quite possibly have escaped anyway, and he had plans for the Jedi Purge regardless of whether he managed to turn Anakin into Vader or not. ESB, the Empire more or less *wins*, Vader's pursuit of Luke being a side plot, and in ROTJ, all Luke is ever involved in is family drama; Han and the Rebels bring down the shield generator without his help, and Lando and Wedge destroy the Death Star II. Granted, Vader kills Palpatine, but the Death Star would have been destroyed regardless, accomplishing the same task.

I guess my thing is that I blame Anakin heavily for how things played out in Episode III. He, personally, played a critical role in stopping the Jedi from averting Palpatine's takeover of the Republic, betraying them purely on speculation that Palpatine could save his wife.

If he'd just been loyal, or done literally anything except betray everything he'd ever stood for and cared about, events would have unfolded very differently.

As for 'Skywalker lineage' talk... meh. That's just fanboy bullshit. It's important because, as I said, that's what the films themselves focus on. In the rest of the Star Wars universe though, it really isn't.

Agreed.

I would say there's no harm in addressing it, and that Episode VII can definitely be taken as implying that Rey is Luke's daughter, in which case it would be kind of lame not to follow through with that. And if she is, then clearly, unless Rey was made in a test tube, Luke Skywalker at some point had sex with a woman.

Why would Luke, who had a loving family and then lost that family, knowingly abandon his own daughter on some godforsaken desert rock? That seems out of character for him. Luke really believes in family ties; remember "I can't kill my own father?"

Remember that we don't yet know the whole story. I can buy Luke leaving his child on Jakku if he felt it was the safest place for her. Perhaps he knew Unkar Plutt from the past, and felt he could trust him to bring Rey up.

That's possible, but I'm skeptical. Again, Luke really seemed to care about family ties, and he had very few of them to value. I think he'd take almost any combination of personal risks rather than let his only daughter grow up for ten or twenty years without him.

Alternatively, it has been posed that Rey was left on Jakku by another person, not Luke. Her mother and Kylo Ren have been posed as candidates.

Okay, I can believe Rey being kidnapped and left on Jakku, but in that case why didn't Luke try to find her?

My current belief is that Rey is not Luke's daughter, nor any particularly close relative of his.

[Elheru Aran]

Alternatively, it has been posed that Rey was left on Jakku by another person, not Luke. Her mother and Kylo Ren have been posed as candidates.

Okay, I can believe Rey being kidnapped and left on Jakku, but in that case why didn't Luke try to find her?

My current belief is that Rey is not Luke's daughter, nor any particularly close relative of his.

My take on it:

Rey seems *very* fixated on the idea that her "family" is coming back for her on Jakku. That suggests she was abandoned there by relatives, though kidnapping is also a possibility.

Apart from that however, my big issue with Rey being Luke's daughter is that Han and Leia don't seem to recognize her at all. There's absolutely no issue as far as that goes with Kylo Ren-- Han recognizes him even from a distance, masked and hooded and all-- but you would think that they might have recognized their own niece. Now Kylo, on the other hand, does certainly react to the news of "a girl" on Jakku, and seems uncomfortably familiar with Rey. Maz Kanata... well who the hell knows what she's going on about? She seems to think Rey is related to Luke, but she's never explicit about it other than saying she's seen similar eyes.

Of course, it's possible that Luke may have lost touch with his sister and their family. It's certainly not unheard-of. To such an extent that they might not know that Luke has a child? That's a little more of a stretch. I mean, if he can go get himself lost pretty effectively (never mind how slightly ridiculous that business with the maps was), it's possible that he might have had a fling on the side while trying to rebuild the Jedi, and it's possible that he might not have even known he had a child. If he had a brush with the Dark Side (why hello there, shades of Dark Empire) at some point, his girlfriend or whomever might have decided that the child was better off not knowing her father.

One theory I've seen was that Rey's parents may have been among Luke's Jedi students. When Kylo Ren turned bad, she was dumped on Jakku before he could kill her. But that notion works well enough if she's Luke's daughter, or unfortunately enough, a sibling of Kylo's.

I don't have a *huge* problem with the idea that Rey is Luke's daughter-- her vision in Maz's cellar certainly suggests as much-- but until the next couple of films come out, I'm not going to sit too tight on any assumptions as far as that goes.