The Star Wars franchise is defined by the complicated intergalactic conflicts that often seem to surround those bearing the name Skywalker. None have had so major a victory as Luke Skywalker, whose actions led to the downfall of the Galactic Empire, Darth Vader, and Emperor Palpatine himself.
However, Luke has never been alone in Star Wars. Between his trainers, descendants, non-canon love interests, and closest friends, Luke has had a lot of help over the years. His best friends make up some of the most infamous Star Wars characters ever to exist, and their many losses and victories make up the majority of the franchise’s most memorable moments.
Related:Scariest Star Wars Planets
10 Obi-Wan Kenobi
Luke’s Protector
Luke was pretty lonely on Tatooine, with little mention of many friends that he had growing up on the desert planet. Meeting Obi-Wan was a big deal for him, especially as the former Jedi Master saved him from the Tusken Raiders when he first met him and started him on his journey to become a Jedi himself, along with his many wise words.
While Luke didn’t know Obi-Wan for very long, he did manage to make a huge impact on the youngster. Additionally, he knew Luke after his death, appearing frequently throughout the franchise as a force ghost. Obi-Wan watched over Luke his entire life, that creates a strong bond between them.
9 Yoda
Luke’s Master
While Obi-Wan began to teach Luke about the ways of the Force, it was Yoda who was truly Luke’s Jedi Master. The ancient former leader of the Jedi Council wasn’t so much of a friend as an irritating teacher, but Luke gained a huge volume of respect for Yoda and his wisdom over the course of their time together hidden away on Dagobah.
Having spent quite a bit of time alone together on Dagobah, it is unsurprising that these two garnered a strong bond. There is a special kind of relationship between a Master and their Padawan among the ranks of the Jedi, and Yoda was the closest to a true leader and teacher that Luke ever received.
8 Lando Calrissian
Lovable Scoundrel
Luke didn’t get a chance to know Lando that well within the bounds of the original Star Wars trilogy of films, but details from expanded universe material, whether canon or not, help showcase that these two definitely became friends over the course of the Rebel Alliance and the days following the fall of the Empire.
Related:Most Powerful Star Wars Jedi In The Lore
Lando was always a scoundrel, even betraying Han and Leia to the Empire, but this was forced by Darth Vader, and Lando then helped Leia and Luke escape his clutches before helping them rescue Han from Jabba the Hutt. Lando has always been a reliable friend despite his devilish nature, he and Luke always respected each other.
7 Chewbacca
Noble Ally
Chewbacca has a pretty good relationship with almost every other character in Star Wars. His lack of communication skills means that few characters ever have a problem with him, except for problems resulting from his occasional rage issues and outbursts.
Other than that, it’s easy to get along with the lovable Wookie. Luke has always been friendly with him, despite Chewie being friendlier with Han Solo and Luke’s sister Leia. Chewie actually gave his life in the Legends canon to save one of Luke’s nephews, Anakin Solo.
6 R2D2
Lovable Sidekick
R2D2 is another inoffensive character loved by many within the Star Wars Universe. Several members of the Skywalker family have loved this droid dearly, including Luke’s own father. Luke himself met R2 when his Uncle bought the droid on Tatooine, and he has been a long-time companion of the Jedi Master since.
Luke is often considered quite a solitary character, having sent himself into exile for years and walking his own path during his life. However, even when he decided to hide himself away, the only being he trusted with his location was R2.
5 Wedge Antilles
Luke’s Wingman
Another character whose relationship with Luke has been further expanded upon in other material than the movies, Wedge Antilles managed to become a hero of the Rebel Alliance in his own right after initially performing admirably as Luke’s wing-man when they were both pilots trying to destroy the Death Star.
Being the only surviving members of the Red Squadron from the Battle of Yavin, it made sense that Wedge and Luke would remain friends. In the non-canon Legends universe, the two were lifelong friends, and it was Wedge’s ship that Luke would use to help end the Second Galactic Civil War.
4 Han Solo
Brother-In-Law & Life-Saver
While they have their arguments and are very different in style and knowledge, Han and Luke are incredibly close. Whether in Legends canon or in the current canon, there are plenty of moments of brotherly love between these two. Han was convinced by Luke and Leia that the Rebel Alliance was worth fighting for, leading to him saving Luke’s life from Darth Vader.
Related:Worst Things Han Solo Has Ever Done
There are many occasions when these two have saved each other’s lives. Han even entrusted his son Ben to Luke to train, despite his own beliefs in the way of the Force lacking greatly. These two are connected by the kind of lifelong friendship that everybody hopes to have.
3 Biggs Darklighter
Childhood Best Friend
The one notable mention of a character that Luke knew before the events of A New Hope is Biggs Darklighter, who was a childhood friend of Luke’s from Tatooine. There, together they had a shared dream of escaping the dreary desert planet, which Biggs eventually did, joining the Imperial Academy and later defecting to the Rebel Alliance.
Biggs reunited with Luke before the Battle of Yavin, where they fought together as part of the Red Squadron. Unfortunately, Biggs was killed by Darth Vader during the battle and never got to see the Rebels win the day. Nevertheless, Luke and he grew up together, which was a strong bond that is never forgotten.
2 Mara-Jade Skywalker
Wife & Companion
Despite no longer being canon in the Star Wars Universe, Mara-Jade Skywalker was historically one of the closest characters to Luke and his story in the Legends Universe. Mara-Jade was originally a member of the Emperor’s Hand, a set of force users loyal to the Emperor, but she later defected.
Eventually, Mara-Jade fell in love with Luke, and they got married, Mara even trained under Luke and became a member of the new Jedi High Council with him. This pair was excellent together, Mara showed a different side of Luke’s character and got closer to him than almost anyone was ever shown capable of doing.
1 Leia Organa
Twin Sister & Closest Confidant
Luke’s twin sister, Leia Organa shares an unbreakably close bond with her brother that has remained the strongest bond Luke has with anybody in every version of the Star Wars canon. These two and their link through the Force means that Leia can feel Luke’s presence, fears, and problems from many planets away.
Though their relationship began in a confused manner, the love these two have always shared is strong. Their losses and successes have always been together, and it is a shame that the time they truly got to spend together happily was not explored as much on screen as the times when they were split apart during strife.
Leave a Reply