Is Last Jedi Luke's actions consistent with Luke's character from the original movies?

[Makeshift Python]

That would be dramatically weak.

"Where's Kylo Ren?"
"He ran away."
"Oh well."

[Yukaphile]

THAT would be consistent with his character. Many people consider him an emo git. And I can't disagree.

[Yukaphile]

Let's get back to the topic, though.

[Beelzquill]

Why not space jail? I mean, there has to be some extreme between total redemption and just getting killed right?

[MixedDrops]

Vader still had good in him and Luke could sense it. Luke couldn't from Kylo Ren, and if this trilogy concludes the way I think it does, I don't think he'll be redeemed at all.

I'm not sure where you're getting that Luke couldn't sense good in Ben Solo. The idea is supposedly that Luke had a moment of weakness where he let the fear of the darkness in Kylo Ren overwhelm him, and he immediately regretted allowing that to happen.

Whether or not Kylo Ren can be redeemed...well, that obviously varies from person to person, but when you think about it, does it really make sense to forgive Vader for what he did either? Obviously for dramatic purposes it makes sense that Luke wanted to, and did, forgive his father, but just saying "I'm sorry" probably didn't really redeem Vader in much to the millions he had hurt by that point. Of course one key difference between Vader and Kylo Ren is that Vader killed the emperor, then pretty much immediately died. His final act was a good one.

With Kylo, he killed Snoke, then proceeded to replace him, and apparently decided he'd continue his reign of terror (this is one of my big problems with TLJ...why would Kylo Ren simply continue the work of Snoke if he feels betrayed by both his Jedi Master and Snoke? The only logic that makes sense to me is that he wants to end all the old ways by starting with crushing the Resistance, but it just seems unnecessary at that point). At least as far as that idea goes I think you can do something interesting with it. I don't think Kylo Ren is irredeemable, but he has to do more than just say "I regret x" or "I'm sorry for x" for that to be convincing.

[Yukaphile]

So he plots to murder him in his sleep? That's not the Jedi way! It's what Palpatine did to seize power from Plagueis - though no idea if that holds any sway in the new continuity. Some people seem to think this is similar to when he flipped out on Vader, but the key thing to remember here is that Vader could fight back, and WAS. Kylo Ren was helpless in his sleep and couldn't offer any resistance, and Luke had already written off before he ever did anything? When he came face-to-face with Vader himself? No, that's just wrong. This actually paints Luke as an uncaring sociopath, which is consistent with my view that modern entertainment has just gotten too damned cynical. And no matter which way you wanna slice it, that's not the behavior of someone I'd have expected to travel the galaxy, searching out hidden lore, and gathering students and maturing far past how he had first appeared. If anything, he should have been more like his Legends counterpart. It doesn't have to be exact, but that man felt more like Luke and the journey he had embraced in the original trilogy.

[Yukaphile]

He was no longer a brash and impulsive young man. He'd changed. That was clear the moment the dark side held no sway over him anymore - when he didn't kill his father, that was moment he rejected the darkness forever.

[Makeshift Python]

With Kylo, he killed Snoke, then proceeded to replace him, and apparently decided he'd continue his reign of terror (this is one of my big problems with TLJ...why would Kylo Ren simply continue the work of Snoke if he feels betrayed by both his Jedi Master and Snoke?

I think it's as simple as Kylo having a lust for power after succumbing to the dark side. The only purpose that Snoke served in the story was being an obstacle for Kylo to overcome. Now he's surpassed his grandfather and is forging his destiny to how he sees fit. Whether that's been working out for him or not by the start of IX will be seen.

He was no longer a brash and impulsive young man. He'd changed. That was clear the moment the dark side held no sway over him anymore - when he didn't kill his father, that was moment he rejected the darkness forever.

Just because Luke rejected the dark side in ROTJ doesn't mean he's incapable of having a dark thought for a brief moment when provoked enough. He clearly showed far more restraint in that flashback in TLJ than he did when he lashed out in ROTJ.

[MixedDrops]

Yuka, he didn't "plot" to murder Solo, he did it as a knee-jerk reaction, and again, he regretted it immediately. This is directly stated in dialogue. Of course in Kylo's version of events, Skywalker was straight up just out of his mind and trying to kill him, but it kind of gives me a headache that so many people trying to argue that Skywalker is out of character in TLJ will take two versions of the same event...and always declare the one that's clearly coming from a less reliable narrator to be the one that's true.

If there's a valid complaint to be had, it's that it's a really contrived situation- Ben Solo just happened to wake up at that moment? So this whole thing is just a big misunderstanding. I'm guessing Johnson was going for a "great tragedy that could've been easily avoided" sort of tale, but it just seems like a crazy sitcom plot when you think about it (Well, minus the mass murder and starting a new dictatorship and all that).

I think it's as simple as Kylo having a lust for power after succumbing to the dark side. The only purpose that Snoke served in the story was being an obstacle for Kylo to overcome. Now he's surpassed his grandfather and is forging his destiny to how he sees fit. Whether that's been working out for him or not by the start of IX will be seen.

It's fine that Kylo wants power in order to forge his own destiny, I just don't understand why his first act in forging that destiny would be to destroy The Resistance when he no longer has any reason for doing so. Before, he was basically only doing it because he was told to.

[Yukaphile]

And some people think that's consistent with his more "impulsive tendencies" in the OT? No, I still don't buy it. If your mind instinctively goes to "murder" to solve this problem with a family member, it reveals a lot about you - namely that you're a sociopath. That "knee-jerk reaction" feels more like the plot needs him to behave this way than he really would. He was the last Jedi Master. The light side is supposed to help you find inner calm and peace, which he did at the end of Return of the Jedi. You would be conditioned against that kind of thinking. Yet his mind instantly turns to that, after years of rebuilding the Jedi? It's just plain character assassin. Not even Yoda was that much of a dick, and this is the same dude who told Anakin you should just let people die. He questioned Anakin's future, and yet his initial instinct wasn't to kill him as soon as he had those visions. This paints Luke as far weaker than he really is.