Hero's Journey 1: Luke Skywalker - Original trilogy & hypothetic journey to episode 7 to 9

In this series of articles, I would like to study the Hero's journey. It is known that Joseph Campbell was a mentor of George Lucas and the Hero's Journey is a base for the build of the characters and the plot.

My plan is to try to describe the hero's journey of the main characters of StarWars : Luke, Anakin, Ezra, Ashoka, Rey and also counter heroes like Darth Maul and Kylo Ren.
This way I will be able to check if the model is still applied in the newer films and try to extrapolate the model in order to make some thought of what might come in the futures movies or shows.

Indeed, Dysney is also a well known user of this model in every  animated film or other films (like Hook for examples). So I expect that for the future production they will stick to this model that is demonstrated to bring the most  attachment from the public to our hero's.

The first one of my article is probably the easiest. LUKE SKYWALKER. But I will look at it over the whole original trilogy episodes (4 to 6) and even 7. (on the net you can find the journey of Episode 4 only that is indeed already a cycle on his own).

After documenting myself a bit, I actually choose not the Campbell model but the Christopher Vogler (2007) 12 steps. (at the end of the article you can find some background explanations of each steps and some links.

1. THE ORDINARY WORLD.	Home : Luke is a farmer on Tatooine. Learning to fly with goal to enter the academy.
2. THE CALL TO ADVENTURE.	The call : The arrival of the droids: C3PO talks about the rebels. The message from Leia inside R2D2. Searching Obiwan Kenoby. Then : bring R2D2 to Alderaan, learn Force ways.
3. REFUSAL OF THE CALL.	Luke cannot leave. His uncle needs him for work. Threshold guardians : Uncle Ben
4. MEETING WITH THE MENTOR.	Luke meets Ben Kenoby : he learns about the force and his father. Artifact : His father's Lightsaber
5. CROSSING THE THRESHOLD.	Event: Uncle and Tant are killed by the Empire. Luke : "there is nothing left for me here".
6. TESTS, ALLIES AND ENEMIES.	Tests: the Death of Obiwan, the Death Star search and princess rescue, the destruction of the Death Star 1, the escape from the Monster on Hoth. Allies : Han, Chewbecca, Leia, Obiwan (force ghost). Enemies: troopers, Vader, Empereur
7. APPROACH.	The approach is made with Yoda on Dagobah. Luke has to learn the ways of the Force in order to be prepared for the confrontation with Vader and Emperor. Training for becoming a Jedi.
8. THE ORDEAL.	This is the confrontation with Vader on Cloud city: Luke faces the power of the Dark Side, the fear of death, the fear caused by revelation that his father is Vader. The jump into the Cloud city core represents the death and rebirth of Luke after this episode.
9. THE REWARD.	Luke gets the knowledge that his true quest is to turn Vader back to the Light Side. He also discovers that Leia is his sister. So the Reward is hope, and FAMILY.
10. THE ROAD BACK.	Luke returns to his friends to prepare the Endor battle with the knowledge of the bound of the family.  Then he chooses to surrender to Vader in order to try to turn him to the light Side
11. THE RESURRECTION.	After having nearly killed Darth Vader, Luke stops , move away from hate and throws away his weapon. All the up and down we have seen during the film due to his uncontrolled emotions are now over. He is now committed to the light and he truly divide good light and darkness , compassion and greed. Luke nearly died for his quest to redeem his father. The balance in the Force is restored after the Emperor death and Vader redemption. Luke reborns has a powerful Jedi that survived the temptation of the dark Side.
12. RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR.	The elixir is the proof of redemption of Anakin Skywalker + the knowledge of the Force to bring to other people.

Now if we think about episode 7 , we find Luke in Exile after, obviously, a great disappointment that happened after episode 6.
If we look at the Campbell description of the RETURN phase, it looks that Luke failed the last part that is called "master of the 2 worlds": Luke has not managed to live both normal life and life within the Force as a master. Probably the failed teaching of the ways of the force to Ben Solo forced him to exile in order to avoid seek revenge or anger (we do not know yet what happened) that are the ways of the dark side that have been rejected by Luke in the confrontation with the Emperor.

Now at the end of Episode 7, Luke will start a new Journey, a new cycle. Rey finds him and begins back his saber and ask for knowledge : it is the new CALL TO ADVENTURE.
For sure Luke will first REFUSE REY's CALL because it will fear to return and have to face back what caused his exil.

So what will make him CROSS THE THRESHOLD again ? 
My hypothesis : The distress call of his sister Leia to try to bring Ben back to the Light side - The redemption scheme is repeating.
Off course, if Rey is his daughter, that he protected by sending her alone on Jakku, now that she is involved it is no threshold to his return !

Will he have a mentor? 
My hypothesis : YES, His father (as a force ghost) could push him to go again a help of the galaxy. Something like "Save Ben liked you saved me"

The reward (for Luke ) would be then the redemption of Ben. (and as a consequence the fall of Snoke)

Some simple explanations of the Heros Journey.

1.        THE ORDINARY WORLD.  The hero, uneasy, uncomfortable or unaware, is introduced sympathetically so the audience can identify with the situation or dilemma.  The hero is shown against a background of environment, heredity, and personal history.  Some kind of polarity in the hero’s life is pulling in different directions and causing stress.

2.        THE CALL TO ADVENTURE.  Something shakes up the situation, either from external pressures or from something rising up from deep within, so the hero must face the beginnings of change.

3.        REFUSAL OF THE CALL.  The hero feels the fear of the unknown and tries to turn away from the adventure, however briefly.  Alternately, another character may express the uncertainty and danger ahead.

4.        MEETING WITH THE MENTOR.  The hero comes across a seasoned traveler of the worlds who gives him or her training, equipment, or advice that will help on the journey.  Or the hero reaches within to a source of courage and wisdom.

5.        CROSSING THE THRESHOLD.  At the end of Act One, the hero commits to leaving the Ordinary World and entering a new region or condition with unfamiliar rules and values.

6.        TESTS, ALLIES AND ENEMIES.  The hero is tested and sorts out allegiances in the Special World.

7.        APPROACH.  The hero and newfound allies prepare for the major challenge in the Special world.

8.        THE ORDEAL.  Near the middle of the story, the hero enters a central space in the Special World and confronts death or faces his or her greatest fear.  Out of the moment of death comes a new life.

9.        THE REWARD.  The hero takes possession of the treasure won by facing death.  There may be celebration, but there is also danger of losing the treasure again.

10.      THE ROAD BACK.  About three-fourths of the way through the story, the hero is driven to complete the adventure, leaving the Special World to be sure the treasure is brought home.  Often a chase scene signals the urgency and danger of the mission.

11.     THE RESURRECTION.  At the climax, the hero is severely tested once more on the threshold of home.  He or she is purified by a last sacrifice, another moment of death and rebirth, but on a higher and more complete level.  By the hero’s action, the polarities that were in conflict at the beginning are finally resolved.

12.       RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR.  The hero returns home or continues the journey, bearing some element of the treasure that has the power to transform the world as the hero has been transformed.

source :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero%27s_journey
http://www.movieoutline.com/articles/the-hero-journey-mythic-structure-of-joseph-campbell-monomyth.html