Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker - POTF2 [R/G] - Basic

HEIGHT: 1.72 meters
STATUS: Jedi Knight, Rebel Commander and Pilot
CLASSIFICATION: Human
AFFILIATION: Human
WEAPON OF CHOICE: Lightsaber
HOMEWORLD: Tatooine
VEHICLE OF CHOICE: Incom T-65B X-Wing Fighter

For over a thousand generations an elite society of warriors known as the Jedi Knights acted as guardians to the Old Republic. They were warriors of light, protectors of freedom and justice. Jedi let the Force flow through them, performing amazing feats of unbelievable power and proportion. The Old Republic flourished under their protection, until the power hungry Emperor Palpatine and a corrupt Jedi known as Darth Vader hunted down and eradicated the order of Jedi Knights. The only ones known to survive were Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Jedi Master Yoda. Thus began the era of the evil Empire.

Years later, the appearance of Luke Skywalker offered new hope. Under the tutelage of Obi-Wan and Yoda, he learned the ways of the Force and became a Jedi Knight.Using his newly-developed powers, Luke successfully led a campaign to rescue Han Solo from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt. After Yoda confirmed what Luke feared most – that Darth Vader was his father – he decided to confront Vader, not to do battle, but to reach whatever good remained in the man once known as Anakin Skywalker. The diabolical Emperor Palpatine wanted Luke's power under his tutelage, but the young Jedi was strong and resisted the potent allure of the dark side – though it nearly cost him his life. When the Emperor rose to annihilate Luke Skywalker, Vader hurled Palpatine to his death, sacrificing himself for his son.

While the sentiment may not reflect complete accuracy, it’s a pretty safe bet to claim that Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker was perhaps the most awaited Star Wars figures of 1996. He was announced in the middle of chaos so to speak. Lucasfilm Ltd. has just announced another eagerly anticipated Star Wars event known as Shadows Of The Empire, and because the story took place in between Episode IV and Episode V, it was fertile ground to create action figures based on Return Of The Jedi to go along with them and enhance whatever characters were planned for the multimedia event. Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker shipped alongside five of the Shadows Of The Empire action figures (along with a few others) and as EU fans began hoarding characters like Chewbacca (In Bounty Hunter Disguise) and Luke Skywalker (In Imperial Guard Disguise), most of us were stockpiling Leia (In Boushh Disguise) (also from the Shadows Of The Empire line) and Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker. The figure itself was drool worthy at the time. Interestingly, the facial features and even the frame of the body don’t resemble Luke Skywalker all that much. But we didn’t really care. It was one of the fastest selling action figures Kenner had released to date and thought it was pure awesome.

Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker comes with only two accessories: a molded Jedi cloak and a green lightsaber. They’re simple accessories but interact nicely with the figure. We’re not huge fans of plastic molded clothing, but this Jedi cloak seems to work well with Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker. The one drawback however is that it completely inhibits the figure’s articulation. You’ll even struggle with posing him with his lightsaber while wearing the cloak. (It’s possible but it just isn’t a natural fit.) The cloak covers his arms and legs, so you’re going to be able to attain any action poses with it. That’s alright though because Luke Skywalker didn’t really perform much action which wearing the cloak. We’re fans of soft-goods, so it’s hard for us to accept that molded outerwear looks to be the way Kenner is headed. But knowing that this is a new route they’re taking, the figure doesn’t look half bad with it. You’ll alos probably be interested to know that the cloak came in two colors. The first version had a blue hue to it, and it was quickly changed to a deeper black. The other accessory, a green fully lit lightsaber can be placed in either hand. And for what it is, it’s a nice accessory. There are actually two different versions of the lightsaber. The first release had concave ringlets on the hilt. Kenner then updated the accessory so that the ringlets became convex.

Perhaps the greatest variation to Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker is the figure itself however. The figure originally shipped with a grayish/tan colored vest. The rest of the figure’s black color also had the same blue hue as the first release of the cloak. Some have attributed this differing color scheme to be directly related to Luke’s appearance in the Shadows Of The Empire multimedia event, but that has yet to be proven. The figure was quickly changed to an “all black” color for its clothing and that has been the version that most fans agree looks the best. Sadly, Kenner never updated the cloak to a correct Dark brown color, the actual color of this apparel. Clearly, Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker will go down in action figure infamy for its many variation, rather than its merits. But that’s just what happens sometimes when an action figures goes through so many transitions like this. Our biggest complaint would be the head sculpt. Kenner keeps using slight variations of the same Luke Skywalker head sculpt, and his appearance changed throughout the saga. By the time Return Of The Jedi came around, Mark Hamill was fully healed from his injuries and sported a truly new likeness for himself, We would love to see that represented in the action figures as well. It’s still a monumental action figure despite its criticisms. But we know better is in the future.