Here’s What Planet (& Why) Luke Skywalker Was Raised On

Despite the fact that he came from a backwater planet that doesn’t have anything important from an objective standpoint, Luke Skywalker became one of the most important heroes of the galaxy and was basically the one who defeated Darth Vader before bringing him back to the light as Anakin Skywalker. Of course, his planet of origin is important when it comes to telling his story because no one would ever suspect that a hero could come from a simple world. So, where did Luke come from, and why was he raised on that planet?

Luke Skywalker was raised on the planet called Tatooine under the care and guidance of his step-relatives Owen and Beru Lars. He was specifically taken there because Obi-Wan Kenobi wanted to keep him safe from the Empire before he was old enough to be trained as a Jedi.

No matter how important Tatooine may be compared to many of the different planets in Star Wars, the truth is that this is still a backwater world that was never important to the Empire. That was why Luke was able to grow up on Tatooine with minimal problems related to the Empire and Darth Vader. Let’s examine how and why Luke was raised in this backwater world.

Obi-Wan intended to train Luke instead of Leia

Born as the twin children of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala, Luke and Leia already had difficult lives when they came out of their mother’s womb. Anakin had just fallen to the dark side and was now Darth Vader. Meanwhile, Padmé had given up on life and died of a broken heart after giving birth to her children. This left Luke and Leia without their parents while onboard Bail Organa’s ship on Polis Massa’s planetoid.

This left the trio of Bail Organa, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Yoda with a problem related to the twins because they knew that the Empire should never know that they were alive and that Padmé had actually given birth to them before she died. Of course, it was also important for the twins to live separate lives to decrease the chances of the Empire discovering them simultaneously.

Because Bail and his wife always wanted to have a daughter, they decided to take in Leia as their own. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan took Luke to Tatooine, where he could be with Owen and Beru Lars. Owen was Anakin’s step-brother through Shmi Skywalker’s marriage with Owen’s father.

Of course, Obi-Wan also had a different agenda on his mind as he believed that Anakin was already a failure as the Chosen One. He saw Luke as the only hope left for the galaxy, which was why he was also willing to be the boy’s hidden guardian during his childhood. Obi-Wan wanted to train Luke in the ways of the Force because he knew he would have the same aptitude as his father.

In that regard, we can see how and why Luke and Leia were separated. Luke needed to be elsewhere to be a Jedi by the time he got older. On the other hand, Leia was raised to be a politician by the Organa family on Alderaan.

Why was Luke raised on Tatooine?

Another key reminder about the fact that Luke was raised on Tatooine was that Obi-Wan Kenobi wanted him to be with his family. As mentioned, Anakin’s mother married Owen’s father. That means that Owen was Luke’s step-uncle, even though they were never blood-related. And Obi-Wan didn’t want to give Luke to any other family, as he wanted his family to raise him.

Of course, it was also worth mentioning that Tatooine was one of the best planets to hide Luke from the eyes of the Empire. While Leia was able to enjoy a life of luxury as a princess of Alderaan and was hidden from the eyes of the Empire by the power and influence of her parents, Luke was basically raised on a backwater planet with nothing important for the Empire.

Tatooine was a barren desert planet that became home to some of the most powerful gangsters in the galaxy. The Empire’s presence on Tatooine was minimal not only because there was nothing important for the Empire on this planet but also because the Hutt crime syndicate controlled it. In that regard, hiding the son of the Chosen One on a backwater planet with nothing important on it was also a good idea.

Nevertheless, the most important part was for Luke to be with his family. Even though Owen and Beru were not related to Luke by blood, they raised him as their own son. They loved Luke not only because they couldn’t have a child alone but because they truly cared for the boy. And we all know that they did a good job raising and protecting Luke as he became a fine young man.

We also saw in the ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ series that both Owen and Beru were more than willing to lay their lives down on the line to protect Luke. That was why they were the best people to raise the young boy despite the fact that they couldn’t give him the luxuries that Leia could enjoy while she was growing up as a princess.

Did Anakin and Luke grow up on the same planet?

Another important parallel between Luke and his father, Anakin, can be seen in the fact that they were both raised on Tatooine. While Anakin wasn’t born on Tatooine, he spent nine years of his life in this world because he and his mother were sold to Watto as his slaves. And it was only when Qui-Gon Jinn found him on Tatooine he became a Jedi.

Luke, of course, wasn’t born on Tatooine as well but was brought there by Obi-Wan. In that sense, he was like his father because they were both raised on Tatooine even though they weren’t born there. But the difference is that Luke was able to enjoy a happy childhood under the guidance of his uncle and aunt. Of course, Obi-Wan was also there to watch over him for nearly 20 years.

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