The legacy of master and apprentice has permeated the Star Wars franchise ever since Obi-Wan Kenobi took on Luke Skywalker as his apprentice in A New Hope. The prequel trilogy showed how these bonds could form in different ways, with Anakin and Obi-Wan operating more like siblings but Kenobi and his master, Qui-Gon Jinn, taking on a more parental model. When Luke was introduced to Yoda in the original trilogy, the master and apprentice dynamic shifted again due to Yoda’s more unorthodox approach to teaching.
In The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda had been in exile on the planet Dagobah for at least two decades. When he met Luke, he concealed his identity and acted more like a crazed hermit than a wise Jedi. This tested Luke’s temper, since he wanted nothing more than to train with a competent teacher. However, while Yoda was testing the young Jedi, he also communed with the spirit of Obi-Wan, telling him of his doubts about training young Skywalker. Luke later borrowed this troll-ish nature from his Jedi Master in the film, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi.
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When Rey finally found Luke in seclusion on the planet Ahch-To, he wanted no business with either her or the Resistance. Following his failure to continue the Jedi Order, he decided to spend the rest of his life in seclusion, disillusioned by the ways of the Jedi and the cause of those who fought against the First Order. While Rey continued to bother Luke to train her, he decided to give her a test shown in the deleted scene, “Caretaker Village Sequence.”
In the scene, Rey saw a village that looked to be under attack. Luke told her that a neighboring village appeared once a month to “raid and plunder” the denizens. While Rey wanted to help, Luke told her a true Jedi would do nothing and only act if it was to maintain balance. Rey couldn’t stand aside and let that happen, so she decided to strike, slicing her way into the village.
However, when she arrived, she realized that there was no attack. In reality, the villagers were all gathering for a party and began to cheer when Rey waved her lightsaber. She then confronted Luke, who believed it was a hilarious joke. Rey didn’t see it that way and reminded Luke that real people were dying while he was sitting back and making jokes. The scene highlighted the major difference between Luke and Yoda’s joking nature.
For Yoda, he always studied Luke to see what his character was like. In contrast, Luke only joked because he believed that he knew better and didn’t take the galaxy’s situation seriously enough. Even though the scene was cut to maintain the film’s pacing, it still showed the growing tension between the two characters that ultimately led to their conflict. Yoda’s later appearance in the film reminded Luke that even though he was a Jedi Master, he still had much to learn. Yoda’s final lesson helped push Luke to finally choose a side and face off against Ben Solo and the First Order one final time.
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