Star Wars may be giving us its Luke Skywalker replacement via Ryan Gosling’s character. Gosling will appear in Star Wars: Starfighter, a movie set for release in 2027. As the most immediate upcoming Star Wars movie after The Mandalorian and Grogu in 2026, Starfighter is primed to be important to the franchise’s future.

Aside from its exciting placement on the Star Wars timeline, Starfighter seems important due to its high-profile casting choices. Revered horror actor Mia Goth has been cast in Star Wars: Starfighter as the main villain, with Gosling leading the heroic side of the cast. Since its inception, Star Wars has been a franchise known for casting unknown actors in lead roles.

Household names like Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher were once lesser-known before A New Hope, as were sequel trilogy stars like Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Adam Driver. With Star Wars: Starfighter, though, casting a major Hollywood star like Gosling signals a change in direction. Stemming from this high-profile casting choice, Star Wars could be providing its Luke Skywalker replacement.

Ryan Gosling’s Character Is Immediately Comparable To Luke Skywalker

The Characters Share Similar Traits

Based on the limited information that has been revealed about Star Wars: Starfighter thus far, it is safe to ᴀssume that Gosling’s character shares elements with Luke Skywalker. After all, the film is called Starfighter, with Gosling as the main character. If anything, this indicates Gosling will be playing a fighter pilot in the Star Wars galaxy.

Immediately, this draws comparisons with Luke Skywalker. Of course, Luke is now ᴀssociated with the Jedi, given his overall arc in the original Star Wars trilogy, as well as his role in the sequels. Initially, though, Luke was nothing more than a farm boy who became a fighter pilot for Star Wars’ Rebel Alliance.

In A New Hope, Luke’s burgeoning Jedi skills were not the focus. The entire final act sees him in the cockpit of an X-Wing, fighting off TIE Fighters before blowing up the Death Star. Luke became a Jedi Master, yes, but his origins in the Star Wars galaxy surrounded his starfighter skills.

Herein lie the comparisons between Luke and Gosling’s mysterious character. If the latter’s primary skillset comes in the cockpit of a starfighter, as the film’s тιтle seems to suggest, audiences will make a subconscious link between the two characters, as well as the likes of Anakin Skywalker and Poe Dameron.

There’s A Subtle Hint Ryan Gosling’s Character Could Have The Force

Causing Even More Luke Skywalker Comparisons

To further the theory that Ryan Gosling’s character in Star Wars: Starfighter will be Luke Skywalker’s replacement, Lucasfilm has given us a subtle hint about the Force. Star Wars: Starfighter was first announced at Star Wars Celebration 2025. Shortly after this, the Star Wars X account posted a short teaser for the тιтle graphic.

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Before the words Star Wars: Starfighter show up, a flash of golden light appears. This flash eventually expands into a six-pointed star, with an elongated beam shooting out from the very top. This is reminiscent of the Jedi Order symbol, with a rendition of Star Wars’ original theme blaring out as the symbol fades into the Starfighter тιтle card.

The Star Wars theme is expected with any new movie, but the use of the Jedi Order symbol seems more intentional. The symbol is meant to resemble a lightsaber, with the star being the hilt and the elongated beam being the blade. Star Wars: Starfighter uses this, potentially hinting that Gosling’s character is linked to the Jedi, perhaps via Force-sensitivity.

A Force-sensitive starfighter pilot? The links between Luke Skywalker and Ryan Gosling’s Star Wars: Starfighter character continue to grow, hinting that the latter is the former’s replacement.

Ryan Gosling’s Character Will Introduce Us To A New Status Quo

The Final Luke Skywalker Link

Finally, the last piece of evidence that indicates Gosling’s character will be Star Wars’ Luke Skywalker replacement is how the former will usher in a new status quo. The timeline of each upcoming Star Wars movie is interesting, but Starfighter‘s is more so.

The film is set after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the only era in the timeline that is yet to be explored in any medium. Star Wars: Starfighter could have used a sequel-era character, or another established hero, to show what the galaxy is like after the ultimate defeat of Palpatine. Instead, Starfighter is opting for an entirely new character.

The franchise will thus show us the status quo through fresh eyes, something that can also be attributed to Luke Skywalker. A New Hope saw George Lucas take a seemingly unimportant farm boy from the deserted planet of Tatooine and thrust him into a wider world of Jedi, Empires, and Rebellions, with the sequels doing the same via Rey.

This time, Star Wars: Starfighter will do the same for the post-Rise of Skywalker era. A completely new character will lead the charge into the future of the Star Wars timeline, just as Luke did before him. This is but one of the many reasons why I am convinced that Star Wars is introducing Luke Skywalker’s replacement in the form of Ryan Gosling’s new character.