Despite happening beyond the big screen, Luke Skywalker did quite a bit in the years between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. At the start of Star Wars‘ sequel trilogy, Luke is in self-imposed exile due to the mistakes of his past. However, there’s still plenty of good that Skywalker achieved in the days of the New Republic.

Following the Empire’s surrender at Jakku, the New Republic Era began as an age of peace and renewed democracy. While there were still threats to be faced, it was still the perfect time for Luke to start restoring the Jedi Order. Here are the 10 most important things Luke Skywalker did between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.

10

Luke Saved The Great Force Tree

In the immediate aftermath of Return of the Jedi and the Battle of Endor, Luke Skywalker managed to infiltrate a secret laboratory that had belonged to Emperor Palpatine. Joined by Shara Bey (Poe Dameron’s mother), Luke was able to save the last two remnants of the great Force tree that had once stood in the courtyard of Coruscant’s Jedi Temple.

When Palpatine’s Empire first began and the Sith Lord turned the temple into his Imperial Palace, it seems he stole the tree to be experimented on. As such, Luke Skywalker saving the tree was one of his first victories in the name of preserving and restoring the Jedi Order’s legacy.

While Luke Skywalker kept one of the Force tree fragments, he gifted the other to Shara Bay and her husband, who planted it just outside their home on Yavin 4.

9

Luke Skywalker vs Moff Adelhard

Leading up to and during the definitive Battle of Jakku between the Rebellion and shattered Empire, Luke Skywalker faced the unhinged Moff Adelhard.

Unlike his fellow officers who bent their knee to Grand Admiral Sloane and Counselor Gallius Rax, Moff Adelhard refused to believe that the Empire was falling apart, locking down the Anoat Sector under an “Iron Blockade”, attempting to stage an Imperial coup while also seeking to eradicate the Rebellion before it could become an official New Republic.

However, Adelhard was ultimately defeated by Luke Skywalker, while his forces crumbled due to the combined efforts of Lando Calrissian’s siege and Counselor Rax, who’d ordering the rogue Imperial leader’s elimination.

8

The Quest For Jedi Relics and Artifacts

Throughout this period between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, one of Luke Skywalker’s primary goals was to search for and find any ancient relics, artifacts, and texts he could find about the Jedi Order, hoping to gain further knowledge and insight ahead of restarting his own academy.

This includes a rare Jedi star compᴀss seen in the story campaign for Battlefront II. Luke also gained key allies in his quest, including the Church of the Force’s Lor San Tekka and the rogue archaeologist Doctor Aphra.

7

Meeting Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker’s Apprentice

At some point, Luke Skywalker met Ahsoka Tano during the New Republic Era, the former apprentice to his father, Anakin Skywalker.

In The Book of Boba Fett, Luke and Ahsoka were already familiar with each other, and it’s clear that they had spoken to some degree about the past Jedi Order and Ahsoka’s history with Anakin, before he fell to the dark side as Darth Vader. Ahsoka might have even provided Luke with some guidance about his new Jedi academy.

6

Luke Building His Jedi Academy on Ossus

Also seen in The Book of Boba Fett, which takes place about a decade into the New Republic Era, construction was well underway for Luke’s new Jedi academy on Ossus. An old Jedi world, Ossus was a fitting location for Luke’s new academy as he intended to one day train future Jedi Knights to help protect the galaxy far, far away.

5

Rescuing and Training Grogu

In The Mandalorian season 2, Luke Skywalker heard Grogu’s call through the Force when the child used the seeing stone on the Jedi world of Tython. As a result, Luke arrived just in time to save Grogu, Din Djarin, and their allies from Moff Gideon’s Darktrooper forces.

Displaying his impressive Force abilities as a Jedi master, Luke dispatched all the Imperial droids before agreeing to take Grogu to be trained as a Jedi.

Grogu’s subsequent training was then seen in The Book of Boba Fett, though the child ultimately chose to abandon the training and reunite with Din Djarin. However, Luke did help Grogu develop his power in the Force to some degree (while also facing his trauma from Order 66).

4

Training Ben Solo (And A New Generation of Jedi)

A few years later, Luke Skywalker took on his nephew as his first true apprentice. Before his corruption to the dark side by Snoke, Ben Solo was an incredibly gifted student, who also helped his uncle train other Jedi initiates who came to the academy on Ossus.

Ben Solo often joined his uncle on his expeditions to find new Jedi texts and artifacts. However, he did feel immense pressure to live up to his family’s legacy, a key factor that aided in his ultimate corruption, especially after it was revealed that his family had been keeping secrets from him (like Darth Vader’s true idenтιтy as Ben’s grandfather).

3

Locating The First Jedi Temple

Having traced the Jedi Order’s history back to its origins, Luke Skywalker eventually found Ahch-To, the remote planet that was home to the very first Jedi Temple. This was done with help from the historian and Church of the Force leader Lor San Tekka.

Likewise, Ahch-To would ultimately become the site where Rey would find the Jedi Master at the end of The Force Awakens.

2

Luke Encountered Anakin’s Force Ghost

Using the same seeing stone on Tython used by Grogu in The Mandalorian season 2, Luke experiences a Force-induced vision, one that projects him to the Sith world of Exegol. Unaware of Palpatine’s presence, Luke finds himself surrounded by nine Sith wraiths instead.

However, Luke is ultimately saved by none other than Anakin’s Force ghost. Sending his son back to Tython, Anakin’s Force ghost warns Luke of a renewed and imminent darkness. However, Luke believes the new threat ends with the growing Sith Eternal cult, not knowing that the resurrected Palpatine is in the shadows (as he wouldn’t be revealed until The Rise of Skywalker).

1

Luke Skywalker’s Exile and Cutting Himself Off From The Force

Tragically, one of the last and most important things Luke Skywalker did during this interim era between trilogies was fail.

Fearing the darkness within his nephew, Skywalker had the briefest moment of weakness where Luke considered killing Ben Solo before he could become too powerful in the dark side. However, Ben waking up and seeing his uncle with his lightsaber activated was enough to send him straight to the dark, feeling utterly betrayed.

Through Kylo’s corruption, Luke’s Jedi academy was destroyed along with all of his students. Likewise, Ben Solo became Snoke’s new apprentice, Kylo Ren.

In the aftermath, Luke Skywalker chose to go into exile on Ahch-To, living out his days in broken solitude at the first Jedi temple. He also cut himself off from the Force, believing that he was no longer worthy in light of his failures.

This is how Rey finds Luke Skywalker at the end of The Force Awakens, despite all the good the Jedi Master managed to accomplish in the three decades since Return of the Jedi.