Although the film that kicked off the latest Star Wars trilogy, The Force Awakens, is now a decade old, some mysteries about the film still have yet to be fully solved. One of which includes the legendary Luke Skywalker, and if he was supposed to have a bigger role in the film. 

Fans will remember that Luke only appeared on screen in The Force Awakens during the closing moments of the film, where Daisy Ridley’s Rey finds him on a remote planet, hoping for his guidance as a Jedi. Although Luke had mere moments of screen time and no dialogue, and finding him was the motivation of many characters in the film, ironically, Mark Hamill still got one of the highest billed credits. 

After doing some research, Collider discovered that Luke may have been slated to make an appearance earlier in the film, be it a very brief one. Halfway through The Force Awakens, Rey experiences a vision when she handles Luke’s old lightsaber, seemingly transporting her to Cloud City, the location of the fateful battle between Luke and Darth Vader, where Luke was forced to learn a shocking revelation. Although the two were never seen, the location was undoubtedly that of Cloud City. 

Going even further, the novelized adaptation, from Alan Dean Foster, has Rey actually spot the two characters dueling, although Luke’s face is never shown. 

Screenrant had reported the revealed set pictures, however, indicate that they may have intended to show the duel from Rey’s perspective. Rumors had circulated back in 2015 that Robert Boulter was cast to play a younger Luke, but ScreenCrush had ultimately deemed it a rumor when it never came to fruition on theater screens. 

However, these set pictures do in fact show Boulter in not just any Star Wars getup, but in Luke’s iconic Bespin fatigues he wore during the duel, complete with the tears in his uniform and his lightsaber circa-Empire Strikes Back. Presumably, he would not have been shown head-on, but the outfit, along with the blue lightsaber, would have been unmistakable. 

Between the set photos and the novelization, Collider pieced together how Luke was supposed to appear as his younger self in The Force Awakens but also noted with a tinge of remorse that Boulter’s work as Luke, no matter how brief, would never see the light of day. 

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