The Star Wars sequel trilogy introduced fans to Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy, and then quickly burnt it down. Many fans were excited to see just what Luke had been up to since the end of the original trilogy, and some believed that he would have created a brand-new Jedi Order between the Fall of the Empire and Rise of the First Order. While he did try to build something new, his mission ultimately failed as Ben Solo burnt much of it to the ground before the events of The Force Awakens.
Star Wars has slowly revealed more about Luke's academy in projects like The Book of Boba Fett, but fans have yet to see it in its full glory. While a TV show or movie may explore this time period sometime, a video game could be a better medium. The rise and fall of Luke's academy is a major part of the Star Wars story, and fans want to be able to see just what went down. A lot of fans want to better understand just how Luke Skywalker went from his hopeful nature in Return of the Jedi to a man that had forsaken the Force in The Last Jedi, and a video game could depict those events better than a series or movie.
Star Wars Has Barely Shown Fans Luke's Academy
Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy rose and fell in-between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. After the Battle of Endor, Luke wanted to usher in a new age of Force users, and he chose his sister Leia Organa as his first student. They trained together for a time, but Leia would eventually end her training after witnessing a vision that foresaw the death of her future son, Ben Solo. So, Luke decided to go out across the galaxy to learn more about the original Jedi Order and construct a brand-new temple on Ossus instead.
One of Luke's first students at this temple on Ossus was Grogu, as seen during The Book of Boba Fett. Luke trained Grogu in the ways of the Force, but Grogu ultimately chose to leave the Jedi Order behind and return to Din Djarin instead. Ashoka Tano also bore witness to this new school for Force users, but fans do not know whether she stuck around after Grogu's departure.
Ben Solo was one of the first major students at Luke's new academy. After learning that Snoke was trying to sway him to the dark side, Leia sent Ben off with Luke to learn the light side of the Force. Luke took up training Ben alongside a new set of students. He continued expanding the school as Ben and his classmates grew older, but everything that he built would soon be under threat as a growing darkness loomed inside Ben's mind.
Ben eventually recruited the other students to help him set the temple ablaze with a powerful lightning storm. He fled to the protection of Snoke and left Luke in the rubble. Luke eventually emerged and watched as his temple burned to the ground while his light-sided pupils lay dead. He retreated to Ahch-To and put himself in exile by cutting off from his connection to the Force. This failure would lead him to believe that the Jedi legacy was one of failure, and Ben would go on to become the infamous Kylo Ren while the galaxy fell into disarray once again.
The Rise and Fall of the Academy is an Important Part of Star Wars
The rise and fall of Luke's academy is a very important part of Star Wars lore, but most of it has not been shown off in visual media yet. Fans got their first look at the Jedi Academy during the sequel trilogy, but they only saw how it fell. The Book of Boba Fett gave viewers a better look at the beginning of the temple, but the show did not linger on it for very long. The only other tidbits that fans have gotten are from the comic books and mentions in various novels, and that needs to be rectified.
Star Wars fans have seen the beginning and the end of the Jedi temple, and they have to read about the middle chapter. While a show or movie may explore this middle chapter, perhaps a video game would be a better option. Video games can tell a much larger story than a movie can, and they allow fans to actually be a part of it. Gamers could take control of Luke Skywalker, or create one of their own Padawans and then witness the temple at its height before its fall. They could then watch as Ben Solo tears it to the ground, and maybe even be given the option to join him in this mission.
There are not many Star Wars titles that explore the events between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. Star Wars Battlefront 2 and Star Wars Squadrons showed various parts of this period from the perspective of soldiers, but there has not been an exploration of the force during this time. While there are many Star Wars games that follow force users, there are none that follow Luke's failed attempt at creating a brand-new Jedi Order. With how many interesting events occur, fans deserve to see this in some type of format, and video games could be the perfect medium to tell that story.