Summary
The creator ofStar Wars, George Lucas, made one massive change to the character of Luke Skywalker in the earliest days ofA New Hope’s production. Then simply titled after the franchise itself,A New Hopeis thefirstStar Warsmovie in release order. Since then, Lucas has naturally gone back and changed the chronological order of theStar Warsfranchise, withupcomingStar Warsmoviesplanning to take this to another level with James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi movie.
Regardless of what took place before and afterA New Hope, the film remains the centerpiece of theStar Warsfranchise. Even still, there are elements ofA New Hopethat many have missed, 47 years after the film’s release. One of these aspects links to the early ideas centering on the character of Luke Skywalker. The true beginning ofLuke Skywalker’sStar WarstimelineisA New Hope, though one feature of his character was entirely different right up until the beginning of the film’s production when George Lucas made a big call.
Luke’s Surname Was Originally “Starkiller”
The Iconic Name Skywalker Was Almost Very Different
The change in question regarded Luke Skywalker’s surname. Originally,Lucas planned to have Luke’s surname be Starkiller. This plan was so embedded into the early production of the film that Mark Hamill had already filmed some scenes using the name, including already recording the iconic line “I’m Luke Starkiller, I’m here to rescue you!” Of course, this was altered to Skywalker after Lucas decided to change the name, leading to the iconic family title that has permeated everyStar Warsstory since.pox
Starkiller was still utilized as a name for a fan-favorite character despite not being what the central family ofStar Warscame to be known by…
Interestingly, Starkiller was a name that was used in anotherStar Warsproperty. Starkiller is the codename of Galen Marek, the lead character in theStar Wars: The Force Unleashedvideo games. Galen was a Sith assassin who worked for Darth Vader between the events ofRevenge of the SithandA New Hope, meaning Starkiller was still utilized as a name for a fan-favorite character despite not being what the central family ofStar Warscame to be known by.
The Force Unleashed and Starkiller are currently non-canon in Star Wars.
Why George Lucas Changed Luke’s Surname
The reason as to why Lucas changed Luke’s surname from Starkiller to Skywalker actually stems from real-life events rather than an in-universe story decision. In 1969, the Manson Murders - committed by the cult members dedicated to the eponymous Charles Manson - took place. One of the victims of these murders was up-and-coming actress Sharon Tate.
Lucas feared that the name Starkiller would draw negative comparisons to the Manson Murders. This links to the term “star killer” being potentially used to describe those who murdered Sharon Tate, withStar Wars’release coming less than a decade later. As such, Lucas decided to avoid these potential comparisons altogether by renaming Luke Starkiller to Luke Skywalker, thus birthing the family name that has become integral to all ofStar Wars.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
Cast
Star Wars is a seminal science fiction film released in 1977 that follows the quest of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo to rescue Princess Leia from the oppressive Imperial forces. They are aided by the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, as they strive to restore peace to the galaxy.
