The Book of Boba Fett has officially come to an end on Disney+. The finale showcased the penultimate war that had been building throughout the show between the Pyke Syndicate and Temuera Morrison's Boba Fett. After a long-fought battle with a number of Pyke warriors, Scorpenek droids, and even rival bounty hunter Cad Bane, Boba was able to save the city of Mos Espa and the rest of Tatooine from the spice trade run by the Syndicate.
During the war, Lord Fett found himself with some aid from loyal friends and followers. Ming-Na Wen's Fennec Shand, who serves as Boba's right-hand and master assassin, combined her skills with the Mods and Black Krrsantan in the fight. Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin also aided Fett, going so far as to offer his life to the bounty hunter due to the Mandalorian creed's ways.
Of course, it is important not to forget about Grogu, who helped bring down one of the two Scorpenek droids and even put Boba's rancor to sleep using the Force.
Baby Yoda was brought to Tatooine to reunite with Din after he made an off-screen choice to take the Beskar armor over Yoda's lightsaber. Immediately after the cold open and the title screen revealed the finale to be called "Chapter 7: In the Name of Honor," an X-Wing flew into the docking bay belonging to Amy Sedaris' Peli Motto. She thought that it was being piloted by an officer of the New Republic just before Grogu appeared from the cockpit.
Many viewers were surprised to see that Luke Skywalker gave R2-D2 full responsibility of returning Grogu to Din, especially since the Jedi Master was just seen in the majority of the previous episode.
Where Was Luke Skywalker During Book of Boba Fett's Finale?
Leading up to The Book of Boba Fett's finale, there were a number of popular theories flying around about who could show up in the episode to help Boba Fett handle his problem with the Pykes. One of the most popular ideas was that Grogu would choose the chainmail that the Mandalorian had made for him, and as a result, Luke Skywalker would return to his homeworld to drop the little guy off.
After meeting up with Din, many thought that Luke would learn what was going on with the Pyke Syndicate's spice trade and that he would even join the action to even out the odds.
However, this did not come to pass, as Luke didn't even make an appearance in the episode. It would not have been a surprise if he showed up in the episode after the fighting was over and gave Grogu to Din at that point. A fight between two crime syndicates over a spice trade seems to be below the pay grade of what Luke is used to, but it was surprising for many that he was not present at all.
Here are some possible theories about why Luke Skywalker was absent during the finale of The Book of Boba Fett (besides the series' budgetary constraints).
Luke is Tired of Tatooine
For Tatooine being a desert planet in the outer rim of the galaxy, a lot seems to go on there.
Since Star Wars was released in 1977, this planet has been a central setting of the Skywalker Saga. It's where Luke and Anakin both grew up, and even after leaving the barren wastes of the planet to become Jedi, they were both forced back there to resolve some sort of conflict. For Anakin, it was his mother, and Luke had to return to save Han Solo.
In The Book of Boba Fett, Luke simply could not have wanted to go back to Tatooine. During his time there as a boy, he was somewhat sheltered by his aunt and uncle. They didn't want him meeting Obi-Wan Kenobi and learning the truth about his father, Darth Vader. In A New Hope, his aunt and uncle perished at the hands of the Empire.
When he returns to the planet in Return of the Jedi to save Han from Jabba the Hutt, they are taken out to the Dune Sea to be fed to the Sarlaac. Han, whose eyesight was temporarily gone from being frozen in carbonite, is told by Luke that "there's nothing to see" on the planet, and it seems as though he wants to leave as soon as possible.
When it comes to Tatooine, Luke more than likely has nothing but bad memories about the planet. He had to see his aunt and uncle burned by the Empire, he never got to do as much as his friends did when growing up, and he was almost killed by Jabba. Understandably, he probably does not want to go back after all of that drama.
Guidance from His Masters
After Grogu chose to be with the Mandalorian over becoming a Jedi, Luke probably didn't know what to do next. Grogu was going to be the first student that Luke ever had, and after he decided to leave, the Jedi Master likely doubted his ability to actually train a new generation of Force-users.
It is likely that, as soon as Grogu departed, Luke began seeking out the wisdom and guidance of his own masters, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda. In Return of the Jedi, just as Yoda was about to pass away, he told Luke to "pass on what (he has) learned." With his only attempt at passing on that knowledge failing, his natural response would be to see what they think he should do next.
It is also possible that, along with Yoda and Obi-Wan, he could have even been seeking help from his father, Anakin. It is unclear how much time Luke and Ahsoka Tano have spent together, but seeing how she was the apprentice of Luke's father, it is likely that he knows most of the history between the two, including her walking away from the Jedi.
Luke could very well have tried to get in contact with his father, who went through a similar situation with Ahsoka. Perhaps he could ask Anakin what he did after she left, and try to get some sense of how to move forward.
Luke was Angry with Grogu's Decision
While Luke did give Grogu a decision at the end of Chapter 6 of The Book of Boba Fett, he did entice the child quite a bit to choose the lightsaber. For one, any child would see a lightsaber and immediately be intrigued by it, and on top of that, Luke made sure that Grogu knew he would be able to take care of himself and he would also be Luke's first student.
It is reasonable to think that Luke was probably a little angry, or even annoyed with Grogu after he chose the armor. In the timeline, five years have passed since Return of the Jedi, so Luke was probably ready for his first student and excited that he would get to train someone that came from the same species as Yoda.
On the Hunt for New Students
In the canon comic book run titled "The Rise of Kylo Ren," a younger Ben Solo tells another character that he was Luke's first student. In that same comic line, the reader is introduced to other members of Luke's Jedi Academy. Now that Luke knows he has the ability to train students, and his temple is quickly being built, he could have immediately gone to find his sister, Leia, so that he could start Ben's training.
Ben was born roughly a year following the events of Return of the Jedi, so that would put him at about four or five years old during The Book of Boba Fett. If Luke follows the same practices as the old Jedi Order, then Ben is the perfect age to begin his training.
Assuming Luke is given the green light by Leia to begin training Ben, he would then immediately go off to gather other students. In the comic books, Ben's peers are around the same age as him, so it can be inferred that Luke recruited them quickly after he was entrusted with Ben. It is more than possible that Luke immediately wanted to start his academy after seeing that he could fine-tune Grogu's skills.
Luke Actually Was on Tatooine
The only shot of the X-Wing that was seen in The Book of Boba Fett was as it was coming into Mos Eisley's spaceport. It wasn't shown entering the planet or leaving, so there is a possibility that Luke did actually travel to Tatooine, and just got off at a different stop - Anchorhead.
It is hard to believe that Luke would trust such an important figure as Grogu to only be with R2 flying halfway across the galaxy. He would have to take into consideration that something could go wrong with the ship, they could run into some kind of trouble with marauders or pirates, or something else dangerous.
Also, Luke has to know that Grogu is on the radar of the remaining Imperial forces. Moff Gideon was using the child for something extremely important in Season 2 of The Mandalorian, and it is hard to believe that Luke would just leave him without protection.
In A New Hope, Tosche Station was where Luke wanted to go at the beginning of the movie. That was the popular hangout spot for his friends, and it was located on the outskirts of the old mining town known as Anchorhead. Coincidentally, Boba Fett actually visits Tosche Station in Chapter 2 of The Book of Boba Fett. Luke's friends, Camie and Fixer, who are from a deleted scene in A New Hope, are actually present in the episode as well:
It isn't unlikely that Luke wanted to see his friends just one more time, and maybe even revisit the Lars homestead to pay homage to his aunt and uncle. However, he is one of the most famous people in the entire galaxy, and if he entered a place like Mos Eisley or Mos Espa, he would most definitely be recognized right away.
If R2 were to drop him off at Anchorhead, he could easily make it over to Tosche Station where he would likely find his old friends. From there, they would more than likely have no problem with giving him a ride back to his old home, and then R2 could easily have flown over and picked him up after dropping Grogu off.
What's Next for Master Skywalker?
Now that Luke had to give up his one and only student, it is only a matter of time before he recruits Ben Solo to officially start his academy. From there, the sequel trilogy tells viewers that his school doesn't turn out exactly how he wants it, which leads right into the three films that close out the Skywalker Saga.
There is a significant period of time for Luke between The Book of Boba Fett and his next appearance on Ach-To in The Force Awakens, so it may be possible for another future Disney+ series to feature the Jedi Master.
