A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far, Far Away...

The quest found in Star Wars is without a doubt one of the greatest and most recognizable of quests in both literary and cinematic history. The story--following the initially annoying, but eventually beloved Luke Skywalker--has become a timeless epic, and in every way meets Thomas C. Foster's criteria of what makes a quest. While the whole saga encompasses six films, for the sake of coherency I will only discuss Episode IV, A New Hope, which was the first of the series to be released.

The Quester

Luke Skywalker is the main quester of the story, a young farmer who lives with his aunt and uncle on the desert planet of Tatooine. Luke feels trapped with his family, in his home, as many teens often do at some point. He believes that moisture farming on Tatooine has no future for him, that he belongs elsewhere in the galaxy. Upon purchasing R2-D2, a small droid with a secret message locked within its databanks, and meeting Ben Kenobi, the last known remnant of the ancient Jedi Order, Luke is swept away from Tatooine on a quest that will determine the fate of the galaxy itself.

The Destination

Luke's initial destination is the planet of Alderaan, home of Princess Leia, a key figure in the Rebel Alliance against the evil Galactic Empire. Luke, along with Ben and the others in his group, is to deliver R2 to the princess, so that she can use the stolen blueprints for the Empire's superweapon, the Death Star, to exploit its weakness and help the Rebels destroy it. However, before Luke can reach Alderaan, the planet is destroyed by the Death Star, with Leia locked away within its prison block. After the destruction of Alderaan, Luke's new quest is to rescue Leia from the Empire, and to aid the Rebellion in their attack on the Death Star itself, using the plans locked within R2-D2.

The Stated Reason for the Quest

The immediate reason for Luke's quest is to deliver the plans for the Death Star to Princess Leia so that she can give them to the Rebels to destroy it. Destroying the Death Star would deal a massive blow to the Empire, and while it might not cripple them militarily or economically, it would rally the Rebel cause, and prove that the Empire was not as invincible as the Emperor and Darth Vader would have the galaxy believe.

Challenges and Trials

Throughout his journey, Luke must overcome a myriad of increasingly difficult challenges, the first of which being the death of his aunt and uncle and the loss of the only life he's ever known. He soon accepts the tragic loss and joins Ben Kenobi on his mission to Alderaan, leaving Tatooine behind forever. At every turn in the journey, Luke and his companions are attacked by the Imperial forces, often barely escaping with their lives. Luke's greatest challenge, however, would be the realization of who he is and where his destiny will lead him.

Real Reason for the Quest

Upon embarking on this journey with Ben, Luke learns of how his father was a Jedi Knight in the waning days of the Republic and fought in the Clone Wars, the war from which the Empire emerged. He was also informed of how his father was betrayed and murdered by Darth Vader, a student of Ben's who was seduced by the dark side of the Force (you can identify the Star Wars nerds by the large grins on their faces at this point). Luke decides to follow in his father's footsteps by learning the ways of the Force and becoming a Jedi Knight, a decision that sets in motion the events that will affect Luke's destiny, and shape the fate of the galaxy. By accepting this quest and learning the ways of the Jedi, Luke begins the journey of learning who he is and where he fits in the galaxy.