The poignant death of Luke Skywalker is undoubtedly one of the most memorable scenes in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. After all, the Jedi Master used the last of his strength to project himself unto Crait to reunite with his sister Leia Organa and then save the remaining survivors of the Resistance by facing off against Kylo Ren. However, a new Star Wars Episode 9 theory suggests that Luke didn't die on the planet of Ahch-To. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker might reveal that Luke was gone long before Rey found him in exile on the planet.
In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Han Solo reveals the true reason why Luke Skywalker went into exile: He had tried to rebuild the Jedi Order, but one of his students turned to the Dark Side and destroyed the Jedi Temple. It is later revealed that the student was Han's son Ben Solo who is now known as Kylo Ren. After destroying the temple, Kylo had killed the other apprentices and abandoned Luke to join the First Order.
But what if the apprentices weren't the only ones killed by Kylo Ren? The Star Wars Episode 9 theory points out that there is a possibility that Luke Skywalker had also died during Kylo's rampage but was unsure of how he could become a Force ghost. Because of this, he had floated off into Ahch-To to put himself in exile. This is where he worked on mastering his skills of projecting himself into other places.
Interestingly, this could explain the initial interaction between Rey and Luke Skywalker, where he doesn't seem to address the girl's presence. In addition to that, this could be why it was easy for Luke to Force-project himself onto Crait to face Kylo Ren in a lightsaber duel. On the other hand, this doesn't line up with how Leia Organa and Rey reacted to Luke's death in The Last Jedi. Both women, who are Force-sensitive, immediately sensed Luke's passing in the final moments of the film.
It is highly unlikely that Luke Skywalker was killed at the time that the Jedi Temple was destroyed since all the other Force users, including Kylo Ren, would sense that he is already gone. With that in mind, it is best to take this Star Wars Episode 9 theory with a grain of salt.
Luke Skywalker will return in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which premieres on December 20.
