Yoda warned Luke Skywalker the dark side would dominate his destiny if he let it, and the later Star Wars movies proved he was right to give this warning. Luke was constantly tempted to give in to anger, fear, or aggression, and while he managed to overcome this temptation in Return of the Jedi, the lure of the dark side never entirely goes away. Yoda made clear that even a single step down the dark path could shape the future, and this ended up being the case for Luke. Whatever faults Yoda may have had, his warnings about Luke’s dark destiny were definitely on point.
This warning makes even more sense given Yoda’s own history with Anakin Skywalker, who followed an even darker path in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Master Yoda failed Anakin in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones by failing to confront him over the pain he sensed after the Tusken massacre, then failed Anakin again when he had visions of Padmé dying. This fear ultimately lead to the destruction of the Jedi Order. It’s perfectly reasonable Yoda would want to keep Luke from making the same mistakes as Anakin, warning him about what could happen if he gave in to fear of the unknown. Sadly, Luke wasn’t able to escape Yoda’s warning forever.
Yoda’s Dark Side Warning Was Fulfilled In The Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
The Star Wars sequel trilogy showed that Luke eventually fulfilled Yoda’s warning about the dark side. In Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Luke confessed that he looked inside Ben Solo’s mind and was tempted to kill him because of what he sensed. This was no Jedi mind trick; it was a mind probe, an intrusive dark side power that violated Ben’s mind. Luke was giving in to fear, ignoring the warning Yoda gave him when training Luke. Even though Luke stopped himself, ashamed he would even consider such a horrible act, Ben believed his own uncle was going to kill him, and his response caused him to start down his own path to the dark side.
What makes this scene so powerful is that it perfectly symbolizes Yoda’s words, that even starting down the dark path can forever dominate one’s destiny. Anakin Skywalker started his path to the dark side when he took revenge on the Tuskens who killed his mother; Luke Skywalker took his first faltering steps on the road towards the dark side in the original trilogy, and though he turned aside, the temptation remained. The dark side reared its head again, and Luke inadvertently created Kylo Ren. Still, despite the sequel trilogy underlining Yoda’s point, Luke did manage to prove his teacher wrong in one way.
Luke Overcame The Dark Side Forever In Becoming A Force Ghost
Despite fulfilling Yoda’s warning, Luke managed to overcome the dark side forever when he became a Force ghost. Luke made one last stand against the First Order, saving the Resistance purely through knowledge and defense, just as Yoda had taught him. He also made a final attempt to reach Ben Solo, even though Ben wasn’t ready to respond to the call for redemption. This may have led to Luke Skywalker’s death, but he also became one with the Force, and Luke became a Force ghost. This is only available to servants of the light, for it can only be achieved by those who are selfless and pure.
Although Luke went down a dark path, he also proved that the dark side doesn’t have to dominate one’s destiny forever. As with his own father, Darth Vader, Luke’s becoming a Force ghost proves that no matter how far a person falls, it is never too late to make things right. As a Force ghost, Luke helped to guide Rey down a better path, making sure that she wouldn’t make the same mistakes he did. Yoda was right to warn Luke Skywalker of his dark destiny, but the Star Wars franchise has always been about redemption, and Luke managed to find his way back to the light in the end.