JTA Presents: Evolutions - Luke Skywalker (In Ceremonial Outfit)

Welcome to another one our JTA Presents: Evolutions features! Let’s check out how close or far we are from having a definitive Hasbro 3.75″ Luke Skywalker (Ceremonial Outfit) action figure. Have we arrived at definitive status yet? Weigh in and let us know what conclusion you’ll come to by clicking through and adding your two cents in the comments!

After the release of The Star Wars Holiday Special, young Star Wars fans realized that Luke Skywalker’s ceremonial outfit at the end of A New Hope doubled as his “daily routine” duds too. We witnessed him drive vehicles, fall into a deep sleep and interact with Boba Fett in these clothes. And it’s hard to believe it took Kenner/Hasbro 20 years to get the figure out for the first time. But do we have a definitive version yet? Let’s find out. But before assessing this, check out each version in our RDRs (links are listed below) and refresh yourself with what Hasbro has done with this character to date.

Luke Skywalker (In Ceremonial Outfit) from The Power Of The Force “2” [Green/Freeze Frame] line.

If you were collecting during the time Lucasfilm released the Special Edition versions of the Star Wars films in theaters, there was a significant rumor circulating that the “give away” figure was going to be Luke Skywalker (In Ceremonial Outfit). That rumor never panned about, but this late-release in 1997 was one of the longest awaited. With a slightly more streamlined body and a tad better likeness to Mark Hamill, this figure satisfied many collectors for many years.

Luke Skywalker from 1998’s The Power Of The Force “2” [Green/Freeze Frame] the Princess Leia And Luke Skywalker Princess Leia Collection set.

But just as we began to savor Luke Skywalker (In Ceremonial Outfit), Kenner/Hasbro released a “special version” of Luke Skywalker in this outfit as part of the Princess Leia Collection. The figure in this line included premium soft-goods, and “pretty” versions of Princess Leia joined by a male counterpart. The Luke Skywalker in this set is unique because you can remove the jacket and have a figure that has a black shirt (including the sleeves) because of the soft-goods jacket. It’s the only version of Luke Skywalker (in a ceremonial outfit) that has this option. You can recreate Luke Skywalker (without the jacket) from the publicity stills in the seventies with this figure.

Luke Skywalker (30 12) from 2007’s 30 (77-07) line.

You may or may not know that The Saga Collection was abruptly canceled in 2006. But Hasbro decided that the line was fruitful and successful and warranted a continuation of “repacks and repainted” figures before all was said and done. As they prepared for the 30th anniversary of Star Wars by creating the 30 (77-07) line, quite a few figures intended for The Saga Collection got promoted to the 30 (77-07), especially those based on A New Hope. Luke Skywalker was one of these figures. He looks a little rushed, and his paint operations are a bit too shoddy, but the figure is a significant update from the POTF2 era versions.

Luke Skywalker (#05) from 2013’s The Black Series [Phase I] line.

It feels like all of Hasbro’s past wrongs were made right with the release of Luke Skywalker (#05) from The Black Series [Phase I] line. Mostly based on the figure from the 30 (77-07) line, Hasbro tooled an all-new head sculpt, torso, belt and repositioned the legs which all provided significant and necessary upgrades to this figure. Luke Skywalker (#05) isn’t perfect. His pale jacket alone is problematic. But he might be the best version of this character we’ll ever see in the 3.75″ super-articulated range of figures.

Luke Skywalker (Ceremonial Outfit) Group Shot

Questions for discussion:

1. In your opinion, do we have a definitive version of this figure?

2. If we don’t have a definitive version of this figure, should Hasbro tool a new figure from the ground up again, or should they tweak a current sculpt to perfect it instead?

3. If the figure ranks as definitive for you, do you want to see it repackaged in vintage Kenner packaging (The Vintage Collection) if it isn’t already?

4. Add any other points of note or interest in the comments about any of these versions of Luke Skywalker (Ceremonial Outfit) action figures.

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