Luke Skywalker’s Uncle and Aunt – Owen and Beru Lars – originally suffered one of the most horrific ways to die inStar WarsLegends.Owen and Beru Larsmay have only had a smaller role inA New Hope(originally known simply asStar Wars, but they are some of the most important characters in the franchise; they raised Luke Skywalker, instilling a kindness in him that ensured he would one day be an invaluable member of the Rebel Alliance. Tragically, Owen and Beru are mercilessly executed by the Empire inA New Hope.
The murder of Owen and Beru Lars leaves Luke Skywalker no choice but to begin his journey towards both Jedi Knighthood and joining the Rebel Alliance. The moment when Luke returns to the Lars Homestead to find the charred, skeletal remains of his adoptive parents is equal parts heartbreaking and gruesome, yet materials in theStar WarsLegends timeline make this moment far darker. The modernStar Warscanon implies that Owen and Beru were executed by blasterfire and burned with their home, but theStar WarsExpanded Universecontinuity made their fates far worse.
Uncle Owen & Aunt Beru Originally Suffered “The Burning”
Brian Daley created a concept called “The Burning” in his 1978 novelHan Solo at Star’s End.The Burning involves setting a blaster’s power level to extra low power on the “kill” setting and using it to excruciatingly burn the flesh off a victim’s bones, eventually reducing them to a blood-stained, burnt, skeleton. The Burning is used for interrogation, torture, and brutal execution, and Daley intended it to be the Empire’s execution method for Owen and Beru.
As shown throughout theStar Warsfranchise, low-power blaster bolts typically kill most humanoids instantly, but The Burning likely requires the lowest possible power setting on blasters set to kill.
The Burning Is One Of Star Wars' Darkest Twists
The exact method of execution for the helpless Owen and Beru is not explicitly described in theStar WarsLegends timeline. Brian Daley strongly implied that Owen and Beru were victims of The Burning and two other Legends-era books describe their execution without contradicting him.When the Desert Wind Turns: The Stormtrooper’s Tale, a 1995 short story by Doug Beason, shows Owen and Beru’s deaths from the perspective of one Stormtrooper, only specifying that the Lars Homestead was destroyed by an HAVr A9 Floating Fortress – an Imperial repulsorlift tank that was notably used in the Battle of Toprawa.
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Marvel’s classicStar Wars#11 alludes to using a blaster to slowly and torturously burn someone to death, unintentionally referencing The Burning before its official debut.
Ryder Windham’s 2007 bookThe Rise and Fall of Darth Vadershows their deaths from Darth Vader’s perspective, with Vader ordering their execution via a holographic transmission. Darth Vader demanded to watch their execution, though this book also does not specify how they were murdered. In all likelihood, the helpless Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru were torturously killed by The Burning offscreen inStar Wars, with Darth Vader witnessing the horrific act.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
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Star Wars is a seminal science fiction film released in 1977 that follows the quest of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo to rescue Princess Leia from the oppressive Imperial forces. They are aided by the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, as they strive to restore peace to the galaxy.
