Luke Skywalker had a childhood friend named Tank according to the first Star Wars movie – so who was he and how did he fit into the story? After debuting in 1977, the Skywalker saga came to an end in 2019 with the release of the ninth installment, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Though Luke was no longer alive, he still had a heavy presence in the narrative. Over 40 years had passed since the character was introduced but questions about his life still remain.

When viewers met Luke (Mark Hamill) in George Lucas’ Star Wars, he was a young man who lived at a moisture farm on the desert planet of Tatooine with his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru. His uncle and aunt served as his parental guardians after adopting him from a young age. Before Luke joined Obi-Wan Kenobi and became a key member of the Rebel Alliance’s fight against the Galactic Empire, he revealed a few details about his time on Tatooine. Of those reveals was a reference to acquaintances. Biggs Darklighter was Luke’s childhood friend that he reunited with during the Battle of Yavin but in a Star Wars deleted scene, the character initially left to join the Imperial Academy. He wasn’t the only friend that Luke mentioned, however.

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Aside from Biggs, Luke spoke of a friend named Tank in the 1977 film. Unlike the other character, Tank was not seen in the franchise, leaving his role in the franchise ambiguous. The only details surrounding Tank were that he was an acquaintance of Luke who left Tatooine at some point to join the Galactic Civil War. He may remain mysterious in Star Wars canon, but the same couldn’t be said for the character’s role in Star Wars Legends.

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Tank Had A Larger Role In Star Wars Legends

Legends, previously referred to as the Star Wars Expanded Universe, featured a noteworthy presence by Luke’s old friend Tank. The character was actually named Janek Sunber but he went by the nickname due to his large size. Like the canon details, Tank was a childhood friend of Luke’s and lived on Tatooine. According to Legends, Janek left the planet and applied to be an Imperial pilot before landing a role in the Imperial Army. Because of his bravery, Janek was quickly made a commander. During an attack from the Rebel Alliance, Janek came face-to-face with Luke and was left with a feeling of betrayal that his friend was fighting for the other side.

Janek questioned his own loyalties before he devised a scheme with Darth Vader to capture Luke. He orchestrated a plan, acting as though he planned to defect in order to join the Rebel Alliance. When the truth came out, Luke and Janek engaged in a heated duel. Meanwhile, Vader’s fleet was attacking and Princess Leia Organa was caught in the battle. Janek couldn’t kill Luke when he had the chance, and the Imperial commander wound up sacrificing himself to save Leia.

With the Skywalker saga in the rearview, there’s no hope that Tank will be introduced into the franchise unless he appears in some sort of prequel project, and it seems like a missed opportunity to leave out his character. Including a close friend of Luke Skywalker fighting for the Empire would have been an interesting touch in the original Star Wars trilogy. Tank would have played well into Luke’s internal struggle when he was trying to find his identity within the galaxy far, far away.

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Kara Hedash
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Kara Hedash is a features editor and writer for Screen Rant. From time to time, she dives into the world’s most popular franchises but Kara primarily focuses on evergreen topics. The fact that she gets to write about The Office regularly is like a dream come true. Before joining Screen Rant, Kara served as a contributor for Movie Pilot and had work published on The Mary Sue and Reel Honey. After graduating college, writing began as a part-time hobby for Kara but it quickly turned into a career. She loves binging a new series and watching movies ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to hidden indie gems. She also has a soft spot for horror ever since she started watching it at too young of an age. Her favorite Avenger is Thor and her favorite Disney princess is Leia Organa. When Kara’s not busy writing, you can find her doing yoga or hanging out with Gritty.

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