The Smartest Decision Luke Skywalker Ever Made In Star Wars

In his time transforming from farm boy to Master Jedi, Luke Skywalker had a life well-lived. He mastered the ways of the Force, saved the galaxy from the Empire's rule (for a bit), and made up with his father over a longtime family rift. His struggle through the entire "Star Wars" universe was one filled with hard decisions that, both good and bad, came with a considerable cost.

From fighting the urge to battle his Dark Side-infused dad, to hatching a plan to save his old buddy, Han Solo, Luke — for the most part — made the right decisions when he had to. There was one choice, though, that had he not made, would've had both a massive impact on the entire galaxy and, more importantly, the six films that followed. This particular judgment call wasn't based on lessons as a Jedi or his pilot skills. The deciding factor on the future and safety of the galaxy was all down to his knack for a good purchase, specifically two seemingly unsuspecting droids.

In a time when Skywalker's biggest issue was going into town to pick up some power converters, there was one moment in the younger years of the Jedi-in-the-making that didn't just change his life — it played a valuable part in the future of the galaxy.

On one of his routine shopping trips with his dear old Uncle Owen, Luke is casually browsing for new droids when he comes across the hardwired chatterbox, C-3PO. Ever the salesman, the multilingual bot pushes for the sale of another machine further down the line, to which both Luke and his Uncle agree on buying from the band of hustling Jawas. It's this two-for-one deal that gets C-3PO and his little beeping buddy, R2-D2, back to the farm, ultimately setting them off to deliver a message from a desperate princess, searching for the recluse and former Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The rest, as they say, is cinematic history, as the catch-up with Old Ben puts young Skywalker on the path to learn about his past and make a greater future than he could possibly imagine. Not only that, but the choice to buy also leads to saving millions of lives thanks to a remarkable domino effect. Had the droids not been purchased, the message from an imprisoned princess would never have reached Kenobi, who wouldn't have bargained with Han Solo to fly them into danger and rescue Leia in the first place. 

Of course, the choice also had its downsides. Had he picked any other bot off the Jawa rack, it would've meant Luke's Uncle and Aunt wouldn't have been cremated on his doorstep, he'd have avoided a weird kiss with his sister, and not lost his light sword-swinging hand to his own father. In the end, Luke's life-changing choice proves that impulse buys can pay off in some ways — and totally not in others.