Summary

  • Lor San Tekka's powerful family has ties to Naboo, dating back to the High Republic Era.
  • Lor was a member of the Church of the Force, aiding Luke Skywalker in preserving Jedi knowledge during the New Republic Era.
  • It would be rather fitting if Lor and Luke first met on Naboo, given their shared family history and connections.

The Force Awakens, the first Star Wars sequel trilogy movie, features a fascinating connection to The Phantom Menace, the first episode of the prequels. Despite 16 years separating their respective releases, The Force Awakens begins by briefly introducing a character with major ties to the prequels, specifically the planet Naboo. Hinting at a major family legacy beyond the Skywalkers, The Force Awakens' connection to The Phantom Menace is very subtle and wouldn't be fully fleshed out until the dawn of the High Republic Era.

In the first act of The Force Awakens, Captain Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) was sent by General Leia Organa to secure a map to locate her brother Luke Skywalker who'd long been missing from the galaxy. As such, audiences are briefly introduced to Lor San Tekka (played by Max von Sydow) who holds the final piece of the map that leads to the missing Jedi Master. Here's how Lor San Tekka secretly connects the first prequel and sequel movies in the Star Wars canon, and why his family is so important.

Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn from Star Wars The Phantom Menace, Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker from Star Wars A New Hope, Daisy Ridley as Rey from Star Wars The Force Awakens
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Lor San Tekka's Family Come From Naboo

Dating Back To The High Republic Era

Lor San Tekka in Force Awakens and Naboo

In the established Star Wars canon, the San Tekka clan was a powerful family of hyperspace prospectors and explorers, discovering new hyperspace lanes and developing groundbreaking technologies necessary for the Republic's expansion during the High Republic Era, hundreds of years before the events of the Star Wars prequels. Once their dynasty became incredibly wealthy, the San Tekkas settled on the world of Naboo, a planet that first debuted in 1999's The Phantom Menace. As seen in the prequels, it also became the homeworld of both Padmé Amidala and Sheev Palpatine.

During the Skywalker saga, Lor San Tekka was a member of the Church of the Force, believing in the ideals of the Jedi despite not being Force-sensitive himself. As such, Lor strove to preserve the knowledge of the Jedi which the Empire sought to erase from history. This made Lor San Tekka an invaluable ally to Luke Skywalker in the aftermath of the Galactic Civil War. Using his family's vast knowledge of the galaxy and his own passion for the lore of the Jedi, Lor San Tekka spent much of his time helping Luke bring back the Jedi Order during the New Republic Era.

Did Luke Meet Lor San Tekka On Naboo?

It Would Be Very Fitting

Lor San Tekka in The Force Awakens.

Considering their shared family history with the world, it would be rather fitting had Lor San Tekka and Luke Skywalker met on Naboo. However, it remains unknown when exactly Luke and Lor first met, though it was likely not long after the New Republic was founded in the wake of the Empire's downfall. At any rate, it is exciting to see Lor San Tekka in The Force Awakens knowing his family's full history and connections to such a key world from the Phantom Menace (even though his role is rather brief thanks to Kylo Ren and his red crossguard lightsaber.)