Luke’s childhood friend, Biggs Darklighter, was a big influence on him. He was the friend that got away, joined the Academy, and did something with his life. Luke longed to be like his friend. He wanted off the farm and to have his own adventures. The relationship between Biggs and Luke was diminished in the final film, unfortunately. There were casual mentions of Biggs and another friend named Tank. There was a short reunion with Biggs during the battle at the end of the film. That was about the extent of it, though. Biggs’ missing scenes fill in a lot of the blanks in Luke’s backstory.