Various leaks suggest that by the start of Episode VII, a bearded Luke Skywalker (doing a passable imitation of Alec Guinness) has hidden himself away from the galaxy and that the other characters are searching for him. Reputedly, this search is sparked off by the discovery of Luke's lightsaber on Tatooine. Possibly the lightsaber is the one lost on Cloud City, with Luke's severed hand attached. Following the events in Return of the Jedi, the Alliance and the remnants of the Empire have been locked in a decades-long stalemate, and new young Jedi need Luke to train them. However, Luke Skywalker has retreated to a "refuge" (these refuge scenes were filmed on an island off the coast of Ireland), where he has been training just a couple of Jedi. He is reluctant to train more since he is wary of them becoming too powerful and prefers the galaxy to be ruled by those with no aptitude for the Force. In addition, he is frightened he will succumb to the dark side like his father and wants to avoid hurting his family and friends. One last leak indicates Luke's visions of the future have become more powerful, leading him to fear what widespread use of the Force could result in.