I found Luke a weak character, In the films when he is just discovering his powers I find him quite annoying as well. Later his force / lightsabre prowess is unmatched of course.
"Despite receiving little training, Luke's skill with both the Force and lightsaber are remarkable. In the New Jedi Order novel series, Luke uses a powerful and unique ability of the Force known as "Emerald Lightning" in the final battle against the Yuuzhan Vong. This technique has been described to look like "green sparks," which can instantly kill its victim.[citation needed] No other character can generate such powerful lightning. Throughout the Expanded Universe, he displays an amazing mastery of the Force, by manipulating black holes, gravity, and planets.
Even in Luke's earlier years as a Jedi, he is a powerful figure. During the Dark Empire crisis, he disrupted the clone Emperor's Force Storm, which had the ability to destroy massive ships. He confronted in a vicious lightsaber duel and helped Leia defeating Palpatine. His niece, Jaina Solo, describes him in the final Yuuzhan Vong battle as a maelstrom of Force energy, so calm and focused that he was unstoppable. She also says his lightsaber looked to be like 10 or 20 blades all moving at once."[citation needed] Luke's abilities with a lightsaber and the Force allow him to prevail over thousands of Yuuzhan Vong warriors, along with other enemies. Luke defeated the Supreme Overlord Shimmra, who on his own could destroy many Jedi."