POWELL@DEC-MARLBORO@sri-unix (12/16/82)
From: Reed B. Powell <POWELL at DEC-MARLBORO> Interesting how just a few simple words can spark ideas that seem to go on forever! Here are some ideas/comments on the recent rumblings on the SFL concerning ESB and RotJ: WHY DID LEI TURN BACK/DOES THIS MEAN THAT SHE IS WITH THE FORCE? No, it simply shows that Luke is with the FORCE, and has the ability to control the thoughts (and, if necessary, actions) of other beings. Remember the Space Port scene in SW/ANH, where Obi Won controls the thoughts of the guards? Same idea. OBI WON'S REMARK UPON LUKE'S SKILL AS A PILOT WARRENTS CHOOSING HAN SOLO AS THE "OTHER." Hogwash. All Obi Won was doin was remarking upon the family trait of being an excellant pilot, not making the point that one must be a good pilot to make a good Jedi knight. remember what Yoda said in ESB: "Good Warrior eh? Wars do not make one great." For a little jumor, how would you picture Yoda (obviously a Jedi) in the Falcon? HAN SOLO'S ABILITY TO ACT QUICKLY WITHOUT THOUGHT IN EVIDENCE THAT HE IS THE "OTHER." Or, more likely, it is evidence of is inate ability to stay alive. We have known since the first time we saw him in SW/ANH that he is a rough-and-tumble spaceman, in the tru tradition of Heinlein, "doc" Smith, et al. If he could not navigate the ship so well, and make decisions quickly on the fly, he would be a DEAD spaceman. VADER NEEDS LUKE MORE THAN LUKE NEEDS VADER. Very true. it is usually the case that evil (aka the Dark Side of the FORCE) desires power. Vader's only hope of achieving greater power and glory is in fact to unite with Luke to overthrow the Emperor. He may not have as easy time of it as he thinks, since the Emperor certainly has knowlege and powers Vader is ignorant of (see below). JUST HOW MUCH DOES VADER KNOW ABOUT THE FORCE? It is clear that Vader does not know everything about the FORCE and, specifically, Jedis. During the first Luke/Vader battle in ESB, Vader maker the remark "Impressive - Obi Won has taught you well." This is the logical thing for Vader to belive, since Obi Won was Vader's teacher. Since Vader was compromised by the Dark Side early on, however, he is not aware that there are entities above Obi Won - in this case Yoda. It apparently has never occured to Vader that the Good Side might have a counterpart for the Emperor (but then we seldon see instances in literature or real life where evil believes that anything is stronger than itself). 10:1 the Emperor knows about Yoda, but has chosen not to let Vader know about him. OBI WON HAS A CHARACTER FLAW IN THAT HE DID NOT TELL LUKE ABOUT VADER BEING HIS FATHER. OK, let's presuppose for the moment that Vader is in fact Luke's father. Maybe Obi Won does not know. He only knows that one of his students gave in to the Dark Side. We never really knew if Luke's father was still in training at the time of his death (Obi Won does say in SW/ANH that Luke's father was one of the best Jedi Knights, but does this mean that the training was over? Maybe he exaggerated on the title business just to make Luke feel better). May only Yoda knows, and has kept Obi Won ignorant of the fact? ALL OF THESE COMMENTS ARE LEADING UP TO SOMETHING. IT HAS BEEN THE BELIEF OF MOST PEOPLE (UNTIL THIS DISCUSSION ABOUT THE "OTHER" STARTED) THAT ONE OF THE EXISTING CHARACTERS, OR PERHAPS A NEW CHARACTER, WAS THE "OTHER" YODA REFERRED TO. Think about the dialogue for a second (you really need to watch it over and over and over). Obi Wan says that "That boy was our last hope." Yoda replies "No, there is another." This is not necssarily a person - just "another hope." Keep in mind the new title (shortly before the release of ESB) of STAR WARS - A NEW HOPE. So, what is this "other hope?" Through some form of hocus pokus or whatever, Obi Wan is back in the flesh in RotJ. This is quite visable in the 3 minute leader shown before the recent releases of SW/ANH and ESB. he is no longer an apparition, but a full character again. Therein lies my vote. Cash, securities, trips and sacrificial virgins to me on 27-May-83. -reed --------