Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed
May. 28th, 2007 10:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
azuriteSo tonight I watched the "Star Wars: Legacy Revealed" and "Star Wars Tech" specials on the History channel, and they proved to be quite interesting. To be honest with you, I never really go to movies looking for deeper symbolism, ties to world myth, literature, religion, or history. I just go to be entertained, and to have a good time. So this special gave me insight on a side of the Star Wars universe that I never really thought to look for before. But in seeing all the flashbacks and learning "what can be" and "what can't," I also thought up a bunch of questions. Maybe some of the more dedicated SW fans here can answer them for me.
These questions are in no particular order, though I did try to group similar subjects one another. I suppose if you look for any sort of organization, it's in order by episode (as in, from I to VI).
Did the people of Naboo intentionally bury Padmé to look pregnant, to prevent the Empire from knowing she really had given birth to her children, and they had survived? Or did only the select few shown to know about Luke and Leia's existence, so when Padmé's body was returned to Naboo, no one knew the truth but them?
Why did Obi-Wan take the name Ben?
Luke didn't have time to take Darth Vader's body with him as he escaped the Death Star in Episode VI, so how did he burn Vader's mask (and presumably body, since there was something connecting the main portion of his mask/helmet to a larger mass on the funeral pyre)?
Yoda and Obi-Wan both "vanished" upon their deaths, presumably becoming one with the Force, body and soul. But this didn't happen to Qui-Gon, since we saw him cremated, just like Vader was in VI (although we could have just seen Vader's mechanical body parts being cremated, which would make sense). What exactly determines when a body can become part of the Force? Just because someone is a believer in the Force? Or is it willpower? Can they choose NOT to become part of the Force? Does method of death have anything to do with it? I mean, wouldn't the Emperor have become part of the Force, even though he was a Sith, believed in manipulating the Force in wholly different ways, and otherwise would have been burnt to a crisp, if not by his own powers folding in on themselves (as they did when he dueled Mace Windu), then by the reactor Darth Vader tossed him into?
Also, when Luke first asked about the Force, Obi-Wan told him it surrounded them, penetrated them, and binds the universe together. He also said it's the energy that comes from ALL living things. But then in Episode VI, Yoda mentioned that the nearby tree AND rock both gave energy. A rock's not a living thing (usually...), so does that mean non-living things exude an energy that contributes to the Force? Is that what happens when things that die "become part" of the Force?
One of the women sources in the show (I believe Mary Henderson, author of "Star Wars: The Magic of Myth") said that there are no women in the Empire. But that's impossible, because isn't Luke's wife (Mara Jade) a former Sith? (Of course, that itself goes against the rule that there are only one Sith Lord and his apprentice at any given time; unlike the Jedi, they don't believe in having more than one of them, because they all backstab one another.) Then again, I guess some people wouldn't consider anything that didn't happen in the movies as "canon," even if novels do get "officially licensed" or whatnot. Same applies to comics. But it is interesting to note that there are no female Stormtroopers, Imperial officers, etc. At least, none that we see in the films.
Moving on, in the first lightsaber battle we see in the films (Obi-Wan vs. that ugly dude in the Cantina at Mos Eisley), the lightsaber clearly doesn't cauterize wounds. We get a good look at the guy's bloody arm lying on the floor. If lightsabers can melt solid "steel" doors (as shown in Episode II), then they're probably pretty damn hot-- which means they can and do cauterize. That happened with Luke's arm when Darth Vader took a swing at him, and plenty of other moments throughout the films, where the lightsabers caused almost explosive effects. Is it possible that the heat can be somehow controlled, or was that just a one-time mistake?
Also, we see plenty of lightsabers throughout the films-- Luke loses his first one, his second one (I think; didn't he shove it into a cranny in one of the AT-ATs on Hoth, causing said AT-AT to blow up?), and makes his replacements. The energy required to make a lightsaber is enormous (and thus the parts necessary to generate said energy would be, too), but imagining that they can easily compact the size in the Star Wars galaxy, how is it that in the days of the Galactic Empire, the parts for a lightsaber are so easy to come by? If the Jedi have been "dead for ages" and most lightsabers were either lost or destroyed, how did Luke just easily remake his own? (And believe me, I've thought of the possibility of the parts being used for other things, such as engine parts, androids, etc., but I think there would be at least one part specific to lightsabers whose sale or construction would be wholly prohibited by an Empire that wished to truly see the end of the Jedi ways.)
Where did Obi-Wan get the lightsaber he gave to Luke? Since Anakin/Vader didn't know about Luke's existence, how could he have "wanted to give it to" Luke when he was old enough? In Episode III, on Mustafar, Anakin DID go charging toward Obi-Wan with a blue-white lightsaber, the same color Obi-Wan gave Luke in Episode IV. And Obi-Wan sliced off Anakin's legs and left (the only remaining organic, I believe) arm. Did Anakin's lightsaber just automatically turn off and land somewhere in the dirt? Did it roll into the lava? Did Obi-Wan bend down and pick it up when the camera wasn't on him?
Also, after all Anakin had done, why WOULD he want to keep Anakin's lightsaber, anymore than they wanted to keep Grievous', Dooku's, etc.? Even if there was a good reason, it probably wouldn't have been because Obi-Wan thought Padmé might be pregnant with a son that would one day become a Jedi and help overthrow the Galactic Empire. Obi-Wan thought Padmé was dead, just as Anakin did after he pulled that choking stunt. That's how she "dies" in the novelization, from what I've heard, and how she was SUPPOSED to die in the original script --though as I've mentioned before, it doesn't hash with what Leia says about her mother in Episode VI. How else could Luke and Leia have been named?
Also, being on Mustafar and the lightsaber handle being made of some sort of metal, wouldn't it get ridiculously hot just from the hot air in the area, let alone the energy and heat of the lightsaber itself? If it did fall so Obi-Wan could pick it up and pocket it, wouldn't it have scalded him? Obi-Wan wasn't one for gloves, from what I noticed. Can the Force be used to make heat resistant gloves on your hand?
Plus, why would Obi-Wan want to give Luke the lightsaber his father had used to kill countless Younglings and plenty of other people? It seems kind of messed up...
So while I really enjoy Star Wars and found this special interesting, it certainly brought up a lot of questions, probably ones I wouldn't have if I were a more hardcore fan that paid closer attention to the intricacies of the story. I know the Star Wars universe and story is far from perfect, but it DID change a lot in the world, especially regarding film making, and even science. In that respect, it's timelessly cool.
These questions are in no particular order, though I did try to group similar subjects one another. I suppose if you look for any sort of organization, it's in order by episode (as in, from I to VI).
Did the people of Naboo intentionally bury Padmé to look pregnant, to prevent the Empire from knowing she really had given birth to her children, and they had survived? Or did only the select few shown to know about Luke and Leia's existence, so when Padmé's body was returned to Naboo, no one knew the truth but them?
Why did Obi-Wan take the name Ben?
Luke didn't have time to take Darth Vader's body with him as he escaped the Death Star in Episode VI, so how did he burn Vader's mask (and presumably body, since there was something connecting the main portion of his mask/helmet to a larger mass on the funeral pyre)?
Yoda and Obi-Wan both "vanished" upon their deaths, presumably becoming one with the Force, body and soul. But this didn't happen to Qui-Gon, since we saw him cremated, just like Vader was in VI (although we could have just seen Vader's mechanical body parts being cremated, which would make sense). What exactly determines when a body can become part of the Force? Just because someone is a believer in the Force? Or is it willpower? Can they choose NOT to become part of the Force? Does method of death have anything to do with it? I mean, wouldn't the Emperor have become part of the Force, even though he was a Sith, believed in manipulating the Force in wholly different ways, and otherwise would have been burnt to a crisp, if not by his own powers folding in on themselves (as they did when he dueled Mace Windu), then by the reactor Darth Vader tossed him into?
Also, when Luke first asked about the Force, Obi-Wan told him it surrounded them, penetrated them, and binds the universe together. He also said it's the energy that comes from ALL living things. But then in Episode VI, Yoda mentioned that the nearby tree AND rock both gave energy. A rock's not a living thing (usually...), so does that mean non-living things exude an energy that contributes to the Force? Is that what happens when things that die "become part" of the Force?
One of the women sources in the show (I believe Mary Henderson, author of "Star Wars: The Magic of Myth") said that there are no women in the Empire. But that's impossible, because isn't Luke's wife (Mara Jade) a former Sith? (Of course, that itself goes against the rule that there are only one Sith Lord and his apprentice at any given time; unlike the Jedi, they don't believe in having more than one of them, because they all backstab one another.) Then again, I guess some people wouldn't consider anything that didn't happen in the movies as "canon," even if novels do get "officially licensed" or whatnot. Same applies to comics. But it is interesting to note that there are no female Stormtroopers, Imperial officers, etc. At least, none that we see in the films.
Moving on, in the first lightsaber battle we see in the films (Obi-Wan vs. that ugly dude in the Cantina at Mos Eisley), the lightsaber clearly doesn't cauterize wounds. We get a good look at the guy's bloody arm lying on the floor. If lightsabers can melt solid "steel" doors (as shown in Episode II), then they're probably pretty damn hot-- which means they can and do cauterize. That happened with Luke's arm when Darth Vader took a swing at him, and plenty of other moments throughout the films, where the lightsabers caused almost explosive effects. Is it possible that the heat can be somehow controlled, or was that just a one-time mistake?
Also, we see plenty of lightsabers throughout the films-- Luke loses his first one, his second one (I think; didn't he shove it into a cranny in one of the AT-ATs on Hoth, causing said AT-AT to blow up?), and makes his replacements. The energy required to make a lightsaber is enormous (and thus the parts necessary to generate said energy would be, too), but imagining that they can easily compact the size in the Star Wars galaxy, how is it that in the days of the Galactic Empire, the parts for a lightsaber are so easy to come by? If the Jedi have been "dead for ages" and most lightsabers were either lost or destroyed, how did Luke just easily remake his own? (And believe me, I've thought of the possibility of the parts being used for other things, such as engine parts, androids, etc., but I think there would be at least one part specific to lightsabers whose sale or construction would be wholly prohibited by an Empire that wished to truly see the end of the Jedi ways.)
Where did Obi-Wan get the lightsaber he gave to Luke? Since Anakin/Vader didn't know about Luke's existence, how could he have "wanted to give it to" Luke when he was old enough? In Episode III, on Mustafar, Anakin DID go charging toward Obi-Wan with a blue-white lightsaber, the same color Obi-Wan gave Luke in Episode IV. And Obi-Wan sliced off Anakin's legs and left (the only remaining organic, I believe) arm. Did Anakin's lightsaber just automatically turn off and land somewhere in the dirt? Did it roll into the lava? Did Obi-Wan bend down and pick it up when the camera wasn't on him?
Also, after all Anakin had done, why WOULD he want to keep Anakin's lightsaber, anymore than they wanted to keep Grievous', Dooku's, etc.? Even if there was a good reason, it probably wouldn't have been because Obi-Wan thought Padmé might be pregnant with a son that would one day become a Jedi and help overthrow the Galactic Empire. Obi-Wan thought Padmé was dead, just as Anakin did after he pulled that choking stunt. That's how she "dies" in the novelization, from what I've heard, and how she was SUPPOSED to die in the original script --though as I've mentioned before, it doesn't hash with what Leia says about her mother in Episode VI. How else could Luke and Leia have been named?
Also, being on Mustafar and the lightsaber handle being made of some sort of metal, wouldn't it get ridiculously hot just from the hot air in the area, let alone the energy and heat of the lightsaber itself? If it did fall so Obi-Wan could pick it up and pocket it, wouldn't it have scalded him? Obi-Wan wasn't one for gloves, from what I noticed. Can the Force be used to make heat resistant gloves on your hand?
Plus, why would Obi-Wan want to give Luke the lightsaber his father had used to kill countless Younglings and plenty of other people? It seems kind of messed up...
So while I really enjoy Star Wars and found this special interesting, it certainly brought up a lot of questions, probably ones I wouldn't have if I were a more hardcore fan that paid closer attention to the intricacies of the story. I know the Star Wars universe and story is far from perfect, but it DID change a lot in the world, especially regarding film making, and even science. In that respect, it's timelessly cool.
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Date: 2007-05-30 02:51 am (UTC)In regards to Anakin's lightsaber automatically turning off, there are various handles that can be attached to a lightsaber, in order to have it automatically turn off when let go, and that sort of thing.
The fact that the Jedi could even survive in the arid climate with the magma and all tells you enough about their powers to control apparent temperature.
We can assume that Obi-Wan changed his name to Ben in order to avoid being found by the Empire. Why Ben? Why not?
How did he acquire Anakin's old lightsaber? Well, he either picked it to prevent Anakin from using it, if he knew that Anakin would live on, or Anakin had a spare (not likely).
Leia's recollection of her mother are likely that of the former Queen of Alderaan.
There's absolutely no indication that Luke had no time to take Vader's body. He could have easily carried it by the Force.
Even though Vader and Qui-Gon did not vanish, they definitely became part of the Force. You can see them at the end of Star Wars VI.
Remember that the will of the Force is told by the midichlorians or whatnot. It is possible that they exist in inanimate objects like rocks.
A lightsaber is only as evil as the one who wields it, anyway. It's kind of like in Harry Potter, where Fawkes gave both the feathers to Harry and Voldemort. I'm sure Obi-Wan knew full well of that fact.
Anyway, that's all the answers I can give, gotta get back to my homework. Have fun!