From: paul@pj.tmc.edu (Thorongil)
Subject: Re: Jedi powers
Organization: Mississippi State University ERC
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 14:10:55 GMT

Nathan N Hill writes:
>
>Another tidbit, someone thought Ben could hide on Tatooine because he was
>near Luke, or Jabba; I say phooey. Jabba had no force-power, and Luke's
>untrained ability couldn't hide Ben's, or Vader wouldn't have sensed him on
>the Death Star. Not to mention that Leia, with lots of untrained
>force-sensetivity, was never detected by Vader even when he interrogated her.
>
>I'm willing to play along with Zahn while I read his books, but I don't buy
>the Yoda-hid-by-the-cave theory. The only reason the Emperor knew about Luke
>was his ability to forsee the future somewhat. (And perhaps some Imperial
>Intelligence info. ...BTW is "Imperial Intelligence" an oxy moron?)
>

You can't find something if you aren't looking for it.  If Vader was
looking for Ben or Yoda, then perhaps he might have been able to detect
them via the Force.  In ANH though, Vader was right above Ben and didn't 
detect him.  Why?  Because he wasn't looking for Ben.  If both he and the 
emporer thought that they had wiped out the Jedi, then why should they 
look for Ben or Yoda.

I'm also not so certain that he could detect them over long distances 
with the Force.  If Vader or the Emporer could do such things, then 
no matter where Luke went, they could find him.  What about the 
scene early in ESB one might ask.  Vader recognized by looking at the
screen that here is a supposedly barren planet with a powerful generator.
How many uncharted outposts are rich enough to have such a generator?  Out
of those uncharted outposts, how many are on barren planets?  I mean, if you
are going to have such a generator you'd want a return on the money spent 
for it . . . say by mining minerals or gas or something.  Vader recognized 
this whereas the general didn't.  No Force used at all, just *brains*.  The
Emporer, as Nathan writes, felt Luke's presence by using his ability to 
forsee the future somewhat.  Notice that he didn't feel Luke on Endor while
Vader did.  Vader is of course expecting Luke and thus is feeling ( with the
Force ) every ship that comes by. 

In short, I don't buy :

1) Zahn's thesis of Yoda's power being canceled out by the dark cave and 
   thus Ben had to hide near some dark cave, tree, Jabba, Luke, ad nausem.

2) Detection by the Force over long distances.

Ben exhibited only one detection of something over long distances once.
He felt the destruction of Alderaan.  Easily explained in that let's
say 5 billion people ( if Alderaan can be compared to Earth ) died as well
as all the plants and animals.  Anything that huge would be felt like
an earthquake.

Aside: Did Yoda feel it also?  What about any of the Jedi that escaped
       Vader's grasp ( as in the Dark Horse comics )?  Did Vader get 
       a headache like Ben did?  What about the emporer?  Could this 
       destruction be compared to an earthquake in the Force :  Those
       closest to it felt it most while those farther away felt it less?

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