From: nnhill@david.wheaton.edu (Nathan N Hill)
Subject: Re: Anakin Skywalker & Obi Wan
Organization: Wheaton College, IL
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 21:48:04 GMT

In article <1992Oct1.213937.7394@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> ctatro@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Christopher D Tatro) writes:
>In article <1992Oct1.185946.6490@ncsu.edu> jlwoodal@garcia.warfield.edu  writes
>:
>>
>>>   ROTJ was shown in Melbourne last nite, and there was the scene
>>>   where Obi Wan told Luke about Anakin. This reminded me of
>>>   an earlier post regarding Vader's breathing, where he seemed
>>>   to have fallen into a lava pit while fighting Obi Wan....
>>>   "He's more machine than man now..." something like that.
>>>   Is this what Obi Wan was referring to.
>>>
>>>   BTW, is this fight documented somewhere? ie. is that part
>>>   of a dialogue in one of the 3 movies? If not, where did this
>>>   piece of info come from ?
>>>
>I, also in first grade at the time, had heard it was an acid pit.  I also would
>love to know whether this is an example of collective unconscious or if it was 
>documented somewhere.
>-kristoff

	Obi-Wan's original battle with Anakin is described in the novelization
of "Return of the Jedi". There isn't much detail, but it basically goes like
this:
	Obi-Wan sees that Anakin is turning to the dark side and confronts him
about this. Anakin won't listen and a lightsaber duel results. Obi-Wan defeats
his student, causing the young Jedi to fall in a "molten pit". Apparently
Kenobi leaves him to stew, thinking he's dead. Vader climbs out of the pit and
Obi-Wan gives up on ever turning him back. 
	Ben also tells Luke that Anakin was unaware of his wife's pregnancy.
It seems clear, also, that the Emporer-to-be (Palpatine) didn't know about the
kids either. Luke was brought to Tatooine to live with Owen Lars, who Kenobi
calls his brother. 

	I'm disappointed that this stuff wasn't in the movie. Only the bare
bones were necessary, I guess. 
	This little bite raises a lot of questions. Anakin fell into a molten
pit of WHAT? Lava seems a little hard to believe; temperatures that melt rocks
VAPORIZE people. I prefer to think that it was a vat of some noxious liquid or
colloid in an industrial facility (this could be a *great* set). Maybe there
was acid in there too, but I think he was mainly burned by the heat.   
	How did Vader and the Emporer discover Luke? I think Vader must have
done some serious thinking after the Death Star battle. Someone had fought him
who was slightly-trained Force-sensitive. (Untrained people, like Leia, are
basically undetectable.) Since all of the Jedi had been exterminated, and
probably their families as well, an interesting explanation arose . . .
Thus Vader unraveled Kenobi's sheme, or at least half of it. Later, as Luke
grew in skill, the Emporer detected "a grave disturbance in the Force",
perhaps while observing the future.
	Why did Ben call Owen his brother? I don't know, but start to wonder
if the guy was really related to anyone. Clearly Owen knew all about Luke's
father, but I don't think he was a close relative of any Force-wielder, or
he'd have more faith in them. (Not to mention having a little more luck when
battling Stormtroopers.) In any case, he was Kenobi's confidant. Incidentally,
though Luke knew his real last name and announced it to the princess, I can't
help thinking he went by Lars (Owen's last name) back home. Can anybody
disprove this?
	Finally, somebody wondered why Vader didn't levitate himself out of
the pit. It seems clear to me that Jedi just can't do that. They can leap
wonderfully, and be acrobatic. They can levitate objects around them, but only
when they concentrate carefully. But no Jedi has ever been seen levitating
himself.

	Some final notes: 
	
	Obi-Wan has been called a corruption of OB1, an original clone. Sounds
like hogwash to me. I do know that in China, at least in ancient times, "Wan"
meant "accomplished". The word could be added to the end of someone's name to
honor them. I think Lucas borrowed this practice from Kung Fu movies.

	Tim Zahn has called Vader a "Dark Jedi", which doesn't seem quite
right. Vader is not a Jedi of any kind, according to Yoda, and neither is the
Emporer. Vader does have the title "Dark Lord of the Sith". The RotJ novel
calls him a "Jedi-turned-Sithlord". I'd suggest that a Dark Lord of the Sith
is a Jedi Knight's evil counterpart. 

	Lucas has called the Emporer a sorcerer, but never a Jedi. No one ever
said that Jedi Knights have a monopoly on the Force. I don't think Palpatine
ever was a Jedi, either. Grand Moff Tarkin called Vader "all that's left of
[the Jedi] religion". Palpatine kept his powers very secret, and may have
trained himself. If he was taught by someone (such as C'baoth), he certainly
never let this out. 

        That's about all I have on the subject. Besides, it's time for dinner.
 
______________________________________________________________________________
 
                    Nathan Hill   (nnhill@david.wheaton.edu)

     "I don't serve evil . . .I AM evil!" -- Armus, the Tarbaby from Hell

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