Is Obi-Wan a flip-flopper?
The last time I mentioned Obi-Wan Kenobi here, it was to note his defense of an unshakeable moral code that didn't depend on one's point of view.
You might recall this exchange with Anakin Skywalker in
"Revenge of the Sith":
As an aside, let me just say that the "Star Wars" DVD box set is truly magnificent. The picture is so sharp, you can make out the progression of every one of Luke's wrinkles, the audio is so crisp that it brings a whole new level of appreciation to Ewok death screams.
Anyway, back to Old Ben. At this point, he's resided in the nether region of the Force for a few years, ever since Vader whacked him him with a light saber.
But when Luke goes back to Dagobah to complete his training, Obi Wan dons his best spectral shimmer and appears to his former pupil.
Luke is a bit pissed off because Obi Wan kind of played fast and loose with the facts when they first met and he told Luke that Vader had betrayed and murdered his father.
Obi Wan's defense is basically, "Yo, chill out young Luke! It depends on your defintion of 'Darth Vader', 'betrayed and murdered', and 'your father'!"
at Club Force, has given the old Jedi a change of heart. It all really DOES just depend on how you look at things!
Of course, nothing fits the defintion of futility like searching for a coherent worldview in Lucas' oeuvre.
In fact, if you've read this far, go check out this illuminating post on "nerd hermeneutics" on Easily Distracted, a righteous blog by Swarthmore brainiac Timothy Burke. He ponders this very question: why are we compelled to try to read more into "Star Wars" than is really there?
You might recall this exchange with Anakin Skywalker in
"Revenge of the Sith":
OBI-WAN: Anakin, Chancellor Palpatine is evil!Well, I just finished "Return of the Jedi" a couple nights ago, and it appears I may have sung Obi-Wan's praises too soon.
ANAKIN: From the Jedi point of view! From my point of view, the Jedi are evil!
OBI-WAN: Well, then you are lost!
As an aside, let me just say that the "Star Wars" DVD box set is truly magnificent. The picture is so sharp, you can make out the progression of every one of Luke's wrinkles, the audio is so crisp that it brings a whole new level of appreciation to Ewok death screams.
Anyway, back to Old Ben. At this point, he's resided in the nether region of the Force for a few years, ever since Vader whacked him him with a light saber.
But when Luke goes back to Dagobah to complete his training, Obi Wan dons his best spectral shimmer and appears to his former pupil.
Luke is a bit pissed off because Obi Wan kind of played fast and loose with the facts when they first met and he told Luke that Vader had betrayed and murdered his father.
Obi Wan's defense is basically, "Yo, chill out young Luke! It depends on your defintion of 'Darth Vader', 'betrayed and murdered', and 'your father'!"
OBI-WAN: Your father was seduced by the dark side of the Force. He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker and became Darth Vader. When that happened, the good man who was your father was destroyed. So what I have told you was true... from a certain point of view."So it seems that either all his time in the sand dunes of Tatooine, or perhaps tripping the light side fantastic
LUKE (disgusted): A certain point of view!?!
OBI-WAN: Luke, you're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.
at Club Force, has given the old Jedi a change of heart. It all really DOES just depend on how you look at things!
Of course, nothing fits the defintion of futility like searching for a coherent worldview in Lucas' oeuvre.
In fact, if you've read this far, go check out this illuminating post on "nerd hermeneutics" on Easily Distracted, a righteous blog by Swarthmore brainiac Timothy Burke. He ponders this very question: why are we compelled to try to read more into "Star Wars" than is really there?
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