The Empire Strikes Back

Special Edition Laserdisc Side 5, Chapter 35

Luke is boarding his ship to fly to rescue Han and Leia.

Y: Luke, you must complete the training.

L: I can’t keep that vision out of my head; they’re my friends; I’ve gotta help them.

Y: You must not go.

L: But Han and Leia will die if I don’t.

Suddenly Ben Kenobi’s voice is heard.

B: You don’t know that. <Ben’s image materializes> Even Yoda cannot see their fate.

L: But I can help them. I feel the Force.

B: But you cannot control it. This is a dangerous time for you, when you will be tempted by the Dark Side of the Force.

Y: Yes, yes! To Obi-Wan you listen. The cave. Remember your failure at the cave.

L: But I’ve learned so much since then. Master Yoda, I promise to return and finish what I’ve begun. You have my word.

B: It is you and your abilities the Emperor wants. That is why your friends are made to suffer.

L: That’s why I have to go.

B: Luke, I don’t want to lose you to the Emperor the way I lost Vader.

L: You won’t.

Y: <Stopped?> they must be. On this all depends. Only a fully-trained Jedi knight with the Force as his ally will conquer Vader and his Emperor. If you <end?> your training now, if you choose the quick and easy path, as Vader did, you will become an agent of evil. Patience!

L: And sacrifice Han and Leia?

Y: If you honor what they fought for? Yes.

B: If you choose to face Vader, you will do it alone. I cannot interfere.

L: I understand. Artoo! Fire up the converters.

B: Luke! Don’t give in to hate. That leads to the Dark Side.

Y: Strong is Vader. Mind what you have learned. Save you it can.

L: I will. And I’ll return, I promise.

Luke closes his canopy and his ship begins to fly away.

Y: Told you, I did. Reckless is he. Now, matters are worse.

B: That boy is our last hope.

Y: No. There is another.

1) Ben refers to Anakin as Vader. He’s doing this a) to continuing hiding from Luke the knowledge that Vader is his father; or, and less significantly but more likely, b) to allow Lucas to hide from the audience a little longer the knowledge that Vader is Luke’s father.

2) At some point in Episodes II and III, Anakin will choose a quick and easy path and be "lost to the Emperor." Ben feels responsible for losing Anakin (but he says "Vader") to the Emperor. Seems to me that this scene, with Luke about to board his ship and rush off half-trained to rescue his friends, while Yoda and Ben stand and look on helplessly, is going to be mirrored in Episode II or III. Ben’s comments lead me to believe that this has happened before, in much the same way. While audiences are watching Luke get on that ship, they’ll be remembering the disaster that occurred when Anakin did exactly the same thing, two (or three) movies earlier.

I'd like to believe that the mystery dynamic of Darth Vader actually being Anakin Skywalker will be maintained for future audiences -- that the big revelation in ESB ("I am your father") will remain a key plot point.  But I can see now that I will have to give up this theory. It's simple:  Surely in Episodes II and III we will see Ben train Anakin. So when Ben says he trained Vader, audiences will know then (if they haven't already been shown) that Vader is Anakin.  The big surprise will be lost.  Fooey. 

4) The Dark Side is equated to "evil" by the script. Seems to introduce the concept of right and wrong in a religious sense.

3) Ben either doesn’t know that Leia is Luke’s sister, or he doesn’t know that the midichlorians are strong in her. But Yoda knows all of this. Yoda seems not to be reminding Ben of something he already knows. He seems to be informing Ben that there is another, just as he is informing the audience.

Just an aside: Does anyone else think that when Threepio is on Lando’s Cloud City in ESB, he doesn’t sound quite like Threepio? His voice sounds as phony as a non-Mel Blanc Bugs Bunny’s. Also, I’ve always wondered why Vader doesn’t recognize his old droid Threepio anywhere in the OT. But in viewing the only scene they share before the end, the scene in which Han is frozen in carbonite, Threepio is rendered almost unrecognizable in a tangled mess of wires and robot parts dangling from Chewie’s back. It appears that Threepio can’t see Vader, and Vader can’t see Threepio, even though he should be able to hear Threepio’s voice. Which, as I’ve suggested, doesn’t sound like Threepio. What to make of this?