THE IMPORTANCE OF CERTAIN-POINT-OF-VIEWING

”Today it’s been 45 years since the premiere of the very first Star Wars movie!” //
”And to celebrate it I will over-analyze one line from that movie. You will find my over-analysis below.”

’A New Hope’: ”I was once a Jedi Knight, the same as your father.” //
”He was the best star pilot in the galaxy. And a cunning warrior.” //
”And he was a good friend.” //
’The Empire Strikes Back’: ”He told me you killed him!” //
”No. I am your father.” //
’Return of the Jedi’:”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 told you was true… from a certain point of view.” //
”And… let’s stop here.” //
”Why did Obi-Wan tell the truth ’from a certain point of view’? The easy answer is that originally ’Vader killed Anakin’ WAS the truth. Star Wars was supposed to be just one movie, and Vader wasn’t Luke’s father.” //
”But in-story reasons are more interesting.”

”Obi-Wan knew that Anakin became Vader. So he was certain-point-of-viewing on purpose.” //
”Obi-Wan was also a smart guy and anticipated that Vader couldn’t be defeated in battle. So there had to be another way.” //
Had Obi-Wan said: ”Yeah, your father is Darth Vader, the worst guy in the galaxy. Killed children and your mother.” //
This would have happened: ”You’re evil!” ”Yep. Come to the Dark Side.” ”Well okay.” To put it simply, that is. //
But because Obi-Wan had told what a good person Anakin had once been: ”Maybe there’s still good in my father, he can be saved!” //
And this made all the difference! ”Come to the Dark Side.” ”No. You come back to the Light!” //
Luke never won Vader in battle but by believing Anakin was still there… ”Eek!” //
”And without Obi-Wan’s certain-point-of-viewing Luke wouldn’t have had anything to believe in!”

”Also, what Obi-Wan says about Anakin is really nicely said in general and one of my favorite scenes, too – especially since Obi-Wan knows what Anakin became.” //
”I’ve also been thinking about the name of the movie. Originally, it was just ’Star Wars’ but after it got sequels it was renamed ’A New Hope’.” //
What happened in the movie – destroying the Death Star and so on – brought new hope to the whole galaxy. //
And Luke is, of course, the new hope for the destroyed Jedi Order. //
”But there’s one more who got some new hope in ’A New Hope’. And that is Anakin Skywalker. What Obi-Wan said sent Luke on a path that – in the end – led him to bring Anakin back to the Light Side. And I find that a nice thought.” //
”And thus ends my over-analysis on what Obi-Wan said about Anakin in ’A New Hope’.”
”Now I shall celebrate and watch that movie!”

Star Wars created by George Lucas