That makes sense. I could get onboard with this idea, especially with the softness that Beru has to his goals and dreams outside the farm.
Spoilers The Controversial Star Wars Opinion Thread
- Thread starter fireproof78
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In hindsight at least it may have been the better choice in terms of Beru's character . . . but Anakin having a sibling introduces complications. Even ignoring the PT et al; the force is supposedly strong in that family line, so why wasn't Beru also trained as a Jedi? I think even Lucas struggled with this since he clearly wanted them to be family and have known Anakin, but not too close a part of the family that it'd be implausible that they'd avoid being pulled into the whole Jedi thing, or why they're out running a dust farm in the middle of nowhere. Not that these thing's can't be explained, but it raises questions that the movie doesn't really have room to answer, so best to keep it simple and vague. Honestly, Obi-Wan having a brother seems much less problematic than Anakin having a sister given the generational distance and the obvious implied animosity between the two men (on Owens part at least, if not Ben's.)
So I'll do you one better that has all of the benefits you mentioned, and none of the complications: What if Beru was Padme's sister instead? No need for force sensitivity to be addressed, no need to worry about surnames, and has just the right amount of distance for a close relative that isn't too close.
As for Luke's last name; I'm hardly the first person to mention this (indeed I think I've already brought it up before more than once over the years) but we don't actually know whether Luke always went by Skywalker growing up, or if that's something he took on after leaving Tatooine behind.
Mark Hamill has often told the anecdote of filming the detention centre scene, and first discovering his character's name was Luke Skywalker from reading his sides for the day. Up until this point (basically all of the location shooting in Tunisia, and almost all of the stage work save the Yavin temple stuff) he'd been under the understanding that his name was Luke Starkiller, since that's what it was in the earlier draft he'd read during casting, and wasn't changed until just a few weeks prior.
This is just me but I think it's a neat bit of head canon to imagine that moment is also the first time Luke ever said that name out loud. Thematically, that really is when he ceases to be Luke the farm boy and becomes "Luke Skywalker" the heroic figure. I guess if you want to add plot logic to it too; Luke Lars would have been a wanted man at that point, so going by a different name is just prudent.
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Some people are blind to it.
Including to the point of my last message.
I've never considered Luke "whiney" in ANH. He was a young man living on a desert world with less than a handful of interests / unfulfilled ambitions set against the unending drudgery of a life chosen for him. One can understand how his interests were important to him as a temporary escape from Owen Lars' self-imposed life of labor, sweating, toolboxes, and repairs, followed by rinse and repeat---forever.
This is a stereotype of Luke I've seen repeated across multiple fan groups.
While I do not, I know that is the stereotype.
Yeah the "whiney" label is something I've seen applied more and more in recent years; mostly it seems by younger people encountering the movie for the first time. While I don't agree with it objectively, one can certainly understand why some people jump to that, given that he does kind of whine a bit in his very first scene (first impressions being the strongest after all.) At least it seems that way tonally.
It's a little detail, but what I find more interesting about the general reaction to that scene is as with the Vader/Emperor conversation in tESB; most people don't read between the lines and seem to miss the real inference in what is said, instead just taking it at face value that Luke wants to go get power converters. That's not what's happening in that scene. The farm really does need some power converters, but Luke doesn't actually want to get them, he's just using that as an excuse to drop by Tosche Station so he can hang out with his friends. Owen's response is him seeing right through his attempt at a pretence.
I think that misconception is at least partly why it comes off as more of a whine to some, as again at face value it's him basically going "but I wanted to go get this thing I want for myself", whereas in reality it's meant to be "but I was going to do this task for the farm that's way more important and responsible than droid cleaning!" and Owen is not buying it for a second.
Either way it's perfectly acceptable for a hero to start off childish and naive. It's called a character arc for a reason. Luke's whole journey in the first movie is literally about growing up and leaving home, so it'd be weird if he started out as a paragon of mature responsibility.
It's a little detail, but what I find more interesting about the general reaction to that scene is as with the Vader/Emperor conversation in tESB; most people don't read between the lines and seem to miss the real inference in what is said, instead just taking it at face value that Luke wants to go get power converters. That's not what's happening in that scene. The farm really does need some power converters, but Luke doesn't actually want to get them, he's just using that as an excuse to drop by Tosche Station so he can hang out with his friends. Owen's response is him seeing right through his attempt at a pretence.
I think that misconception is at least partly why it comes off as more of a whine to some, as again at face value it's him basically going "but I wanted to go get this thing I want for myself", whereas in reality it's meant to be "but I was going to do this task for the farm that's way more important and responsible than droid cleaning!" and Owen is not buying it for a second.
Either way it's perfectly acceptable for a hero to start off childish and naive. It's called a character arc for a reason. Luke's whole journey in the first movie is literally about growing up and leaving home, so it'd be weird if he started out as a paragon of mature responsibility.
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It's funny that I have seen it since I was a part of a fan group 20 years ago.
That's fine. I'm just noting a subjectively perceived increase in the use of the label, not an objective claim as to it's recency.
And I find that amusing in our different experiences.
Is that the new canon?
I never understood the complaints about Luke (or even Anakin) being whiney. Why is that a crime for some people? We're talking about characters who had engaged in this behavior when they were in their late teens - roughly 19 years old. Did some people believe they were supposed to be more ideal than that?
What do you mean by that? I know that the Force exists in all living beings. But when using the Force, are you referring to engaging in day-to-day tasks or a specific task? Or are you talking about utilizing psi abilities?
From my point of view 20 years ago is recent years.
Well then you are LOST!
Or Yoda.Well then you are LOST!
The laughable irony is that some of the ANH-Luke-is-a-whiner group spend so much time whining about Luke.
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