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Topic:
"I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid."
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heathdaniel
Registered:
Sep '04
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Date Posted:
5/11 11:54am
Subject:
"I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid."
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Why does Obi-Wan not recognize or remember R2-D2 when he first sees him in ANH? I know this is probably a newbie question that has been answered before, but I'm just curious. Was he playing dumb for Luke? Or is he just old and senile?
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halibut
Title: FF Admin & UK RSA
Registered:
Aug '00
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Date Posted:
5/11 11:58am
Subject:
RE: "I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid."
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The answer I've seen is that he never "owned" R2, but did know who he was. So what he said is true......from a certain point of view.
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heathdaniel
Registered:
Sep '04
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Date Posted:
5/11 11:59am
Subject:
RE: "I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid."
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True, but he acted as if he had never seen R2 before. It just doesn't make sense.
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jedimasterbac
Title: Fan Sites Moderator
Registered:
Jun '04
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Date Posted:
5/11 12:18pm
Subject:
RE: "I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid."
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Watch Obi-Wan's eyes and some of his mannerisms. They'll tell you that he knew who it was.
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_Sublime_Skywalker_
Registered:
May '04
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Date Posted:
5/11 12:44pm
Subject:
RE: "I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid."
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Obi Wan never owned R2, Anakin and Padme had. The fact that R2 was claiming to be property of Obi Wan, I think he knew the force had set something into motion.
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Vortigern99
Title: Manager Emeritus
Registered:
Nov '00
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Date Posted:
5/11 1:31pm
Subject:
RE: "I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid."
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jedimasterbac posted:
Watch Obi-Wan's eyes and some of his mannerisms. They'll tell you that he knew who it was.
I don't believe or agree with this for an instant. Lucas did not instruct Alec Guiness to "pretend you don't know who R2 is, but actually you know exactly who he is because I've written this elaborate backstory in which you and R2 cross paths many times, so let your eyes belie the fact that you know him". The truth of the matter is, Lucas had a few pages of broad notes, neither he nor Guiness had any idea that R2 had ever been in Kenobi's company, and as it turns out Kenobi did not "own" R2 (the astromech was given to Anakin by Padme), and all astromech droids tend to look and sound similar, leading to Kenobi's lack of memory that this had once been Anakin's droid.
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halibut
Title: FF Admin & UK RSA
Registered:
Aug '00
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Date Posted:
5/11 1:40pm
Subject:
RE: "I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid."
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Well, that comes down to the fact there are 2 ways of looking at this. The GFFA version, and the Earth version.
The latter is as you say. When ANH was written, it seemed like a good line at the time. The whole backstory wasn't written.
In the GFFA version, we have to look at the whole Saga. We know that Obi-Wan DID know R2, so then it comes down to "Is he talking about actually owning droids" or "Did he forget who R2 was". I'm in the former camp.
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TwiLekJedi
Title: Classic Trilogy & YJCC Manager
Registered:
Jun '01
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Date Posted:
5/11 1:42pm
Subject:
RE: "I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid."
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wasn't Lucas' instruction just "faster, more intense" anyway?  Guiness might just have tried to give Ben a recognition of R2's importance, no matter if it's the toaster that belonged to his pupil or Skippy the Jedi Droid. It translates well as personal recognition now. Just like the lie about Luke's father.
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Vortigern99
Title: Manager Emeritus
Registered:
Nov '00
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Date Posted:
5/11 2:16pm
Subject:
RE: "I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid."
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But speaking "in-universe", to Kenobi, who in the PT doesn't give much credit to droids, this blue astromech is just another robot. He doesn't have to be pretending or lying or saying things "from a certain point of view". It's been twenty years, and he doesn't recognize this blue-marked droid as being the same blue-marked droid Padme gave Anakin.
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"I knew from the beginning I was not doing science fiction.
I was doing a space opera, a fantasy film, a mythological piece,
a fairy tale."--George Lucas
My "Vader's Origins" thread:
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TwiLekJedi
Title: Classic Trilogy & YJCC Manager
Registered:
Jun '01
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Date Posted:
5/11 2:29pm
Subject:
RE: "I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid."
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no, but that one knew his name, after 20 years in exile. If that doesn't mean there is something to that droid (who just happens to be accompanying the son of the Chosen One) then nothing does.
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Vortigern99
Title: Manager Emeritus
Registered:
Nov '00
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Date Posted:
5/11 3:24pm
Subject:
RE: "I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid."
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R2 knew Kenobi's name because Leia entrusted him with the message specifically to "Obi-Wan Kenobi". Again, there is no reason Kenobi would have recognized R2 as anything special or unique.
-----signature-----
"I knew from the beginning I was not doing science fiction.
I was doing a space opera, a fantasy film, a mythological piece,
a fairy tale."--George Lucas
My "Vader's Origins" thread:
http://boards.theforce.net/Classic_Trilogy/b10002/8708417/p1
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heathdaniel
Registered:
Sep '04
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Date Posted:
5/11 4:11pm
Subject:
RE: "I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid."
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I disagree. I think Obi-Wan would have definitely recognized R4 after all of those years. And Obi-Wan was very, very, very close with Anakin. I don't think it's out of the question to suggest that he would recognize the droid of his apprentice and someone he considered a brother.
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Darth Dark Helmet
Title: Manager Emeritus
Registered:
Dec '99
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Date Posted:
5/11 4:28pm
Subject:
RE: "I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid."
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I fall into the camp of people who thinks that Obi-Wan recognizes R2. The way he looks at R2 when Luke tells him he's looking for Obi-Wan Kenobi, to me looks like in his mind, a confirmation of who R2 is, and what it means that he's sought him out. And of course he doesn't tell Luke that he knows who and what R2 is, he probably doesn't even know everything he wants to tell Luke about his father, and what happened to him.
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General Kenobi
Title: Comms Admin
SW & Film Music
Classic Trilogy
Registered:
Dec '98
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Date Posted:
5/11 6:34pm
Subject:
RE: "I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid."
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Despite the lack of fleshed-out back story in 1977, Sir Alec plays it coyly enough that we are given pause at his denial. This moment is accentuated after the events of ROTS.
There's the old "toaster argument", which says that most people wouldn't recognize an old appliance they owned twenty years ago. However, most would probably ascribe a higher personal attachment to a droid, perhaps more like a pet dog. Would you recognize your friend's loyal pet after twenty years?
Given the extraordinary events of ROTS, it's hard to believe that Obi-Wan wouldn't have recognized R2, especially given Luke's use of the name "Obi-Wan".
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voodoopuuduu
Registered:
Mar '04
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Date Posted:
5/11 7:44pm
Subject:
RE: "I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid."
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Yep, and lets not forget, R2 was there with 3CPO. Its just too much of a coincidence for Obi-Wan not to remember, unless his mind was completely gone.
While its true Obi-Wan never technically owned a droid, he certainly could have used one on Tatooine. Maybe the Jawas came around to his hovel once, and he chased them away with his lightsaber. The Jawas then spread word to the Sandpeople about that crazy old wizard, and that, not the strange noise, was the real reason they ran away.  
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heathdaniel
Registered:
Sep '04
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Date Posted:
5/11 7:48pm
Subject:
RE: "I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid."
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Given the extraordinary events of ROTS, it's hard to believe that Obi-Wan wouldn't have recognized R2, especially given Luke's use of the name "Obi-Wan".
Precisely. And using that friend's old dog argument, I do think, 30 years from now, I would recognize the dog (assuming it remained unchanged) of my best friend/brother, especially if he and I had an epic and heartbreaking falling out.
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