CT Did Luke not know about Force Lightning until Palpatine hit him with it?

I agree.

What the novels did was expand on the same conflicts Luke was having at the end of ROTJ. I think because Lucas wanted to end Luke's story at ROTJ, he was implying that Luke had FINALLY come to some conclusion as to how to deal with these conflicts when he threw his saber away. It wasn't the only move a jedi could have made but all jedi are different, and Luke was at that moment establishing what sort of jedi he was going to be.

The people writing the books realized that there could be more adventures with Luke, and they could throw him into different situations, and maybe he shouldn't have learned exactly everything about how a jedi should use the force just by facing his father. All that was very intelligent of them, cause it helped them get a closer representation to the Luke we all recognize. They had to kind of backpedal on things Lucas established at the end of ROTJ, and make Luke not quite so wise. I don't think GL's Luke would have ever turned to the darkside in Dark Empire, the way that Tom Veitch wrote it. But EU Luke might, because he was actually less wise and less of a jedi.

But you're right, Luke didn't have a full grasp on how the force should be used when he was talking to Yoda. I think that's when Yoda's faith that the force would work through Luke to establish their goals would come in. I think it's notable that Yoda's faith in the force at that time should have been at an extreme high, because he had one foot inside the grave at the time. He was about ready to join the force. I think his words could be considered prophetic rather than academic.

 

The other thing that wasn't taken literally was "The last of the Jedi shall you be" with other survivors coming out of the woodwork after RoTJ.

Though a case could be made that all those had "given up the Jedi way" in at least some fashion or other.

 

Very true. In a lot of ways, it was an accurate statement. Even Ben Kenobi said "I was once a jedi knight, the same as your father." Using the past tense, which was awesome. I think the novels used statements like that to justify characters like Vima da boda, and Empatojayos Brand, and others.

 

Talking of Yoda joining the force made me wonder, as we see his force ghost at the end of RotJ, would Yoda be able to offer counsel to Luke as Ben does?

 

Great question! From everything I know about Star Wars, I would say "yes."

The EU has an interesting take on this. In Heir to the Empire Luke was approaching mastery of the force, and Ben was pretty much telling Luke that they wouldn't be able to communicate anymore. As a master, Luke wouldn't need him so much, and the force was effectively cutting them off from each other.

By the end of ROTJ, Lucas may have been implying that Luke was already at that point, and didn't require Yoda's guidance.

 

Surely as his ability to use the force increases his need for counsel would be greater, not for teachings but for direction and to utilise experience.

So potentially in EpVII we could see Luke in contact with the force ghosts of Ben, Yoda.........and Anankin!! What a really easy way to cause the remaining imperial sectors to fall, have the inside info from their fromer no.2.

 

After ROTJ, Luke still got council for several years in the EU. I think Leia was the only one to actually get to see Anakin, until the time of Cade Skywalker any way. But that's an interesting idea.

 

Well said. Indeed, perhaps Yoda intentionally did not teach Luke about force-lightning. Or perhaps Yoda would have preferred to teach Luke everything but obviously didn't have time (he died after all); but Yoda is basically saying that the limited training that Luke has is sufficient enough. Maybe he knew that, Luke being the offspring of perhaps the most powerful force-user of all time (at least in terms of midichlorians), that would make-up for some of the training he never received.

 

Yes, Yoda will intentionally not teach Luke about the weapon his enemy used against him in the duel in RotS.

Besides, Yoda had enough time. You think becoming a ghost would keep him from continuing the training?

 

Luke was probably daydreaming about another sister make out session when Yoda was giving the lightning lesson.

 

Yuck!