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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Saga Why did Owen and Beru accept Luke anyway?

Discussion in 'Star Wars Saga In-Depth' started by Seagoat, Jul 21, 2013.

  1. timmoishere

    timmoishere Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 2, 2007
    Obi-Wan and Luke interacted several times in Luke's childhood. One such instance was when a krayt dragon damaged the landspeeder that Luke and his friend Windy were driving. Obi-Wan came along and drove the beast away, then took them back to Luke's farm. Owen was not thrilled by Obi-Wan's intervention, however.
     
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  2. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    Indeed:

    The Life & Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi:

    "This is Mr Kenobi!" Windy gasped. "He saved us from a krayt dragon!"
    Windy's mother looked up at Ben and said "Thank you, Mr Kenobi!" Windy's father patted his son on the back as he smiled gratefully at Ben.
    Ben returned the smile sheepishly, then looked to Owen. Owen glowered at him.
    Luke arrived at Beru's side and exclaimed, "Mr Kenobi told us stories about living on the Dune Sea ... it was great! Can he stay for a while?"
    Without hesitation, Owen answered firmly, "Mr Kenobi has to leave now."
    There was a moment of awkward silence. Then Beru, clearly outraged, glared at her husband and said, "Owen Lars!"
    Ignoring his wife, Owen stepped forward and grabbed Ben's upper arm. "I want you off my property," Owen said, "and don't come back!" He gave Ben a shove.
    Ben stumbled back but instantly regained his balance. Looking away from Owen, he faced Luke. Ben had hoped to talk to Luke, who looked positively stunned by Owen's behaviour. Now all Ben could manage was a slight, sad smile for Luke before he turned and walked away.
    Back home to the Jundland wastes.
     
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  3. Darth_Nub

    Darth_Nub Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Apr 26, 2009
    Getting into EU territory here - let's regard such tales as being somewhat hypothetical when it comes to discussing the movies.

    IMHO, the ROTJ-era development of Owen being Obi-Wan's brother should have stayed - it adds depth and credibility to Owen's surly remarks about Obi-Wan, and it's a bit more believable than Luke being dumped on a barely-known step family, who only briefly met Anakin - and never met Obi-Wan before he turned up with Luke. Luke isn't a blood relation to either the Lars or Kenobi families anyway.

    When I first read the ROTJ novelisation in the 1990s, that was the first I'd heard about Owen & Obi-Wan being brothers, and it made perfect sense, even though it came across as something developed in hindsight (it was in the shooting script of ROTJ as well, BTW, before anyone jumps on that).
     
  4. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    How about the A New Hope novelization's portrayal of the dinner scene?

    "The reason I think it might be stolen is because it claims to be the property of someone it calls Obi-Wan Kenobi."
    Maybe something in the food, or perhaps the milk, caused Luke's uncle to gag. Then again, it might have been an expression of disgust, which was Owen's way of indicating his opinion of that peculiar personage. In any case, he continued eating without looking up at his nephew.
    Luke pretended the display of graphic dislike had never happened. "I thought," he continued determinedly, "it might have meant old Ben. The first name is different, but the last is identical."
    When his uncle steadfastly maintained his silence, Luke prompted him directly. "Do you know who he's talking about, Uncle Owen?"
    Surprisingly, his uncle looked uncomfortable instead of angry. "It's nothing," he mumbled, still not meeting Luke's gaze. "A name from another time." He squirmed nervously in his seat. "A name that can only mean trouble."
    Luke refused to heed the implied warning and pressed on. "Is he someone related to old Ben, then? I didn't know he had any relatives."
    "You stay away from that old wizard, you hear me!" his uncle exploded, awkwardly substituting threat for reason.
    "Owen ..." Aunt Beru started to interject gently, but the big farmer cut her off sternly.
    "Now, this is important, Beru." He turned his attention back to his nephew. "I've told you about Kenobi before. He's a crazy old man; he's dangerous and full of mischief, and he's best left well alone."
    Beru's pleading gaze caused him to quiet somewhat. "That droid has nothing to do with him. Couldn't have," he grumbled half to himself. Recording — huh!" Well, tomorrow, I want you to take the unit into Anchorhead and have its memory flushed."
    Snorting, Owen bent to his half-eaten meal with determination. "That will be the end of this foolishness. I don't care where that machine thinks it came from. I paid hard credit for it, and it belongs to us now."
    "But supposing it does belong to someone else?" Luke wondered. "What if this Obi-Wan comes looking for his droid?"
    An expression between sorrow and a sneer crossed his uncle's seasoned face at the remembrance. "He won't. I don't think that man exists any more. He died about the same time as your father." A huge mouthful of hot food was shovelled inward. "Now forget about it."
    "Then it was a real person," Luke murmured, staring down at his plate. He added slowly, "Did he know my father?"
    "I said forget about it," Owen snapped.
     
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  5. CommanderDrenn

    CommanderDrenn Jedi Knight star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 19, 2013
    Anakin and Owen were half-brothers, as I believe. So that would make Luke his.... half-nephew? I don't know the name for it.
     
  6. PiettsHat

    PiettsHat Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 1, 2011

    Step-brothers. Luke is his step-nephew; there's no blood connection. Shmi just married Owen's father, but she did help raise him.
     
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  7. CommanderDrenn

    CommanderDrenn Jedi Knight star 4

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    Oct 19, 2013
    Oh, okay I stand corrected. Thanks :)
     
  8. darth-sinister

    darth-sinister Manager Emeritus star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jun 28, 2001
    No, but family is still family, regardless of blood. There are families that you are born into and families that you create. Both are equal, especially when it comes to step families.
     
  9. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

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    Sep 2, 2012
    And even if Owen hasn't known her all that long, he refers to her as "my mom" in the AoTC novel. As I recall, the novel had a few extra scenes, showing the Larses as a pretty happy family.
     
  10. Darth_Nub

    Darth_Nub Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Apr 26, 2009
    That's not what I meant - my point was that the blood connection was equally non-existent, but that Obi-Wan's connection (and therefore Owen's, if he was his brother) to Luke was perhaps a bit stronger through his own connection to Anakin, rather than the Lars' connection through Shmi.
     
  11. Barbecue17

    Barbecue17 Jedi Master star 2

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    Nov 11, 2013
    I've read the novelization, but it's been years. Not sure I recall anything about the Obi-Wan and Owen connection. Does it pop up anywhere else other than in the novelization and the shooting script?
     
  12. darth-sinister

    darth-sinister Manager Emeritus star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jun 28, 2001
    In the publicly released copy of the screenplay, but it is pretty much like the novelization. The only time beyond that was in the novel, "Before The Storm". I think the early essential guides referred to it.
     
  13. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

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    Sep 2, 2012
    I'm curious as to where in that book it was.

    I think an "Owen Kenobi" is referenced in the Jedi Apprentice series (The Hidden Past, according to Wookieepedia), before AOTC came out.
     
  14. darth-sinister

    darth-sinister Manager Emeritus star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jun 28, 2001
    It was in the scene where Obi-wan tells Luke about Anakin. And in "The Hidden Past", it said Owen. A last name was never given. It could mean that Obi-wan had a brother named Owen, but not Lars.
     
  15. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

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    Sep 2, 2012
    I was talking about the Before the Storm novel- I've got that, and don't recall that one going out of the way to reference Owen as Obi-Wan's brother- though I've only read it twice.
    I figured that, at the time The Hidden Past was written, the writer knew about the ROTJ novel reference, and the YA book reference was a nod to the ROTJ one.

    Possibly Owen would be assumed to have changed his name to Lars, in that period, on Obi-Wan's instructions.
     
  16. CoolyFett

    CoolyFett Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Feb 3, 2003
    Just Nephew
     
  17. darth-sinister

    darth-sinister Manager Emeritus star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jun 28, 2001
    Step nephew.
     
  18. Endor_boy

    Endor_boy Jedi Knight star 2

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    Dec 24, 2013
    It is noteworthy that Owen and Beru had no other children, so it does lead me to think that they couldn't have children. Or maybe they only wanted or could afford one child, and they were happy enough just to raise Luke.I always assumed that Owen took in Luke also out of affection for Shmi, since he barely knew Anikan.
    While you'd think Bail and his wife were infertile too, there could be other reasons. Perhaps they just didn't believe in having children when they were orphaned children who needed a home.
    It's interesting to speculate about though.
     
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  19. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

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    Sep 2, 2012
    The EU at least went into detail - saying that Bail and Brehu had been trying to have a child, unsuccessfully.

    In the RoTS movie I think Bail says "We've always talked about adopting a girl" - but doesn't say why.
     
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  20. anakincol

    anakincol Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Jul 28, 2009
    I like the Idea that Owen took Baby Luke in because of his love for his stepmother. The films establish Owen is close to or a bit older than Anakin. The EU establishes that Watto Sold Shmi about 6 months to a year after Anakin Left. If Owen is near in age to Anakin that means that Shmi was in his life for a longer amount of time than his Biological mother had been by AOTC. An interesting sidenote to the Owen and Obi-wan ROTJ brothers thing is that the Ewans stunt double Nash Edgerton and the Joel Edgerton who play young Owen are brothers.
     
  21. Space_Wolf

    Space_Wolf Jedi Master star 3

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    Mar 13, 2007
    That was in mentioned in some very old material (the original Essential Guide to Characters which was published before the Prequels were released and I think it might also be mentioned in the Star Wars Technical Journal which was published around the same time)- I don't know if it made the cut when the Prequels were made. (Also, you would have to wonder why Owen wasn't trained as a Jedi.)
     
  22. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

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    Sep 2, 2012
    Maybe, while "the force runs strong in some families" - it's not a guarantee that every member will qualify for Jedi training.

    Obi-Wan calling Owen his brother was in the RoTJ novelization, and the Jedi Apprentice book The Hidden Past mentions a brother called Owen.

    After AoTC, "Owen Kenobi" became a separate person from "Owen Lars".
     
  23. CoolyFett

    CoolyFett Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Feb 3, 2003
  24. DRush76

    DRush76 Jedi Master star 4

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    Jan 25, 2008


    This answer makes a lot of sense to me.
     
  25. anakinfansince1983

    anakinfansince1983 Skywalker Saga/LFL/YJCC Manager star 10 Staff Member Manager

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    Mar 4, 2011
    According to EU sources again, Breha Organa had had multiple miscarriages.

    And I think a Lucas interview mentioned that Owen and Beru took Luke and kept "Skywalker" as his last name out of love for Shmi.