Why did the stormtroopers kill Owen and Beru and then burn their corpses?

I woke up with the realization this morning that a scene I always took for granted suddenly doesn't make any sense to me. As far as Owen and Beru know, look is taking the droids to have their memory wiped. So when the stormtroopers come knocking and looking for the droids, presumably he said something like "My nephew has them, he should be back soon. I don't want any trouble."

How did this escalate so poorly?


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Go to youtube and search for TROOPS.

 

One of the troopers accidentally knocked over one of Beru's scented candles while he was using the bathroom

 

I believe they weren't cremated but the state of their bodies was the result of a high powered blaster or turbo laser attack from either the stardestroyer in orbit, a tie fighter or an imperial ground vehicle that destroyed the homestead.

 

Or maybe malfunctioning disruptors?

 

Darth Vader was still bitter about a certain "Little orphan annie" wisecrack.

 

In The Rise & Fall of Darth Vader, it's not all that far off this:

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After the meeting, Vader was informed that he had an incoming message from the Tatooine system. He had already been notified that Commander Praji's stormtrooper squad had learned that the Tantive IV's missing escape pod had carried two droids to Tatooine's surface, and that the droids had been picked up by a Jawa sandcrawler. Vader walked over to a communications console, where a holoprojector flickered to life and projected an image of two fully armed Imperial sandtroopers standing beside a middle-aged man and woman who wore robes and were kneeling on the ground. Near the four figures, there was a partial view of a structure, which Vader recognized as an entry dome for a desert dwelling.​

Addressing the sandtrooper squad leader, Vader said, 'Report via closed circuit."​

"Lord Vader," said one of the sandtroopers, adjusting a control on his helmet so that only Vader could hear his voice. "The Jawas sold a protocol droid and an astromech to these moisture farmers, but both droids are gone."​

Moisture farmers? Intrigued, Vader examined the holograms of the kneeling couple and said, "The farmers' names?"​

"Owen and Beru Lars, sir," the sandtrooper responded. "They say they don't know where the droids are, but it looks like a landspeeder is missing from their garage."​

Owen and Beru, Vader recalled. The resolution of their holograms was clear enough that he could make out their worn, weathered features. Neither of them looked comfortable having blaster rifles aimed at their backs. Remembering how they'd looked on the day Anakin Skywalker had met them, Vader thought, The years have not been kind. It's time for them to pay for their repeated weaknesses.​

"Your orders, sir?" said the sandtrooper.​

"Tell Mr and Mrs Lars that they seem to have trouble keeping protocol droids on their property."​

Not certain if he had heard correctly, the sandtrooper said, "Sir?"​

"Then you may extend to them every courtesy you showed the Jawas before you continue your search. Establish checkpoints to detain any droids entering Mos Espa or Mos Eisley spaceports. And one more thing."​

"Yes, Sir?"​

"Do not stop transmitting until I break the connection."​

"Understood," said the sandtrooper.​

Vader watched the sandtroopers carry out his orders on their helpless victims. He found the sight of rising flames—even holograms of flames burning millions of light years away—to be most satisfying.​

When the Lars family homestead had been transformed into an inferno, Vader deactivated the holoprojector. He proceeded to the nearest lift tube, and was quickly transported to sublevel five of detention area AA-23, which was reserved for political prisoners.​

Time to talk with the Princess.​

 

While Luke was gone, Watto stopped by and stormtroopers LOVE toasted toydarian.

 

In the Tales from Mos Eisley Cantina short story When the Desert Wind Turns: The Stormtrooper's Tale Owen loses his temper during the stormtroopers' search of the house, and yells at Captain Terrik - who promptly orders the attack, suggesting that "this is what happens to those who give quarter to rebels":




Zeta squad raced through the lower levels of the moisture farmer’s house, overturning tables, ripping doors off cabinets, smashing metal lockers with their blaster rifles until the containers popped open. One by one the stormtroopers checked in with Captain Terrik: “No sign of the droids, sir."
Davin watched the storm trooper in front, of him kick over a vat of oil before heading to the upper level. The moisture farmer’s house was a shambles.
“Zeta squad check in and form up,” said Captain Terrik, his words clipped and precise in Davin’s helmet.
“Ten twenty-three,” said Davin. He tried to control his breathing, but the thought of what was going to happen next nearly overwhelmed his senses. He trotted into the bright Tatooine double-sunshine and stood at attention with the rest of his squad. Captain Terrik stood in front of the moisture farmer and his wife, just outside of the house. The moisture farmer’s face was bright red with anger; the woman cried, her head down. Davin flicked his outside audio sensor on with his chin and listened to the exchange.
“… you men are nothing but criminals! I told you I haven’t seen those droids since last night. And look what you’ve done to my house! The governor will pay for this.”
“This nephew of yours,” said Captain Terrik, his voice modulated by the speaker in his battlesuit, “one more time: Where did he take the Artoo unit?”
“Haven’t you been listening?” The moisture farmer shook a fist in the air. “I don’t know - and now I would not tell you even if I did know! You Imperial thugs are worse than I imagined.” He stepped up to Captain Terrik’s helmeted face and spat; spittle ran down the officer’s helmet.
Captain Terrik made no attempt to remove the spittle. “Where is the boy?”
“I never did care much for the Rebel movement; but now I hope they find every one of you bantha slime and grill your carcasses!”
The moisture farmer turned and put an arm around his wife, drawing her near. The two turned away, back toward their home.
Without emotion, Captain Terrik nodded toward the stormtroopers. His voice came over the secure link. “There’s only one place the boy could have taken the droids - into Mos Eisley, to escape offplanet. Zeta squad, load up. Floating fortress, this house needs to be left as a reminder of what happens when quarter is given to Rebels. Fire when ready.”
Turning quickly for the cargo skiff, Davin Felth pushed aboard and kept his eyes averted from the blast on the house. A sour taste clawed up his throat. First they executed the Jawas, and now these humans. And over what - a couple of lousy droids? What could be so important that it deserved executing these people?
On his home planet, joining the military had seemed all fun and games, his chest swelling with pride as he had boarded the ship to transport him to Carida. But now, this was reality. People were dying, being indiscriminately killed.
The cargo skiff lifted off the ground, giving Davin a view of the carnage below. Smoke drifted up from the house. He could see the charred remains of two bodies lying in the scorched sand. As the skiff wheeled toward the desert city of Mos Eisley, Davin didn’t know what he would do if he was ordered to kill.

 

It's because Owen and Beru were a "hot couple"

 

Badum tss!

 

Same reason they killed the Jawas, who presumably told them "We sold those droids to moisture farmers outside Anchorhead." Vader wanted to eliminate anyone who knew anything about the droids.

As for why their bodies are burned, one of the stormtroopers might have had a disruptor?

 

I've always thought from an out of universe perspective it was because they hadn't quite thought out how the blasters worked yet, and so they worked like traditional old school Sci Fi laser guns that had settings ranging from "stun" to "disintegrate, sometimes leaving behind a skeleton or pile of ash". After all the stun setting was also used in ANH, but afterwards it seemed like people forgot about it.

I've also come across fan theories that Boba Fett did it and that's why Vader tells him "No disintegration", but I find that to be too much of a coincidence, even in a franchise where the main villain built the protagonists' robot friend as a child.

 

The official reason listed in local Tatooine news was probably that Owen was violently resisting talking to the stormtroopers, threatening the stormtroopers with a blaster or whatever. Since he came across as a bit of an abrasive person, the nearest neighbors on Tatooine probably bought this explanation.

 

I agree with Cracian_Thumper...it was just about eliminating anyone who may have known about the droids or what they were carrying.

 

Yeah, I always figured it was basically Owen being uncooperative and saying "Screw off" to the stormtroopers. He knew Luke had the droids after all, so he'd never give him up; Owen was all about protecting him. No way he would've been cooperative.

 

It seems out of character for Owen to be anything but cooperative with *authority*.

One of the things I liked about Luke's last conversation with Owen wasn't just being the family business owner making his *kid* work for the family business and never quite getting ahead. Owen was cleverly keeping Luke business. Idle hands and all.

So if he could put up that ruse at the expense of Luke's respect all those years, I feel he'd easily be able to put up with a few hours of "yes sir / no sir / sorry sir" with a couple of stormtroopers. He wasn't a rock the boat kinda guy from what I gleaned.

More likely he tried to ride that line of respect and deception to the stormtroopers to protect Luke. They knew he was lying and maybe even found evidence of his deception and implemented the death penalty when it became clear he wasn't going to give them info on Luke's whereabouts with the droids they were looking for.

 

Except!

Except.

The droids will lead the Empire to Luke.

Which is, I think, the one thing Owen knows he can't be cooperative about.

 

Newcanon Owen also has something of a temper - giving Obi-Wan a bawling-out in the comics.

 

Truesay.

 

Is most of the new cannon coming from the comic books?

 

They seem to have the reigns in the ANH - ESB era. Novels have been filling out ROTS - REBELS. Rebels on TV expands the canon in its own sphere.

 

I vaguely recall some speculation about stormtroopers interrogating suspects with a "persuasive" technique known as the slow burn. It involved a blaster set on low power to make the session last longer and was said to burn the flesh off the bones.

 

That came from the Han Solo Adventures series:

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/The_Burning