Am I the only one...

Am I the only one who is amused by how often theories about characters not being dead are thrown out for being "unrealistic" in a science fiction based discussion board?
Someone please explain to me how hyperdrive, the Force, and a galaxy full of people who are anatomically the same as us are "realistic" so I can think about considering possibly taking such arguments seriously...

 

I believe that even in the Star Wars universe, the event of someone coming back from the dead is very rare. There is really no precedent. However, in the star wars universe hyperspace and all that is real.

 

For fiction to work, there needs to be some set of rules, something to limit the actions of the characters, to keep them from simply conjuring up a superweapon whenever they need to. In the case of science fiction and fantasy, these rules aren't always as strict as they are in reality. But, they still exist. Obedience to these rules if what we describe as "realism".

Is "No resurrection" one of these rules? It might be- if any character can come back to life, it makes many deaths, as well as the events leading to them, completely meaningless. Fans will just realize that the writers can bring back the character at any time they choose to.

That's not to say that we can never have characters come back to life. But there needs to be a good reason for it- characters should not return from death simply because they're fan favorites.

 

Callista came back from the "dead" as it were. So did the Emperor. Both used the Force in different ways, I believe.

 

Excellent points in both replies .
Wow, I wasn't expecting replies so quickly, thank you for the input .

EDIT: Curse my slow computer, another reply popped up.
Yes, that is a good point as well, and I thought that Luke's "death" (I knew a lot of people that were p.o.ed b/c they thought he was toast) and subsequent return in the Jedi Academy Trilogy would count as prior precedent.
Not to mention Corran's "death" in Onslaught (hehe, he even wondered if he'd disapear when he died )

 

Every universe has its rules. Some have rules more strictly defined than others. Our own universe (apparently) does not allow for magic or supernatural forces. In the Wheel of Time, physics are like that of our own world, and the One Power provides a consistent system of magic. Star Wars bends the modern interpretation of physics somewhat in allowing for faster than light travel and uses the Force as a system of magic.

Really, the only thing I can think of off hand in Star Wars that is completely inconceivable is a small tribe of primitive forest creatures armed with sticks and rocks decimating a legion of the best combat troops in the galaxy. If such a thing were to happen, I would refuse to accept it as canon.

[thinks for a moment] Oh yeah?

 

Actually... upon further review... I would like to clarify my above statements. It would appear that actual resurrection as WE know it (death and then return to the living) within the SAME BODY is impossible. However, it DOES appear that spirit transferrence is possible as this actually seems to be what Callista and the Emperor used rather than reanimating their already dead forms.

Also, considering that Callista could no longer access the Force, other than the Dark Side, upon her return it is ALSO conceivably possible that only the Dark Side of the Force allows such behavior and the Light Side prefers their emissaries to remain dead (or ghosted).

 

dp4m-Hmmm... interesting point.
But, that theory leaves out KJA's Jedi Academy Trilogy. Luke was completely out of his body, he had transcended to the spiritual plane and not even Leia could feel him.
Well... he isn't dead now, so...

Gandalf the Grey- Great point! I never thought of it from that perspective.
But I'm just curious, wouldn't that sorta come back to my original point that if stuff like hyperdrive is possible than why is resurection so far fetched?

 

Perhaps it is because resurrection and hyperdrives lie on two separate planes. The former is a very touchy subject in our own universe, which may be the reason why it is being avoided in the GFFA. However, science fiction has long been accepted as a genre, and hyperdrives do not stir up so many strong emotions.

 

But, that theory leaves out KJA's Jedi Academy Trilogy. Luke was completely out of his body, he had transcended to the spiritual plane and not even Leia could feel him.

"Is he alive," Streen asked. "I can't hear him."
Cilghal replies "He's breathing. I can sense very little heartbeat, just the faintest pulse. But I can't find him inside..."

So clearly Luke was alive when he was consigned to live outside his body in the JAT, and hence does not need an explanation of resurrection and fits quite nicely with my only allowing spirit transferrence theory...

 

Actually... it wouldn't fit with your theory, b/c Luke wasn't only capable of using the darkside afterwards and he returned to his own body as opposed to someone elses...
Not to nitpick or anything...

 

Actually... it wouldn't fit with your theory, b/c Luke wasn't only capable of using the darkside afterwards and he returned to his own body as opposed to someone elses... Not to nitpick or anything...

Hehehe... attempting to hoist me on my own petard...

So, I will accept your nitpick... and counter. As Luke was not the one ripping his spirit from his body, and allowing it to return later. It was Exar Kun -- a Dark Side user if I've ever seen one. It was not until Exar Kun was defeated that breath came from Luke, strongly suggesting that Exar Kun was holding Luke in the suspended animation.

So that continues with the Dark Side/spirit transferrence issue. Though, to be fair, I'm not as convinced on that as I am on no resurrection, just spirit transferrence. I just have yet to see a documented case of a Lightsider performing the transferrence and being able to access the Light Side afterwards. (or at least I can't remember one...)

 

In early drafts of Return of the Jedi, Obi-Wan and Yoda were to have been returned to life. However, that was scrapped for what did happen on screen.

As for actually having come back from the dead, I know of only three cases. Palpatine, who did so using clones of himself and transfering his spirit into one of his clones, Callista, who switched places with Cray Mingla, taking Cray's body and setting her spirit free to be with the man she loved, and Bevel Lemelisk, who was killed and brought back to life in a clone body several times by Palpatine. I do know of one mention of someone who planned to come back from the dead in a new body and their spirit was destroyed. Freedon Nadd, in Dark Lords of the Sith. While I don't remember if this was mentioned in the comics or just the audio drama, Nadd's spirit wanted Exar Kun to find the labs of Naga Sadow and create a new body for him. Kun decided he no longer needed Nadd and destroyed his spirit.

 

Palpatine, who did so using clones of himself and transfering his spirit into one of his clones, Callista, who switched places with Cray Mingla, taking Cray's body and setting her spirit free to be with the man she loved, and Bevel Lemelisk, who was killed and brought back to life in a clone body several times by Palpatine.

All of them are still spirit transferrences rather than coming back from the dead though, right? Even Bevel was transferred since he had memories of his "deaths" as forms of torture by the Emperor...

 

Death was needed in all three cases to release the spirit.

 

It is well established that STAR WARS, along with many other series, are followers of The "Star Trek" Rule of Character Death: "Only 'Red Shirts' from Security, or their equivalent, die without hope of resurrection. Everyone else is fair game."