Finding Obi-Wan

In TESB we see that the Empire went all out to locate young Skywalker. They sent probe droids all over the galaxy and had the fleet engaged in an active pursuit that may have lasted for years (not sure of the time between ANH and TESB). Finally, they found him.

At the end of ROTS, Darth Vader obviously knows that Obi-Wan survived the clones' earlier attempt on his life and then later their duel. So the Emperor knows that Obi-Wan is alive too.

Why didn't they launch a campaign (similar to the one in TESB) to find Obi-Wan (and Yoda for that matter)? If they could find Luke on the remote planet Hoth, why wouldn't they have found Obi-Wan on the remote yet populated and trafficked planet Tatooine? They found Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and the crew there once before, and rather quickly.

 

Because they were tracking a specific ship. Also, Obi-Wan was not with the Rebels.

 

Vader was reluctant to go back to Tatooine, the source of so much of his painful personal history.

Also, he was content to allow Obi-Wan to remain in hiding, knowing that if he were to ever come out of his self-imposed exile, he would be easy to track down.

In addition, at least in the early years after ROTS, Vader would be mindful of his recent defeat at Obi-Wan's hands, and he was still in the process of mastering his new cybernetic body, and thus may not have been too eager to seek out a rematch with Obi-Wan.

In contrast, when the existence of Luke was revealed to Vader (mostly likely via Imperial spies who sought out the identity of the Rebel pilot who destroyed the Death Star, and relayed the name "Luke Skywalker" up the chain of command to Vader), Vader's search for his son was motivated by his desire to convert Luke to the Dark Side, and together destroy the Emperor and rule the galaxy.

 

Why didn't the Empire go after Obi-Wan like they did for Luke? To put it simply, Obi-Wan wasn't important enough compared to Luke. Obi-Wan was no direct threat to either Vader or the Empire. Palpatine, in Dark Lord, said that the Jedi humbled themselves before the Sith after they fled into exile. Vader sought out Luke because he was the only one strong enough to help him overthrow Palpatine.

 

Like others have said, Vader was content to allow Obi-Wan to remain in hiding. This was mainly due to the fact that Vader was arrogant, and thought Obi-Wan feared him, and would not dare face him again. If Obi-Wan stayed out of his way Vader would let him live, but if he ever came back out into the open as he did in ANH Vader would kill him. The Rise of Darth Vader book shows Vader acting this way.

 

In TESB we see that the Empire went all out to locate young Skywalker.

It was Vader who used the Empire to search for Luke.

 

My answer to the question is this: "Insert your theory here:____________________."

I mean it seriously and with no measure of insult when I say that the answer is whatever you want it to be. I highly doubt that Lucas had a reason in mind in 1975 when he wrote ANH, and the fact that he didn't retroactively concoct one during ROTS proves that it's not an important point.

It's like asking why the Empire didn't wait for Luke at Jabba's palace after freezing Han. The movies are supposed to be grandiose space operas, so can't withstand logistical nitpicking, just as a tank isn't designed for driving through midtown Manhattan.

I think this is kind of semantic quibbling. The crawl of TESB did say that Vader was "obsessed" with finding Luke, but because Vader is the #2 man in the Empire, saying that he wants something is virtually synonymous with saying the Empire does.

 

In 1975 Lucas may not have had a reason for Vader not searching for Obi-Wan, but now we do. It is shown in the Rise of Darth Vader book. Vader thinks about Obi-Wan and says he is content to allow Obi-Wan to remain in hiding, because he thinks Obi-Wan would never dare to face him again or cause him anymore trouble. However, Obi-Wan does eventually cause trouble, and Vader kills him.

 

Vader does not kill him.

 

Vader swung his sword at Obi-Wan's throat forcing Obi-Wan to become one with the force. He would not have had to become one with the force if he could have got away. Vader is the instigator of his death. And since Obi-Wan becomes one with the force he is no longer alive in the physical sense so I consider him dead in that regard.

 

Thanks for the feedback everyone. This all seems pretty logical, and these responses are some more reasons for me to finally take the plunge and read my first EU book (which I'm thinking will be The Rise of Darth Vader).

And now not to totally change the subject, but...

RamRed's comment about it being Vader who used the Empire to search for Luke brings up another topic that I have yet to get 100% clarity on, a topic that touches upon some of the line changes in the latest ESB DVD edition Emperor hologram scene: was the Emperor somehow unaware of the search for Skywalker? And was the search entirely a Vader run effort done without the knowledge of the Emperor?

One the one hand, DBrennan3333's assertion that Vader doing something (on the scale of a galaxy wide search) is synonymous with the Empire doing something (and therefore the Emperor) seems very logical. How could the Emperor not be aware of this search? Especially since Vader is freely talking about Skywalker (as opposed to just the rebels) with Imperial officers? And since the Emperor contacted him during the search?

But on the other hand, the cat and mouse game played by Vader during the hologram scene seems to indicate deception on the part of Darth. As though Vader, up until this point, thought the Emperor was unaware of the search for Skywalker? Therefore allowing Vader to "play dumb"?

Or is he just "playing dumb" about the "Skywalker being his son" part?

Or are they all (up until the hologram scene) searching for Skywalker solely as the "rebel who destroyed the Death Star"? Which would mean that Vader actually learned that Skywalker is his son "for real" in the hologram scene (and is not "playing dumb")?

I feel like perhaps I am making this too complicated and the answer is obvious. Can anyone straighten me out on this?

 

I know it's EU, but there's one bit in the novel that comes right after ROTS, Dark Lord, where Sidious says that it's basically okay that some Jedi are still living, because they are of no concern to the Sith any longer. Vader takes some time to realize that, and then sees it as well. In the context of ROTS, that final shot of the two of them looking at the Death Star can be seen as them focusing on what they feel is more important. They know Yoda and Obi-Wan are out there somewhere, and it's part of the "revenge" for it to be that way, to torment any Jedi who survived. At least, I kinda got that idea at the end of ROTS, that "the Jedi are no more".

 

Obi-Wan could have blocked that.

 

Who ever said anything about attempting to flee? He could have kept fighting.

 

I think this is kind of semantic quibbling. The crawl of TESB did say that Vader was "obsessed" with finding Luke, but because Vader is the #2 man in the Empire, saying that he wants something is virtually synonymous with saying the Empire does.


I think that you're splitting hairs. Especially when one considers that Anakin wanted Luke to help him bring down Palpatine. Even if Palpatine was aware of Vader's search for Luke, I don't think that Anakin/Vader was looking for his son on the Emperor's behalf.

 

Agreed, Vader was searching for Luke of his own accord so that they as he says could "rule the galaxy as father and son."

 

That's true. But by the time ROTJ rolls around, both Sidious and Vader are looking for him and plotting schemes to ensnare him.

(And I still don't understand why Vader had the change of heard about "ruling the galaxy as father and son" in ROTJ.)

 

No he couldn't have. Luke would not have left Obi-Wan, and Obi-Wan knew this. If Obi-Wan kept fighting Luke would stay and try to save him. Obi-Wan realized the only way Luke would board the Falcon without him is if he allowed Vader to kill him. This accomplished two things: Luke would have to leave without Obi-Wan which he would not have done had Ben kept fighting, it also allowed Ben to safely( not physically) leave with Luke. Ben's only other option to force Luke to get on the Falcon and leave would have been for him to attempt to escape Vader. Sense this would have put Luke in unneccessary danger he chose to become one with the force.

 

Which is not the same as Vader "killing" him.

 

Vader probally thought that Obi-wan was no threat to the empire.

 

Oh for goodness sake! No Jedi has disappeared in the Saga until after he was dead. Yoda was dead before he disappeared. Since Yoda is the only other person in the movie saga to disappear on screen he is the authority and cannon. He had to die before he disappeared so Obi-Wan had to be dead before he disappeared.

 

None of that means that Vader killed him. Who killed Yoda?

 

My point was Yoda had to die before he disappeared, so Obi-Wan had to die before he could disappear. If Vader didn't kill him how did he die so that he could disappear?

 

If Vader didn't kill Yoda how did he die so that he could disappear?