"He didn't hold with your Father's ideals"

In ANH during Ben's conversation with Luke at the Casa de Kenobi, Ben says that Uncle Owen "didn't hold" with Luke's father's ideals. He goes on to say that "he thought he should have stayed here and not gotten involved." He later refers in Owen's words, ostensibly to the Clone Wars, as a "Crusade"

I wonder how other's interpret this. Is Kenobi simply extending his Vader lie? Or did Owen have a conversation with him at some point where he expressed this? I know one obvious interpretation is that George Lucas in his reworking of the story through ESB and the PT just disregarded this, but I'm curious as to, aside from the very likely possibility, how other fans place this on the grid of canon. My personal belief is that Kenobi probably had several conversations with Owen during Luke's younger years and is inserting some of Owen's expressed opinions. I wonder what other takes on these pieces of dialogue are.

 

I'd like to think that Obi-Wan had a conversation with Owen about this.

The feude between them hints at this. Obi-Wan's dialogue suggests that he attempted to give Luke the lightsaber at an earlier stage and was told to hit the road by Owen. That was propably when they had that talk.

 

I also think that the OT itself hints at it with Owen's attempt to have Luke never leave(shown by the fact that it's always 'next year' when he can go to the Academy.)

 

The only time Owen and Anakin ever meet is when Anakin decides to go on a search for Schmii. Maybe Owen thinks Anakin acts like a self-centered, arrogant risk taker and perhaps Owen came to see Jedi as being selfcentered idealists.

 

That could certainly be.

 

Indeed. And perhaps that was the source of him referring to the Clone Wars as a "Crusade", for to Owen, the Jedi were in his mind as you say, self centered idealists. Their ultimate failing and Obi Wan bringing the baby to him would only serve to solidify that notion in Owen's mind.

 

AotC missed such a great opportunity for Anakin and Owen to have it out over some matter onscreen. Responsibility, maybe?

 

"Hey man, you took my speeder bike to the Tusken camp and didn't fill up the tank."

 

Part of the question here is whether or not Owen knew what really happened to Anakin, or whether he and Beru were told the lie like everyone else. Maybe Obi Wan told them Anakin had been killed by Vader. Up until Episode III, I always assumed Owen knew the truth, because of his comment about Luke having too much of his father in him. I prefer to believe Owen was told. However, there is no real reason to think he was. "That's what I'm afraid of..." could simply be him not wanting Luke to become a Jedi and get himself killed, the same way an anti-war person might feel a soldier is wasting his life.

 

That's a very good point. Much of Owen's perspective would depend on how much he knew of Anakin's fate. I also prefer to believe that Owen was told. Hence the line you referenced: "That's what I'm afraid of..."

 

Yeah, that line kind of makes it seem like Vader was intended to be Anakin from the beginning. I wonder if there's a thread for that?
ZING!!!!

 

There's no way that Owen and/or Beru knew Vader was Anakin. "Here take care of Vader's son...oh, he might come looking for him someday, but don't worry, I'm sure you'll be all right."

 

OBW: "And whatever you do, don't let him use the name Skywalker."
D'oh!

 

I always took Owens dislike of Obi Wan was because of the supposed death of Anakin. The jedi take him off Tatooine, he gets dragged into a war and later killed. Owen's lived on Tatooine his whole life and it's a comfortable routine. He doesn't want the same thing to happen to Luke, to get caught up in politics and trying to be a hero. It's getting involved that gets you killed, Owen was trying to protect Luke by telling him to stay away from Obi Wan. He knew Ben had something planned for him.

 

I know this is probably a no no, and apologies if it is, but a couple years ago I wrote a very short fan fic to try and put together the loose ends from the Ben/Luke/Owen discussion. If yas wanna check it out: http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=20759025&brd=10476&start=20904347

 

I agree. Also its nice for us to "fill in the blanks" instead of needing to see every nook and cranny. Maybe if we had 4 hour movies

 

When Anakin and Padme go with the droids to the ship, to hear this message from an Obi-wan Kenobi, they left right after. Word soon spread that there was a massive war in the Republic and the Jedi were involved. Obi-wan and Anakin were mentioned often. Then came word that the Jedi were destroyed for treason. This is why Owen resents Obi-wan, because he called Anakin away to fight and die in an idealistic crusade and paid the price for it with his life, during the Jedi Purge.

 

"He was afraid you would follow old Obi-Wan on some damn fooled idealistic crusade, like your father did."

I've interpreted that Owen thought Anakin should have never left Tatooine as a boy to become a Jedi Knight. He thinks the Jedi Order as a whole is on some damn fooled idealistic crusade to bring peace and justice to the galaxy. Uncle Owen didn't want Luke following Obi-Wan like Anakin followed Qui-Gon Jinn. Although of course Owen would have only know Qui-Gon as "some Jedi." After learning the fate of Anakin he feared Luke, if he followed Obi-Wan, would be placed on a path to damnation.