The role of the Lars family

2 things that got me thinking)

1)
Isn't it a little ironic that the Lars family, the one that was keeping Luke a farmer for his own safety, keeping him from leaving to join the Rebels, is the same family that freed Anakin's mother from slavery?
Also strange, that Anakin's mother encourages him to let go, so he can join Qui-Gon and become a Jedi. Owen (Shmi's step-son) told Luke Obi-Wan was crazy to avoid this same outcome.

2)
I just realised there are 3 pivotal points in the saga that occur outside the Lars Homestead that involve the same emotional force theme:

Ep2 - Before Anakin sets out to find Shmi in ATOC.
"These are good people Padme, you'll be safe here." (This sentence could be spoken to Anakin's future son himself. Obviously replace Padme with Luke).

Ep3 - Owen and Beru holding Luke in front of the twin suns at the end of ROTS.

Ep4 - The original: Luke looking to the same twin suns, symbolic of looking to the future. He thinks he will never get of Tatooine.

Not putting any blame on the Lars family, but they are both heavily involved in the fact that there is "nothing left here" for both Skywalkers. Shmi's death means there is no longer any family on Tatooine for Anakin, Owen and Beru's death means there is no "family" left there for Luke. Was this done on purpose?

 

I agree the role of the Lars family is huge, but I look at it from "a different point of view"...

1)Owen Lars doesn't know much about his half-brother, except (from AOTC novelization)all the wonderful things Shmi's "real" son might be doing with the Jedi. I'd say he felt second fiddle to someone he didn't meet until Shmi was gone. Possibly similar feelings to Luke resenting life being stuck on a moisture farm.
2)When Obi-Wan came with the baby, Owen is looking out like Luke, but I took it as looking at the future that he faces with the burden of raising his half-brother's son, learning what Anakin became, SO
3)after years of raising Luke, he tries to keep Obi-Wan from making contact with Luke. Of course he doesn't want him to become a Jedi..he resents them. His half-brother becomes the "Iron Fist" of the Empire, and the other Jedi he knows of dumps a kid on him to raise on Tatooine, out of harm's way, giving him no chance to leave the planet.

Pretty selfish for someone who is "good people" when he appears in PT.

 

Interesting. I haven't read the ATOC novel, I don't know much about what Owen was thinking at that stage at all.

Yeah, Owen definitely resents him, but was it totally selfish?
Think about it from pov of what his knowledge of the events probably was. You are raising Vader's son, and the man who trained Vader comes along and tries to influence his life. (I'm sure Owen doesn't believe in the "dual persona theory" ). You can see where he is coming from I guess.

 

no one has anything to say about the Lars family?
It's because you all had uncles that didn't let you study at the Rebel Academy, isn't it.

 

Owen doesn't know that Luke is Darth Vader's son. I'm sure he thinks that Anakin died in the Jedi purge with all the other Jedi. There was no reason for Obi Wan to explain that Anakin had survived the purge, fallen to the Dark Side and was now the Emperor's sidekick in the black suit.

It was probably enough motivation for Owen that Anakin had been "killed" in the Jedi purge to want to keep Luke from joining the Rebellion or joining with Obi Wan and learning the ways of the Force and becomming a Jedi and risking his life fighting against the evil Empire that destroyed his father.

 

Owen doesn't know that Luke is Darth Vader's son. I'm sure he thinks that Anakin died in the Jedi purge with all the other Jedi. There was no reason for Obi Wan to explain that Anakin had survived the purge, fallen to the Dark Side and was now the Emperor's sidekick in the black suit.


Ah, that changes things a bit then. Has it been proven in any way that Owen doesn't know, or is this just the commonly believed theory?


It was probably enough motivation for Owen that Anakin had been "killed" in the Jedi purge to want to keep Luke from joining the Rebellion or joining with Obi Wan and learning the ways of the Force and becomming a Jedi and risking his life fighting against the evil Empire that destroyed his father.

True. Still, it would make an interesting story in the tv show if Owen found out Anakin was Vader at some stage between Ep3 and 4. I doubt Owen and Beru will be one characters if the show is made though, they're too important to the end of the prequels.

 

i_dont_know posted on 9/12/05 7:14am

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True. Still, it would make an interesting story in the tv show if Owen found out Anakin was Vader at some stage between Ep3 and 4. I doubt Owen and Beru will be one characters if the show is made though, they're too important to the end of the prequels. [hr][/blockquote]

Which has me pondering; I wonder if other people find this out as well. I wonder if the Galaxy as a whole every figure out what happened to one of the most popular Jedi.

Owen does seem to hold a bit of a grudge for Anakin and Obi-Wan. Judging by what I've seen in the movies, nothing really suggests that he should have a grudge ... to that extent. Either something happens between III and IV or he is just pretending so that he protects Luke.