What are Obi Wan and Yoda doing?!

Obi Wan and Yoda's actions in the OT are a bit tricky to understand. On the face of it, they don't seem to make much sense at all.

To start with, think about what they seemed to be doing before any of the PT came out.

Firstly, Obi Wan is on Tatooine, where he has apparently been hiding out for a long time, near Luke. But he doesn't go to Luke to train him- he waits for Luke to come to him.
Why does he want to train him? What does he want him to do? Does he think he can train him to become stronger than he is, even though he's had a lifetimes worth of experience? Is there nobody else anywhere in the galaxy who he could train instead of waiting for 20 years on the off chance that Luke would come along and ask for some Jedi lessons? And why does he lie to him about his father?

Then he ends up facing Darth Vader and dying, then telling Luke to go and talk to Yoda, who gives him some more lessons, but is dead against him facing Vader. Then Luke goes off and faces Vader anyway, comes back, and what does Yoda want him to do? Go and confront Vader! Go and do what he did before that he didn't want him to do!

Why couldn't Obi Wan or Yoda go and do the job 20 years ago when there were 2 of them, and they still had a bit of life left in them, instead of trying to train some farmboy to do it with barely a crash course of Jedi training under his belt?

What were they doing?

 

IMHO, Yoda and Ben served only the Force and not the Republic. After Vader dispatched all but two Jedi Knights, I sense Yoda and Ben thought it might be their responsibility to lay low until the son of Skywalker is ready to become a Jedi.

I think the main focus here is Luke's desire to learn the Jedi ways. Anakin only showed Jedi aptitudes, but never really had a humongous desire to learn the ways of the Force (like Luke did). That finally allows Palpatine to seduce Anakin to the dark side...which he could never do to Luke being that he learned and only learned the LIGHT side of the Force and to hate everything the Dark side stood for.

Anakin never grew up fighting the dark side of the Force. He grew up fighting droid control ships and Genosis bug men...he never knew the evil that would become the Empire. Luke was thrown in the middle of a Rebellion against the Empire. Naturally, he chose the side of the good. He had faith, a desire to become a great Jedi like his Father.

In allowing Luke to grow and mature, Ben saw both Padme's good sense and Anakin's Jedi instinct. He knew who Luke was, he was waiting for him...he and Yoda, buying their time...being sure this time that Luke is strong enough not to be lead astray...as Yoda remembers Anakin doing so.

It was Obi-Wan, at Yoda's behest who returned infant Luke to Tatooine and became a hermit to watch over Luke till he was ready and willing.

 

They couldn't just go up to Vadar and confront him. There was the Whole Imperial Fleet, billions of stormtroopers, and tons of other resistance facing them. And before the time of the Rebellion , there was pretty much only Yoda and Obi-Wan left to confront the Empire. Once the Rebellion was started, There was a small military to support Ben and Yoda. But by then they were too old and probably rusty after hiding for 20 years, so they decided to train Luke to confront Vader and the Empire.

 

"But he doesn't go to Luke to train him- he waits for Luke to come to him."

Yes, that's weird. Perhaps he waited for the right moment to begin the training and it happened to be that day when Luke was trying to find him? Or perhaps he sensed through the Force advice to wait until Luke comes?

"but is dead against him facing Vader. Then Luke goes off and faces Vader anyway, comes back, and what does Yoda want him to do? Go and confront Vader! Go and do what he did before that he didn't want him to do!"

That's because Luke's training wasn't yet complete, and it was for him more dangerous to confront Vader at the time of ESB than ROTJ. Yoda and Obi-Wan wanted him to finish his training and confront Vader after that.

On the other hand, when Luke meets Yoda again in ROTJ, his training is suddenly complete, even if Luke hasn't been training after ESB's ending. Why is it so? My theory is that he's been training on his own, got more life experience and has become more mature. But that's just a fan's theory.

"Why couldn't Obi Wan or Yoda go and do the job 20 years ago when there were 2 of them, and they still had a bit of life left in them, instead of trying to train some farmboy to do it with barely a crash course of Jedi training under his belt?"

Again, a very unofficial theory: if they had trained Luke when he was a child, Vader could perhaps have sensed his presence and strongness in the Force in some way (even out of another planet), since they had a special connection to themselves. If Vader had found Luke when he was a child, it would have been a lot easier to brainwash him to become a sith.

 

Obi Wan is on Tatooine, where he has apparently been hiding out for a long time, near Luke. But he doesn't go to Luke to train him- he waits for Luke to come to him.

Some would say this is the Will of the Force, or Luke's Destiny

 

i think another reason Obi-Wan didn't go to Luke was because Uncle Owen wouldn't let him. Owan hated the whole idea of the Jedi. Obi-Wan sead it when he gave Luke his lightsaber "... your father wanted you to have it when you were old enough, but your Uncle wouldn't allow it. he figured you might follow old Obi-Wan on some damned, fool idealistic crusade like your father did."

also i think that yoda changes his toon because once Ben was dead and yoda was on his death bed what other choice did he have.
Luke is all they had to kill vader and the emperor.

why didn't Ben and Yoda take care of it 20 years ago... well after Vader managed to kill off all of the Jedi but those 2. what were they suppose to do. 1 man kills a 1000 jedi whats 2 more. but 20 years later vader is old... slow...and battered. a young, motivated Jedi might have a chance.

i dont know just my thoughts.

 

I don't think I phrased my first post very well.

Why did Obi Wan spend 20 years waiting to train Luke to do something that he could have done himself?
And if he couldn't do it himself, why did he think Luke could?

What is he doing?

the thing is, I just can't figure out any explanation without referring to the prophecy of the prequels...

>>>why didn't Ben and Yoda take care of it 20 years ago... well after Vader managed to kill off all of the Jedi but those 2. what were they suppose to do. 1 man kills a 1000 jedi whats 2 more. but 20 years later vader is old... slow...and battered. a young, motivated Jedi might have a chance.

Maybe, but bear in mind that Obi Wan managed to put Vader into that suit anyway- seems that he had the upper hand before Vader was crippled- surely he still would have afterwards? And if that was their plan, then surely almost anyone would be a suitable candidate to train- no need to spend 20 years waiting for Luke to come to him.