Why didn't Anakin disappear?

Do dead Jedis hang out?

 

Here's what I don't get... Anakin dies at the end of Episode 3, (GL said) and we see Young Anakin at the end of ROTJ. At first I jived with it since GL said so, but what makes no sense to me are two things...
1. Why wasn't Good Anakin helping out Luke from beyond the grave ("Hey, see if you can find a way to get to Dagobah")
2. Why did Yoda say "Your father he is". By all accounts he should have said "Your Father he WAS". At least that would have matched up with OB1's story.

I think most folks feel confused over Young Anakin being in the end of ROTJ. I know I am. The commentary at the end seemed a bit rushed with technobabble followed by "Anakin dies at the end of III a good jedi and that's the form that appears to Luke"<---indirect quote.
Anakin didn't die a good Jedi, he died trying to kill his former master, and that was after he killed hundreds of Jedi, including children! I don't get it!!!

Whew!
-Chuck

 

^ there are many topics about this, I suggest you go find them rather than bring the whole "two persona" thing into this thread.

Anyway, I don't think it's necessary for Anakin/Vader's body to dissappear, I just think it's interesting that it didn't (even though, we really can't tell if it's there or not, being a suit...but we'll go with GL calling it a "body" in the literal sense). What exactly causes some bodies to dissappear and some not too?





The Cleric 007

 

What exactly causes some bodies to dissappear and some not too?

Since this is the CT Forum, I think all I can safely say is:

That hasn't been explained...yet.

 

He dies. Luke burns his body. Later, Obi-Wan and Yoda enable him to appear with them.

Does that mean that a dead man can learn to be a Jedi Spirit?

 

Does that mean that a dead man can learn to be a Jedi Spirit?

Lucas says Obi-Wan and Yoda learned how to retain their identity and that after Anakin dies, they enable him to do it too.

Again:

George Lucas (from the DVD commentary): "This little scene where he burns his father's BODY, it wasn't originally in the script, but I decided it gave more closure in terms of Luke's relationship with his father and letting go of his father, even though LATER ON, as we get to the end of the movie, AS HE JOINS WITH THE FORCE, HE IS ABLE TO RETAIN HIS ORIGINAL IDENTITY.

IT'S BECAUSE OF OBI-WAN AND YODA who learned how to do that, how to join the force at will and retain your identity..."

That's clear enough, isn't it? Luke burns his "body". "Later" he "joins with the Force". He's "able to retain his original identity" "because of Obi-Wan and Yoda".

Lucas is spelling it out. So in answer to your question, I guess a dead man can learn to be a Jedi spirit...

...IF OBI-WAN AND YODA ARE HELPING HIM.

 

Keep in mind, as I stated in my orginal post. The 1993 Soundtrack Anthology states only the armour was burnt.

In addition, the 1997 Annoted Screenplays actually notes the change between Luke burning the "body" and the "armour."

Also, in the film it does appear that the armour is empty on the pyre.


So we do have conflicting sources.

 

But when it comes to conflicting sources, I tend to go with Lucas' own recently recorded words which make perfect sense to me.

I don't understand why some would insist that Anakin's body MUST have 'disappeared'.

Also, in the film it does appear that the armour is empty on the pyre.

It might appear that way to you, but I can see the body as plainly as I see Qui-Gon's body in Ep.I.

 

Anakin did not dissapear because Yoda only taught Obi-Wan hoe to do that so he could help Luke after he died if OBI was to fall in battle. Its not a dissapearing act. Its keeping your soul for a temporary time until the reason u have kept it is done. That is wht Anakin and Qui-Gon dissapeared.

 

Because Lucas said it did?

When did Lucas say this?

I've asked for a quote from Lucas many, many, many times and I've never been given one. It always ends up being a quote from some source other than Lucas.

With the DVD commentary, we're getting it directly from the the man himself...in his own words.

Luke burned the "body". "Later" (meaning, after it was burned) Anakin was able to appear "because of Obi-Wan and Yoda".

Anakin didn't reappear because he figured out how to vanish. He was able to reappear because of the assistance of Obi-Wan and Yoda. George Lucas says so.

 

Why is this even a debate? Lucas said Luke burnt the body, not the armour.

Case closed.

 

I don't understand why some would insist that Anakin's body MUST have 'disappeared'.

I think it just follows a train of logic - The only two Jedi we have seen disappear are the only two Jedi we have seen as ghosts. Since we see Anakin show up as a third force ghost, its not a huge leap of reason to assume that he also disappeared, for the two obviously seem to be related.

As to the conflicting statements, GL DID in the DVD commentary state that Luke burned his father's body. However, taken in context, GL was talking about the visaul symbology of the scene, and it COULD have been(not saying it WAS) an offhand comment that GL wasnt thinking about when he said it.

Considering that GL himself continually mispronounces the names of his own characters and planets and still says "laserswords" instead of lightsabers, I wouldnt be surprised if he was simply talking about Luke burning what had always appeared to be Vader's body, the black armor.

 

I think it just follows a train of logic - The only two Jedi we have seen disappear are the only two Jedi we have seen as ghosts. Since we see Anakin show up as a third force ghost, its not a huge leap of reason to assume that he also disappeared, for the two obviously seem to be related.

Yes, but it now we see that it was a wrong assumption, considering that Lucas explains on the DVD the reason Anakin is able to reappear - BECAUSE OF OBI-WAN AND YODA.

As to the conflicting statements, GL DID in the DVD commentary state that Luke burned his father's body. However, taken in context, GL was talking about the visaul symbology of the scene, and it COULD have been(not saying it WAS) an offhand comment that GL wasnt thinking about when he said it.

Considering that GL himself continually mispronounces the names of his own characters and planets and still says "laserswords" instead of lightsabers, I wouldnt be surprised if he was simply talking about Luke burning what had always appeared to be Vader's body, the black armor.

But that's just rationalizing to make the 'disappearing' argument fit. The answer is right in front of us. It has been explained to us...and it's much simpler.

On one side, you have Obi-Wan and Yoda, who both know how to give themselves to the Force. We see them do it.

On the other side, you have Anakin, who does not know how to do it. We see him die. He doesn't vanish. He slumps back and goes limp. Period. No vanishing - no magical joining with the Force.

Lucas then says that after Luke "burns his father's body", Obi-Wan and Yoda (the two with the knowledge) enable Anakin.

Without Obi-Wan and Yoda, you wouldn't have ghost Anakin.

Trying to squeeze in a 'vanishing Anakin' is unnecessary if you just accept what Lucas is telling you on the DVD.

Why make it more complicated than it is?

I can see why people might have been confused in the past, but now Lucas has explained it.