Why is Obi-Wan so quick to train Luke so old?

You would think Obi-Wan had learned his lesson about taking on an apprentice who is too old to begin training. So why on TATOOINE (not earth) would Obi-Wan dream of taking up Luke remembering what happened with Anakin!? And this time, HE is the one Pressing YODA, of all people, whereas Yoda (After the councils decision in EP1) defends the council's decision so Stalwartly in EP2.

(Is stalwartly a word? probably not. anyway...)

Okay, I KNOW he's the Son of the Chosen one. (Not that it helped the Chosen one).

I KNOW He's already become old without being arrogant (but Anakin was so pure at 9)

I KNOW Obi-Wan wants to Atone for his mistake, and possibly sees his chance in Luke.

But WHY is he not even CAUTIOUS about it? Anyone?

 

He had no other choice. Luke was the galaxies only hope, he needed to train him.

Obi-Wan had also spend 20 years in exile, plenty of time to think over the mistakes of the past. Perhaps with all his experience, he mustered his courage to take on another.

I also think Luke was at a better age to become a Jedi than Anakin. Anakin grew up knowing he was the chosen one. Luke grew up as a farmer and then discovered his power. Luke is far more stable in my opinion

 

Obi-Wan and Yoda were desperate for anyone who could defeat Vader. If Luke was too old, that was a chance they were willing to take. Even if Luke turned to the Dark side, things couldn't get much worse.

 

He was "a new hope"...

 

He knew Luke was the chosen one. He evidently didn't know about Leia. Remember Yoda saying to OB, "There is another."

 

I'm wondering if, in Ep3, they'll touch on the fact that Obi-Wan and Yoda allow Luke to grow up rather than train him from a toddler.

Hmm...I also wonder if they thought they should give him more time to grow up, that the old Jedi way wasn't necessarily the right way...

Interesting.

 

I find it interesting that Yoda doesn't want to train him. It almost seems that Yoda has given up and decided balance won't be brought after all. He was always wary of Anakin in the first place.

I think Obi-Wan is just trying to stay optimistic. He feels it's his duty. I think he probably felt trepidation over it, but he felt like there was no other choice.

It also seemed, though, that Obi-Wan never thought Luke could turn Anakin back to the light...

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

cuz yoda knows that Luke won't finish his training. The last 2 remaining jedi, Obi Wan and Yoda, were in seclusion for safety (rule of two, master/apprentice). Yoda is not around in ANH, and we have a new master/apprentice; Obi Wan/Luke. In ESB, we have yoda/Luke. In ROTJ, we have Luke/Leia, possessors of the midichlorians, the force is safe with them. In Ep 7, Luke and Leia pass their gifts on to their children, and so it goes......

 

Because he doesn't have any other choice

 

It simply had to be done. There was no alternative.

 

No one was left who possessed the necessary amount of midichlorians except Luke. after all, there was yoda at 900 years old, Obi Wan who is old, and no one else left after the jedi purge who had the gifts of the spirit... and yoda didn't really want to train Leia, because if she died before she had children, that level of midichlorians would be lost forever.

 

According to some EU works, Ben tried to train Luke numerous times as a child, but Owen would never allow it.

I think Ben was then waiting for Luke to get old enough to make his own decesion to train to be a Jedi. Also, it could be quite hard to go out Jedi hunting with the Empire in control. So Ben went with a young man who he knew about and happened to be Vader's heir.

"I always believe in being prepared, even if I'm dressed in white tie and tails."~Patton

 

It could have been that Obi-Wan wanted to wait until the Purge was more or less completed, so Vader and the Jedi hunters would be less vigilant.

 

I agree with most of the previous statements. Also, since the Jedi order is more or less destroyed, there is really no point in being so uptight about the rules.

 

Ben says somthing about Owen being afraid that he(Luke) would follow Ben on a crusade...or something. It is implied that Owen and Ben had discussed Luke's future at some point. Once Owen and Beru are dead, Ben is quick to say, basicaly, forget them--its time to become a Jedi.

 

He's like Morpheus in The Matrix, he's been looking for THE ONE who will balance the force for so long that he will train him no matter how old he is.

 

I think they waited to train Luke so Luke would be better able to defend himself if the Empire came looking for him. Remember the Emperor's statement about sensing a disturbance in the Force? Surely he would have felt it if Luke was trained from a child and he would have sent out agents to find the source of the disturbance. Luke as a kid would be hard pressed to escape, where as an adult could move and fight on his own.

 

it still raises the question why he waited so long for the training. 20 years mean 20 years of misery and murder for the galaxy. Even training him one year earlier could have saved Millions of lives.
And the EU explanation about Owen not letting Luke be trained seems silly. Luke is regarded as the only hope the galaxy has to escape their misery yet OB1 justs accepts Owen's refusal

OB1: "We need to train Luke or Millions will die"
Owen: "Sorry, I need him for the harvest"
OB1: "OK, seems reasonable. See you later"

They should have given the job to Jack Bauer, he would have immediately shot Owen and Beru

 

Luke is regarded as the only hope the galaxy has to escape their misery yet OB1 justs accepts Owen's refusal

Perhaps GL wanted Luke to be living "in exile" until he was old enough to begin training. There are plenty of tales of a hero being sent away...until the timing is right to fight (Moses, Aragon, Maximus). So maybe Obi-Wan "accepts Owen's refusal" to buy time for Luke to grow up like any other kid...until the time was right.

What do you think Obi-Wan was doing in The Dune Sea that day...getting some power converters?

 

In the EU it wasn't that Owen needed Luke for the harvest, it was that he thought that Jedi training would get Luke killed. Remember the line in ANH about "some fool idealistic crusade"?

Maybe Obi-Wan didn't train Luke as a toddler becaue he was afraid that Vader or the Emperor would sense it...

YubYub and TG- Protecting fangirls from hormonally gifted fanboys since 2002

 

If Luke had been trained young then his strong presence in the Force would have been revealed much more sooner than it was which in turn would have spelled certain doom for the galaxy. Obi-Wan Kenobi had to wait until the appropiate time because the Jedi Order was decimated by the time of A New Hope.

 

The risks were worth it and if they had trained him from birth Vader would have found him and probably killed him. I think if Luke hadn't been articulate Vader would have killed him.

This is because while Vader loved his son even he didn't know he did.

 

Very simple;Luke is the "New Hope" referred to in the title.He is the only one who can defeat Vader and rebuild the Jedi Order.Obi-Wan waits for two reasons;to let Vader/the Emperor think the Jedi are extinct,and because he really doesn't have much choice in the matter.

 

Another important contrast between Anakin and Luke, when it comes to the reasons to train or not train them, is in their emotional attachments to others.

Anakin grew up with his mother, and when he left to begin training, his mother was left in her situation as a slave on Tatooine - thus Anakin was constantly distracted by his thoughts and worries concerning her.

With Luke, his only family was Owen and Beru. After they were dead, the risks of training him were not the same as they were for Anakin. Obi-Wan knew that whatever the age, a clean break with the past was needed for a Jedi to safely begin training. This was the case with most Jedi taken as children, but not with Anakin. With Luke, the clean break was made when Luke recognized that "there's nothing left for me here now..."

 

I agree with alot of what has been said here. I don't think that it was coincidence that Ben waited so long to train Luke. I mean, sure, if Luke had been trained since he was a child, he would have been more powerful and skilled to take on Vader and The Emperor. But they also would have been aware of him that much sooner. And Ben probably knew that. So he waited until Luke was at an age where he could fight back if neccesary.

DarthNigel also pointed out the differences in Anakin and Luke's situations, regarding emotional attachment. Anakin left his mother in slavery to become a Jedi. He wasn't exactly told what would be required of him, other than it would be a hard life. He didn't know that he wouldn't be allowed to see his mother. Once he left, that decision was made for him. Had he known, he may have chosen to stay with her. But he didn't, and as a result of that, and his age and emotional attachment to his mother, wasn't able to let go.

Luke, on the other hand, was at an age where he would be able to make that decision. He already had a sense of responsibility instilled in him by Owen and Beru. He even said that he couldn't get involved, as he had work to do. I think that once Luke had decided on the Jedi path, and if Owen and Beru hadn't been killed, that Luke would have been able to let them go. I'm not saying that Luke wouldn't have missed them, but he knew he wouldn't be leaving them to a life of slavery, he knew that they would be alright on the farm. Anakin, on the other hand, left knowing that his mother was still a slave.