CT An analysis of Owen Lars - was he right to keep Luke totally in the dark?

I thought it just meant that there will be serious consequences. If those two quotes constitute abuse then I and pretty much every kid I grew up with were the victims of abuse.

 

......


I'll just say I disagree.

 

"Hell to pay" would be more like, "You're grounded. No trips to the Power Station. And give me the keys to the speeder." And that's only if he thought Luke was too busy goofing off to fix the things. If it was just the gadgets were too far gone, it's more like, "We'll have to get new ones. That'll cost plenty. I'm not sure we'll have enough to send you to the Academy for a couple of years."

 

I agree with Kenneth Morgan . He wasn't' abusive, he was a gruff old guy who didn't show his true feelings. Hell would have been more work, less fun.

We have no idea what Obi-Wan told him when he delivered baby Luke, but we do know that the only time Owen ever met Anakin he went on a search and destroy mission wiping out an entire tribe of Sand People which had to have lasting consequences after Anakin was gone. The look between Owen and Beru speaks volumes. What parent would want their child (and I'm sure they regarding Luke as their own as if he was their son and not step nephew) to go off and possibly end up like Anakin or even to know the truth about his father.

Sounds like the were trying to protect him, especially Beru who seemed very motherly and protective, but also worried as she knew that Luke wouldn't give up on the idea.

 

In the EU (Life & Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi) - Owen had definitely figured out what Anakin had done.

After Tuskens (led by a "Tusken" with two lightsabers) start attacking nearby settlements:

Owen glanced back to his own home, then returned his gaze to Ben. "Normally, I'd tell you to get lost. But I just got word from a friend in Bestine. The Sand People attacked another farm." Owen looked away again. "Only one survivor," he continued. "A little girl. But she didn't last long."
Ben sighed. "I'm sorry, Owen."
"I'm not finished!" Owen roared, his eyes now blazing at Ben. The edge of Owen's upper lip quivered nervously.
He's not just angry, Ben realised. He's terrified.
Owen licked his lips before he continued. "The little girl ... she said she saw one of the Sand People, maybe their chief. She said he ... he used two 'laser swords.'"
Over the last three days since Ben's last exchange with Qui-Gon Jinn's spirit, Ben had had plenty of time to consider the possibility that A'Sharad Hett was involved in the recent killings. Still, hearing Owen's description of the marauder's leader made him feel suddenly queasy.
Oblivious to Ben's discomfort, Owen said through clenched teeth, "I don't suppose you've heard about any missing lightsabers on the planet, Mr Jedi?"
"Get a hold of yourself, Owen," he said, keeping his voice calm. "You know I had nothing to do with the attacks."
"Maybe not!" Owen said bitterly. "But I have some idea of what Jedi are capable of!"
"You're talking about Anakin," Ben said, "About what he did after he learned that his mother had been taken by Tuskens." It wasn't a question.
Owen winced, then he scowled at the ground. "Shmi Skywalker was a good woman." he said. "We tried to rescue her, but my father ..." The words caught in his throat, and he left the sentence unfinished. Tilting his chin in the direction of the entry dome, he continued, "When Anakin brought Shmi's body home, I'll never forget the look on his face. If killing me would have brought her back to life, I know he would have killed me then and there. I could see it in his eyes."
Ben grimaced. "Anakin never told me what really happened, Owen. Please trust that what he did that day was not the way of the Jedi."
"Well, I'm not so sure if that's a relief," Owen said. "Much as I didn't like the way he looked at me, I like the idea of Tuskens with lightsabers even less. There's not a person on Tatooine who wouldn't be happy if all the Tuskens were dead."
Ben offered no response. He knew that the deaths of Tuskens would not bring him any happiness, but he didn't believe there was any reason in explaining this to Owen.

 

I figured that Owen knew about the massacre, that kind of event would have long lasting repercussions that would affect everybody on Tatooine. However, I don't recall Anakin losing any lightsabers.

It only makes sense that he would have reservations about Luke and worries about his future. I can't imagine most people would want to tell their kid that his father was an evil mass murdering Sith Lord.

Considering the circumstances, I give Owen and Beru a lot of credit for taking in the son of a step brother who did what Anakin did. A lot of families would say no.

 

He didn't - A'Sharad Hett is a "Tusken" (by adoption) Jedi.

 

I was just going by the movies, I haven't read any of the PT, EU. Is that still considered canon?

 

Not at the moment - it's very late Legends-era EU. The basic idea of Owen suspecting is IMO a good one though.

 

That's an interesting excerpt- I know its not considered canon, but its also not anything I had assumed. I had assumed Owen and Beru thought favorably of Anakin (because of what they heard from Shmi), and Owen blamed Obi-Wan for not protecting Anakin from becoming Darth Vader. I don't know why I thought that.

 

Wait, hold on. I know Owen may have been a sour curmudgeon who rather Luke spend his days farming moisture than go gallivanting out into the galaxy like some crazed wannabe hero, but abusive? Yeah, I totally remember seeing Owen telling Luke he wasn't wanted, beating his face in, feeding him scraps even a dog wouldn't want, and forcing him to sleep outside in the sand. Of course he had every reason to distrust the Jedi and would try to keep Luke as safe as possible. Here are a number of scenarios I can see from Owen.

“The Jedi are wanted by the Empire, they are killed on sight. If my nephew goes off trying to be a Jedi or do anything else reckless and dangerous, he'll surely die.”

“His father was the Jedi that snapped and slaughtered the Tusken tribe. While I don't particularly care for that tribe, I don't want my nephew to follow in his footsteps.”

“His father was killed during the Clone Wars. The Jedi failed to protect him. I'll not let my nephew suffer the same fate.”

At the worse, he was a curmudgeon who wasn't exactly the type of guy who would hug you and talk about your feelings with you. That doesn't mean he didn't give a poodoo about Luke's well-being.

 

Yeah, he's not Vernon Dursley.