Saga Does Luke take more after Padme and Leia take more after Anakin?

Granted, I see aspects of both Padme and Anakin in both of them, however as the series progresses I think that in general the pattern seems to be that Luke is calm and somber while Leia is loud and outspoken. Padme was usually much more reserved than Anakin in her emotional responses to things, while Anakin rarely back when he was expressing his distaste for various scenarios. I mean, who would you more expect to hear call someone a "scruffy looking nerf herder"-- Padme or Anakin? I mean, Leia did seem to inherit the "motherly" aspects of Padme's personality while Luke inherited some of Anakin's whininess, but in general Luke seems to have Padme's calmness while Leia seems to have Anakin's fiery temper.

 

Yes, I think so too. An interesting facet to that: Luke also takes after Padme's inclination to still see good in Anakin.

 

Leia clearly followed more in Padme's footsteps being a political leader, an Imperial Senator, a rebel leader--
With that said, Leia had more of Anakin's fire than Padme's more diplomatic temperment. Leia wasn't afraid to take charge, bark orders, and ruffle feathers.

Luke followed Anakin's story arc within his trilogy. He learned the Force under Obi-Wan and Yoda, became a Jedi Knight, engaged in duels and had to confront the darkside.
Despite this, I'd say Luke's temperment mirrors Padme. He was a quiet leader, doing his job, keeping people together, and staying calm under pressure. What helped him avoid Anakin's fate was that he was more grounded in Padme's personality.

Interesting topic.
I'd say Leia followed Padme's career with more of an Anakin personlity
Luke followed Anakin's path but grounded in Padme's personlity.

 

Interesting insight guys. Never thought of this before.

 

We've discussed just this over in the SOS thread in Lit. Yeah- to put it another way Luke is like Anakin 2.0, abilities-wise and path-wise, but temperment-wise, he takes more after his mother. The reverse is also true- Leia is, abilities-wise and path-wise, Padme 2.0, but with Anakin's temperment.

 

^ Yes, that's a good way to say it. This is a very cool aspect to the whole story and the familial traits and connections within it.

 

Definitely agree with all this. Also if you look at the EU, Leia is much less willing to forgive Anakin; I think she saw too much of herself in him and it scared her.

 

I would argue that Luke is firmly his father's son throughout ANH and TESB, exhibiting all the expected whining and misguided bravado. Yet once he rejects Vader's call to power at the climax--as did his mother on Mustafar?-opting instead to commit suicide, the tether is cut. He is literally born again, shuttled through the birth canal of Cloud City and delivered to safety. In the gap between TESB and ROTJ, he dispels any hatred he'd have for his evil father; by the time the next movie rolls along, he sets out to make good on Padme's last words.

When all is said and done, Luke doesn't destroy the Sith because he's a Jedi?-remember, Kenobi and Yoda want him to whack Daddy?-but because he's an Amidala.


To paraphrase Brando from Superman: "The son becomes the mother, and the mother...the son."

 

^ Good points... and thanks for this image:

 

Interesting point, and that goes together with this nicely, I think:

 

Absolutely. I know its hard to look at the 6 movies with a clear head after all these years but Padme is the elephant in the room throughout the OT. Leia is so superficially like Padme in looks and her job but that is where it stops. Luke is superficially like his father but that all disappears after Empire. He begins Jedi grown into a man and embracing his mother's personality. Using his head to manouvre the droids into Jabba's palace, attempting to negotiate even if he knew Jabba would refuse, fighting was his last options after multiple warnings. Anakin was impulsive and was always ready to fight, its what cost him his arm. When Luke takes on this unconscious role that his mother left him he begins to question who she was. Leia may know what she looks like but Luke was the one that listened. He starts reciting her words almost exactly and that is what gets through to Vader. We already see Luke is his weakness, we saw in Empire he has the same 'love' Vader had for Padme in Revenge. He gives Luke the offer he gave her and both rejected it. Teaming up Luke with the memory of his beloved wife knocked that wall down. How Luke is not like Anakin saves him from the Emperor, the moral imperviousness of Padme. Luke sees the similarity between himself and Anakin but he knows they are also not the same which was the fear represented in the cave. The saga can end with affirming Padme's dying words. 'There is good in him', 'you were right about me'. That is not to say Luke is merely an extension of Padme, its just the Anakin + Padme = Luke formula is skewed in the Padme direction and that gives Luke his unique Lukeness.

As for Leia. The obvious connection is the choking. She stands by and watches as Chewbacca chokes Lando, encouraging it! Then she chokes Jabba to death. She is daddy's little girl! I don't think she's developed as much as Luke but she has her father's quick wit. She's like a Clone Wars/ Episode Three Anakin, a bit more mature with biting sarcasm. There is a lot to be made of how Han and Anakin are very similar but I think that misses the point. I think Leia works with Han because she is like her father and Han is like him too. I don't think she's looking for daddy, I think they connect through that shared personality. Leia is also less in control of her emotions, more violent and quicker to anger and action.

 

he is much more patient later in ROTJ so he matured, but in ANH and ESB he is more reckless like Anakin. One of my favorite scenes of all time is the bridge scene in ROTJ. He is a bit overconfident he can convince his father to turn from the DarkSide. Then you can see the "Oh, ****" look on his face when Vader ignites Lukes sabre. Luke is like, "Oh, ****, I am defenseless, and in handcuffs. This motherf***** is going to kill me."

 

Oh, Luke has Anakin's loyalty to a cause and friends. Well Anakin did turn on his friends eventually, but that was because he was "deceived by a lie." Anakin refused to leave Obi-Wan when Palpatine told Anakin to leave him. Anakin responded with "His fate will be the same as ours." Luke held that same loyalty to Leia, Chewie, R2, 3PO, and Han. He also held the loyalty to the Jedi order. When he finally matured, he would not turn and would sacrifice himself to the Jedi cause and his friends. Unlike Anakin who turned from the cause to save the one he loved. But finally, Anakin revealed his 'true' nature to sacrifice himself to save his son and daughter.

 

Is it all right if I quote you in the SOS thread in Lit? Because this is perfectly spot-on!

 

Thanks, you may.

 

Luke not only inherited his mother's temperament, he becomes Padmé's avatar. Padmé was trying to save Anakin and draw him back from the Dark Side. She failed but Luke is there to finish her mission for her.

--MissPadme

 

I do agree. In general spirit and personality, Padme = Luke and Anakin = Leia.

There are some aspects however, of the opposite: Luke is more "whiny," and less regal-similar to Anakin-a more hero-like, guns-blazing, simple minded approach to things. Leia is more "diplomatic" and thoughtful in her approach to things. So although their inner personality traits match as mentioned above, I believe the way they tend to DEAL with things is switched around. Although those traits could simply be due to their upbringing and what kind of environment they lived in during their early life.

As far as looks, though, I don't see Padme in either of them. I do think both of them look like Anakin.

 

Definitely. While each followed in their same sex parents footsteps, Luke being a Jedi and Leia being a politician, personality wise they definitely take more after their opposite sex parent. A whole theme in Shadows of Mindor is how Luke is so different from Anakin.

 

Luke is whiny but he's also contemplative. You can see the cogs turn in his head at times. I'd disagree that Luke is guns blazing, if that were true he would have shot his way into the dententionary but he made a plan to get in as quietly as possible. Leia is instinctive and rushes to attack as the best form of defence. She sees her rescuers in A New Hope and constantly insults them. Luke doesn't fight back against that, Han does. Leia is the one that looks at the situation in the Death Star and manouvres their way out, jumping into the garbage chute with no plan from there. I have to wonder what Leia is like as a politician, how does she have the patience for it?

I don't think George was that concerned with finding a perfect match for Leia in Padme. Leia is a WASP for lack of a better term. George originally wanted a hispanic Padme, he got an Israeli one. I've seen very good shots that show Anakin looking like both Luke and Leia. Leia looks more like Jake than Hayden though. Tatooine Ghost compares her to to Shmi though. Poor Padme, maybe her genes will show in Jaina or Allana.

 

Seeing as they weren't raised by the two schmucks, they don't take after them either - thank God!

 

In that sense, Luke has a similar attachment to his friends in "The Empire Strikes Back." It's the whole reason Vader uses his friends to lure Luke to Cloud City. I think by "Return of the Jedi," Luke has replaced attachment not only with love and loyalty but also a willingness to let them chart their own paths.

 

Leia is more like Anakin. Luke is more like Padme. Leia is more argumentative, disagreeable, and opinionated. Luke is totally the opposite.

 

Luke's goodness and willingness to let go sets him apart from his father. When faced with the choice of destroying his enemy, he held back and let go of his anger. Anakin couldn't do this when faced with his "enemy" and the fear of losing his wife. That makes Luke more like his mother than his father, imo. He is Anakin as he should have been.

I only see Padme in Leia though. Very little of her father except for the Force sensitivity.

 

I think in general, you can say that's true, but you can't really draw a straight line through it. For example, Leia retains Padme's skill as a great orator that both Luke and Anakin lack. Additionally, Luke did feel the temptation of the dark side that Leia never did, whether he ultimately rejected it or not.

 

You dont think she inherited his sense of humour or fondness for sarcasm?

"General Grievous, you're shorter than I expected"
"Oh y'know Master, I couldn't find a speeder that I really liked!"

"Governor Tarkin... I recognised your foul stench when I was brought on board"
"Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?"
"This is some rescue!"

I can't imagine Padme coming out with any of those last 3. I can certainly imagine Anakin doing so though.

Yeah! I mean who would want their kid turning out like Padme - a principled, benevolent, noble and fearless leader?! For that matter, who'd want their kid being like Anakin? A kid who would risk his own life to help a group of near strangers... a kid who would "give without any thought of reward". Interesting point that, because this is the exact quality we see in Luke when he wishes to rescue Princess Leia onboard The Death Star. He could sit idle and wait for Kenobi to return... or he could put himself in the line of fire to help someone he doesn't know simply because he has the opportunity. It is only to tempt Han to assist does he mention the inevitable reward the successful mission would bring.