Det, MI "...I will even learn to stop people from dying"

Roger Ebert,a respected film critic really goofed when he said that there were no memorable lines from AOTC.I've already heard lots of people coming out of theaters saying `nice job',not to mention the number of people on these boards who have changed their sigs since May 16.

IMO,possibly the most evocative and disturbing line since `I am your father',could very well be Anakin's 'some day I will even learn to stop people from dying...'.Any thoughts about what this meant or where it's going to go?

I have a few possibilities that are out there now:

--The line could be tied into the ability that some jedi will develop to 'live on' after their death in the form of a spirit.The novel does establish that,up until Qui-Gon spoke to Anakin,no Jedi had ever done this before.

--The line could also be a reference to Anakin constructing the suit and then later having to use it for himself.(?)

--Neither.Sometimes a line is just a line,or in this case,it's there to give the audience some insight into Anakin's emotional and psychological state.

One of Anakin's biggest problems right now is in his inability to let go of things.He can't let go of his mother,he can't let go of Padme,and that line does re-iterate his inability.It would also re-inforce his arrogance at this point,to assume that he could be so powerful as to have control over an often uncontrollable and unforeseeable part of life.I'm thinking back to when Yoda was dying and his line to Luke about being 'strong with the Force,but not that strong.'

Any other theories?

 

Your first possibility is the one I would consider the "coolest" in the making-connections, "AH-HA!" sort of way.

But I think I would be most satisfied with the idea that this was just a way to indicate how obsessed and overwhelmed with emotion he had become, almost to the point of lunacy. I think Padme's almost horrified face after this line is supposed to show that he is to the point of spouting arrogant and terrified nonsense.

But now that I think about it, even if Anakin does learn how to accomplish this in some way, I guess it doesn't really take anything away from the poignancy of the scene and the depth of his corruption at that point.

This is one of my favorite Star Wars scenes. Some of the suggestions you had made me think about it a way I hadn't considered yet. Nice thoughts.

 

I've been assuming that he was referring to the ability to become ghostly, but I like your second suggestion even better. I could totally imagine Anakin becoming obessessed about keeping someone important to him alive and making the suit.

 

I was doing some reading earlier and I ran across some things which tied in with this subject(and Anakin in general).

"...the life eager hero can resist death,and postpone his fate for a certain time..."

This one is pretty obvious.Anakin building(or acquiring)the suit was a means of prolonging his life.


I thought this next bit tied in well with Anakin's birth and early life experiences.

"The procreating power is everywhere..."

Like the Force,which we know is responsible for Anakin's conception.

"...and according to the whim or destiny of the hour,either a hero-savior or a world annihilating demon may be conceived-one can never tell..."


Then,once the hero is born from whatever mystical means,he must

"...descend,to re-establish connection with the infrahuman..."

I thought this tied in well with Anakin having been conceived by the Force,but then having been born into a life of slavery.



"...the child of destiny has to face a long period of obscurity."

I think that 9 years as a slave would qualify as a long period.


"...This is a time of extreme danger,impediment,or disgrace.He is thrown inward to his own depths or outward to the unknown;either way,what he touches is a darkness unexplored.And this is a zone of unexpected presences,benign as well as malignant:an angel appears,a helpful animal,a fisherman,a hunter..."

Seems pretty much right out of TPM.The angel,of course,is Padme,the helpful animal,being Jar Jar,the fisherman could be Qui-Gon(he was searching for something else when he found Anakin),and the hunter being Darth Maul.


"...from obscurity the hero emerges,but the enemy is great and conspicuous in his seat of power;he is enemy,dragon,tyrant,because he turns to his own advantage the authority of his position...

...the tyrant is proud,and therein resides his doom,He is proud because he thinks of is strength as his own;thus he is in the clown role,as a mistaker of shadow for substance;it is his destiny to be tricked..."

I thought this sounded an awful lot like Palpatine,starting with the way he gains his power,his over-confidence in general,to his claim that the Dark Side was the `true nature' of the Force,to his eventually being betrayed by Anakin.

 

Here's a bit more from the same book relating back to the 'father-tyrant' character.I thought it related quite well to Palpatine.

"...The figure of the tyrant-monster is known to the mythologies,folk traditions,legends,and even nightmares of the world;and his characteristics are everywhere essentially the same.He is the hoarder of the general benefit.He is the monster avid for the greedy rights of "my and mine".The havoc wrought by him is described in mythology and fairy tale as being universal throughout his domain.This may be no more than his own household,his own tortured psyche,or the lives that he blights with the touch of his friendship and assistance;or it may amount to the extent of his civilization.The inflated ego of the tyrant is a curse to himself and the world-no matter how his affairs may seem to prosper."

This made a lot of sense to me,looking at the way that Palpatine was essentially given his power,being a 'hoarder of the general benefit',and the way that he blights existence with his'friendship and assistance',by pretending to be a good guy.He always seemed to me to be the kind of person who gets what he wants by making others think that it's what they want.

And again,the idea of overconfidence being an essential part of the tyrant's downfall,which was what Luke pretty much said to Palpatine in ROTJ.

If anyone is interested,all of these quotes are taken from "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" by Joseph Campbell.

 

cool stuff idgie... I'll have to keep my eyes open for that book, sounds like a good read.

 

So what are you trying to say, Idgie? You think Lucas was inspired by this book, or have you just done one too many death sticks? ?

 

according to the annotated screenplay(OT) lucas was in fact influenced by the book idgie quoted

its mentioned on pg 35 of the annotated screenplays

 

Hmm. Truly interesting. I just might have to check that book out myself.

 

Some other memorable Anakin-isms from AOTC:

"Obi-Wan's gonna kill me..."

Well,Obi-Wan did kill Anakin later on,from a certain point of view...


"I can't breathe..."

He says this to Padme,but still yet,is this line prophetic or what?


"...You'll have to stay here.These are good people Padme,you'll be safe here..."

Much like Luke would be safe staying with those same good people over twenty years later.