Full Series Reconciling "The Last of the Jedi" with Rebels

You are assuming that they will survive the events of the show/series. While a fair assumption, you are also assuming that they will actually be in the same location as the regular Rebel Alliance military forces to encounter Luke and not off doing special missions. Also a fair assumption, but would you stick all of your best weapons in the same "basket?" Luke was also trained by the last of the living Jedi Masters from the old Order in the prequel era, and the last person who could actually Knight someone in the Jedi Order. Yes Kenobi could have, but you have to admit that Luke's training was woefully incomplete at the time.

I think Ahsoka's story will end, most likely with a sacrificial death for our heroes on the Ghost (and there will be many tears). Kanan's won't end until Ezra's training is more complete. Ezra could make it through to the end of the series, but decide to remain non-aligned or not hold true to the tenants from the old Jedi Order essentially taking up Ahsoka's mantle of being a "wandering ronin" if we go by Filoni's interview in the latest recon of trying to make her more samurai like. If they all make it through to the end, I would be surprised, but I wouldn't necessarily have a problem with it as long as it is explained why Luke never ran across or mentions them in the OT.

First, we don't know what Ahsoka has been doing in the last 15 years. Second, we don't know what Luke has done in the period after ROTJ or will happen in TFA. Third, I think taking Yoda's dialogue at face value, literally, is a mistake but that is just my opinion. Yoda isn't exactly known for being completely clear on his meaning all the time. Heck, even Force Ghost Kenobi admitted that he told the "truth, from a certain point of view." We constantly assume that Yoda's line in ESB of "No. There is another." meaning that other to be Leia, but this show opens up that interpretation a bit to possibly include someone else who is now canon.

I also don't know if I would refer to Ahsoka as a "failed" padawan when she willingly left the Order after being given the chance to return. This would set precedent for other force users having possibly left and being non-aligned. Kanan's training being cut short wasn't exactly his choice due to Order 66 though, but he willingly hid his abilities. Even then, I don't know if I would call him "failed" either.

I saw you added this to your post, so I was just going to drop it here:

I think we are moving in a different direction now. I think that this was the old interpretation for the reason for the Jedi Order. I think that if there is a new Order brought about, that it will be more about giving a structure and central place for Jedi to train rather than the only home they have ever known. If a new Order is brought into becoming canon, there is no way to force lightside users to become part of it as it would have to be a willing choice IMO. Forcing someone to do something against their wishes would be more in line with coercion/deceit that we associate with the the darkside of the force. Since the old Order was effectively obliterated thanks to Order 66, there are going to be people/force users of various ages that would most likely be willing to become part of a new Order. While selflessness and duty/responsibility are important parts of being a Jedi, it doesn't necessarily make a Jedi good. As we saw in TCW and PT, Jedi seem to wrangle with the darkside of the force all the time and it is a constant battle for them to overcome it and choose the lightside of the force.

IMO, if they take the focus off the Order and place it on the individuals, it makes it more interesting and emphasizes the master and apprentice relationship more. Also taking the emphasis off of the importance of the Order would also minimize its importance to politics as a whole, there by limiting the chance of repeating what happened to the Order in the prequel era.

These are just my thoughts, so your opinion may differ.

 

Probably both arguments are correct, but in the end they're moving forward with a non literal dogmatic interpretation of the OT's dialogue and narrative - which I think will be fun in many ways but also bothersome in many ways. They left open the possibility of many of these hero characters dying or even living but it depends on their agreed group stories(but I do think there is veto power from the big shots). So far Rebels occupies a typical fashioned reboot/remake/prequel position that is just in the end expanding the Star Wars universe and to make money.

 

George blew the whole continuity thing apart when he put midiclorians in the Force and had R2 and 3PO running around the prequels yet ObiWan couldn't remember them let alone Vader/Anikan didn't remember 3PO in TESB so everything is open to interpretation from a certain point of view..... right ObiWan used that phrase so from a certain point of view Kanan and Ezra aren't technically Jedi knights so from a certain point of view Yoda want false when he said Luke was the last of the Jedi. I don't care anymore really as long as the ride is enjoyable I'm all for it.

 

If there's anything I learned from Obi-Wan in the Original Trilogy, it's not to take everything said literally. Sadly, we tend to forget that every now and then.

 

I am entertaining the notion of their survival, not under a firm belief that any of them will survive. I too agree that Ahsoka will likely die. Her death is the one I'm most confident about. Kanan I'm pretty sure will die too, but later. Ezra is the one that I want to die, but that realistically I anticipate Filoni will have survive.

Let's put it this way:

Ahsoka = the one I think HAS to die, and that will make me facepalm the hardest, if she survives.
Kanan = I believe needs to die, but am worried he may survive.
Ezra = I believe should die, but figure he won't. But his survival is the one I could tolerate (but not support) easiest. He is the easiest one to reconcile with Luke, since I anticipate he won't be particularly skilled enough to teach anyone, thus Luke might know of Ezra but already know about as much as he does.

I think Ahsoka's story will end, most likely with a sacrificial death for our heroes on the Ghost (and there will be many tears). Kanan's won't end until Ezra's training is more complete. Ezra could make it through to the end of the series, but decide to remain non-aligned or not hold true to the tenants from the old Jedi Order essentially taking up Ahsoka's mantle of being a "wandering ronin" if we go by Filoni's interview in the latest recon of trying to make her more samurai like. If they all make it through to the end, I would be surprised, but I wouldn't necessarily have a problem with it as long as it is explained why Luke never ran across or mentions them in the OT.

Filoni remarks that Ahsoka will have white blades because she is unaffiliated. Yet we see Kanan take Ezra to a Jedi Temple. There they both commune with Yoda. Yoda asks Ezra why he wants to be a Jedi, and when Ezra gives Yoda a satisfactory answer, Yoda rewards him with a crystal - a blue Jedi crystal - which as we saw in TCW the creation of a lightsaber is a significant step for a youngling towards becoming a Jedi. It's pretty much laid out IMO that Yoda is consenting to Ezra being trained as a Jedi and giving Kanan his blessing to be a master, even though he never formally was made a knight. I think too much emphasis is getting put on ceremony. I mean, hell the Jedi seemed ready to make Ahsoka a Knight. Just because Yoda isn't physically there to say "I knight you," doesn't mean a whole lot. Yoda could have easily have not communed with either of them, or said hell no he doesn't trust Kanan to teach, since he never was made a Knight. Yoda was on a council that deemed when Padawans proved themselves worthy of being named Knights. It was heavily implied IMO that Yoda recognized Kanan as a Knight and Ezra as his padawan, and gave his blessing to that arrangement.

She's "failed" in the sense that she never passed her trials. She's no more a Jedi than Kanan. Kanan may have been deprived of his training due to Depa's death, and Ahsoka may have voluntarily walked away from their training, but they both failed to complete it. They're in the same boat.

I'm not suggesting kids need to be ripped from their relationships and live in a monastic temple. But Yoda refers to the Dark Side as the quick and easy path, and he's concerned with Luke craving adventure. While he's pleased with Ezra's response that he wants to use his power to protect. Yoda seems put off by the idea that Luke looks at the Jedi as being "warriors." The Jedi seem to want some assurance that they aren't going to be training someone that has reason to become a "warrior." Someone that wants power so that they can better serve, not someone that wants power so that they can control. And Luke himself seems to struggle with this, despite having Jedi training. That Kanan and Ezra can get by just as well without it seems to diminish the notion that the Jedi are important. But it's semantics because Kanan, whether you say he's a Jedi or not (he is IMO), he's still teaching Ezra the same basic concepts that he was being taught. Ezra is still getting Jedi training. And Ahsoka is putting emphasis on the importance of Ezra's training, but what kind of training do you think she would put him through? Probably the same kinds of things she herself was put through, i.e. Jedi training. Ahsoka might not be affiliated with the Jedi, but her decision to leave the Jedi seemed 100% fueled by politics and a lack of trust. There was no indication that she saw her training as flawed; she was just disgusted that after serving as a Jedi for so long that the Jedi Council doubted her and were going to hand her over to a Republic court and offer her no help. So the institution may have had its issues, but the problems arose more out of the politics and policies of the day, not from flawed teachings, IMO.

And yet, Obi-Wan did reveal the literal truth over the course of the story, because the literal truth was an important part of the story. The idea that Yoda was just messing with Luke or telling him a certain point of view that Filoni can twist decades later to mean whatever he wants it to mean, is different.

There is a difference between doing something because it supports the story, and doing something just because you can. Having Luke be the last Jedi/light side Force user/whatever gives a greater weight to his journey and the stakes. If he fails, then the Galaxy is hosed. It's like if Frodo failed to destroy the ring. Having a bunch of light side Force using threats to the Empire running around is like saying that in Middle Earth there were these skilled ring makers that made their own rings of power. And just because the heroes never encountered them doesn't mean they aren't out there. And so even if Frodo were killed and Sauron got his ring back, these other ring makers could have made their own ring and challenged him. Suddenly the stakes in Frodo's journey aren't quite so high. Because even if he fails, Sauron still might not triumph because of heroes that we never knew about conveniently being around. It doesn't really lend itself to telling a good story, but the same logic of "hey, we never said these guys didn't exist" could also be used.

 

They all die on Alderaan. Case closed

 

Surprised this has been debated so much I always interpreted Yoda's line as meaning Luke is now part of the small group of Jedi left... Because he didn't outright say Luke was the last Jedi.

 

Did it ever occur to you Yoda did that in case Luke followed in his father's footsteps and became a Sith Lord?
Yes the story meant he wouldn't but that was 30 years ago and something has to give since Filoni & co aren't the only ones with a Jedi obsession!

Until they explain what happened between ROTJ and AFA we're left to assume what's going on and Rebels and anything else they release should go some way to explain what will happen for the next 30 years unless someone decides to pull a Star Trek Reboot on the first 6+ movies!

Oh by the way Ahsoka filling the Obi-Wan role?

Didn't he die distracting the big bad letting the others escape?

So they ARE going to Tatooine then!
I feel some force ghost training is required!
And that's part of the Obi-Wan role after all!

 

"David, David, David..."

Yoda's insistence that Luke was the last of the Jedi is not equal to Ben calling Anakin the "best star pilot in the galaxy." Yes, Kenobi's words can be taken as "something you tell a kid because you want him to believe his father was great" (if it, I don't know, helps you, somehow, to see it that way).

But Yoda saying to Luke "When gone I am, the last of the Jedi will you be" is the entire point of the OT. It's a central tenet of the story; the concept on which any basis for drama in the tale hinges. Let me put in words you'll understand, David: It's the fulcrum.

If Anakin wasn't really the "best star pilot"? Who cares? It doesn't directly affect the outcome of ANH, ESB or ROTJ. It's background information meant to fill out Anakin's character and hint at Luke's potential.

But if Luke isn't the only hope, it completely alters the stakes to the audience. And yes, I get that, in-universe, even with hundreds of other Jedi around, Luke is still the only one with the special qualities which make him 'the one.' But this is lost on so many.

Hell, would you believe that I've already come across people over the past year who insist that Ahsoka is the "other" Yoda referred to in ESB? And that if Luke should somehow fail, Yoda can still turn to Ahsoka. Worse, some have even argued that, in light of her martial skills and training, Tano is actually better-equipped for the task than Luke (completely missing what it is that Luke actually contributes). Crazy, right? No doubt this will only strengthen the case in their eyes.


But none of it would mean half as much to me if what was really going on here wasn't so darned transparent.

I mean, Filoni can rationalize all he wants about it, but all I see is evidence of a guy desperate to come up with any explanation he can in an attempt at working around the issue because he cannot bear to actually let go of his beloved co-creation.

I began to suspect this would be the case with Ahsoka somewhere around Season 3 of TCW, and once Tano actually walked away from the Order alive? I think we all saw this one coming from a mile away. The addition of Kanan and Ezra to the lead cast of Rebels should probably have signaled this change to anyone who missed it before, and these latest quotes from Filoni are just the nail in the coffin for this particular issue.


But what really gets my goat more than any of it is that Lucasfilm will bend the "rules" George Lucas set up in his films like this when it means justifying any particular decision they want to run with nowadays, while in the very next breath, they'll cite the respect of some other Lucas rhetoric as the reason behind another choice they've made.

 

???

"When gone I am, the last of the Jedi, will you be." (When I'm gone, you'll be the last of the Jedi.)

Not "among" the last of the Jedi. No, it's "you" who will be "the last of the Jedi."

 

Well I guess I'm really slow it just didn't sound like that to me................... Lol

 

You're forgetting the most important part of Luke's story: the way the Sith are destroyed.

Luke may have had more potential than anyone besides Anakin... he may have been the most powerful Force-user ever... but it wasn't his midichlorian count or skill with a saber that ended the Sith: it was his faith...in the Jedi way, in the good within his father. Only Luke (er, or Leia) could've provoked Vader's betrayal of the Emperor in such a way. Sure, Vader could try to turn Ahsoka or Kanan or Ezra and use them as a way to overthrow Palpatine, but that's not the same at all, and you wind up with two Sith still...not ideal.

Other Jedi-types may be a 'threat' to the Empire, but it's all fairly small-scale stuff. The only ones that were a threat to the persons of Vader and Sidious, threats to the power of the Sith, were Yoda, Obi-Wan, and the twins...and Yoda & Obi-Wan had already basically accepted that their primary role would be in teaching at least one of the children of the Chosen One how to be a Jedi. But it was Luke going against their expectations that saved the day. Only Luke could inspire that change in Vader, and that's what destroyed the Sith, and that is where his importance truly lay... he was more Jedi than Jedi. He believed that good prevails, and laid down his weapon...he suffered for it, but was rewarded. Jedi taught by Luke, in theory, would be a different breed than the old Jedi Order, the one so dogmatic & complacent that they couldn't see the corruption in front of their faces, the ones who failed--according to Yoda--the moment they agreed to fight the Clone Wars.

Another point to consider is that Yoda's words to Luke, about being the last of the Jedi, are to get Luke to face Vader. Luke tells Ben moments later that he can't kill his own father; Obi-Wan was once in a similar situation, when he begged Yoda to let him face Sidious, so he wouldn't have to face Anakin himself. If Luke knew there were other Jedi out there, he might try to pass the buck to them. Obi-Wan tells Luke he was their only hope, but Luke immediately asks about Yoda's final words: "Yoda spoke of another"... hey, another hope! Maybe THEY can face Vader instead! The revelation that it's his untrained twin sister helps Luke face up to his destiny.

Ahsoka, Ezra, Kanan... whether they (and any others that may appear) survive the series or not, their destinies lie along different paths than Luke's. It's a big galaxy, and while they may have been able to aid Luke at various points when Obi-Wan or Yoda were unavailable, it could just be Obi-Wan and Yoda didn't wanna risk it... like the Rebel cells, the Jedi Masters may have been keeping their assets separate for security, or to keep the others from throwing their lives away against Vader & Palpatine directly. Nobody but the progeny of the Chosen One could save the galaxy from the Sith, but others could make their own differences.

 

I don't think that he's necessarily "preparing us" for anything. He's simply saying that he doesn't feel that a few lines of dialogue from a movie that's 30+ years old are as sacrosanct as some fans seem to think, especially since there are ways around them. If the story that they're telling NOW dictates having more Force users around during that time, then so be it.

The real problem is that they wrote those films having no real idea that SW would become as huge as it is. They didn't ever anticipate doing these shows for example. And as a result, it's now causing issues for current storytellers who have to try and work around those statements. Basically they backed themselves into a corner without even realizing it at the time.

 

No workaround required: Yoda didn't know what he was on about.

The EU already had a whole bunch of Jedi surviving past the time of Yoda's death. Yes Jedi. Not non-aligned Force users or such like, but Jedi.

Ikrit, Empatojayos Brand, Ood Bnar, K'Kruhk, Rahm Kota, etc. etc.

 

Yes, but...non-canon.

Still, I don't recall many arguments about how any of those could survive when Yoda clearly stated Luke would be the last even back when the Lucasfilm canon-tiers were in place and many fans considered those guys (especially K'Kruhk! Respect the Hat!) canon...

To be fair, Yoda & Obi-Wan didn't really have a hand in creating the Alliance itself, so why would they necessarily know of other Jedi-types who are involved with it?

 

I got ya. So we are more or less on the same page here of what we think will happen.

I am not standing on ceremony for this point. Whether he is/was there or not, is immaterial. Luke being directly with Yoda makes it easier to be implied, but like you said it isn't necessarily required. I am talking holding true to the tenets of the old Jedi Religion. Ahsoka's lightsaber blades are an easy way to depict her not being aligned to anyone faction of force users. If we take the no attachment thing from the PT as an example, it appears as though the relationship between him and Hera goes beyond professional levels of respect. So if he has attachment to her, then he wouldn't be a true Jedi in the sense of the old Jedi Order.

Kenobi made the choice to continue to follow the Jedi Religion and serve as a Jedi after having ran across Satine as we gleamed in TCW. While it could be argued that he still very much cared deeply (and IMO loved her) at the time of her death, he was still able to accept her death and continue on realizing what true selflessness meant. On the other hand, Anakin is the other extreme example (Padme and his mother) where he couldn't let it go and we know how the story went for him.

This is debatable because Ahsoka was much more developed as a Jedi, and IIRC at the end of season five the council admitted that she passed the test. She left of her own volition at the choice of being a Jedi Knight. Leaving does not make her a failure. She still passed the test to overcome the trial.

I still don't see how Kanan failed when the purge was the cause of him not being able to finish his training. It was never his fault to begin with that his training was incomplete.

So you are agreeing with me that the Order doesn't have to exist for Jedi to be trained? All that is required is a master and apprentice relationship to train a Jedi?

The problem here is that while they may use the same training, they may or may not stick to the strict tenets (no attachment/relationships as an example) that was emphasized in the old Order. Some of those changes may be inspired by their experiences after having left the Order/after the purge. Changing any of the basic tenets would fundamentally alter the religion creating a different sect. Hence this would no longer make them true Jedi of the Old Order, but a new different breed. As I stated previously, deviating from the Old Code may make Yoda (in the future) no longer consider him a true Jedi in the sense of what he knew; however, that doesn't mean that turning away from some tenets of the Old Code would make Kanan or Ahsoka darkside force users/Sith.

Training =/= Jedi Code, even though some of the basic ideals behind the code may help with understanding and controlling the force it is not the same.

I think you are confusing the Jedi Order as an organization rather than looking at the Jedi as a person/individual. I never said that the Jedi weren't important. I am saying that the emphasis and importance that has been applied to the Order as an institution is the issue. As we have seen in Rebels and in the OT, the Order isn't required for training to become Jedi.

So what I am in saying in short is the Order does not make the Jedi inherently good. Rather the master instilling the values like duty, honor, selflessness, controlling/mastering emotion/feelings, and respect in the apprentice make a Jedi. Even then, events can happen that make a Jedi turn from the Order (example- Anakin).

I firmly believe that from this point on, the Jedi Order as we knew them in Yoda, Kenobi, and TCW Jedi is most likely dead and that from this point on, we will be seeing a different breed of Jedi.

 

Disney chucked the EU so that it wouldn't restrict them from making the movies they want to make and always running into conflicts with this that and the other.

It was a bit of a blunt instrument but I can kinda see why they did it: It would take a looooonnngg ass time to pick through the whole vast EU and try to decide what to ditch and what to keep, what was good, what was bad, what was going to conflict with their shows and movies and what wasn't. So they decided, can the whole thing, but then let writers / producers / directors pull stuff from it back in as and when desired, picking out stuff that's not going to get in the way of Disney's new material.

So you have a show like Rebels, with a well known enthusiastic EU fan like Dave Filoni heading it up, no surprise you're gonna see a lot of stuff from the EU popping up again right there in Rebels. If it doesn't contradict what Disney wants to do, well then pull it across.

And obviously, it has been deemed that the EU idea of multiple Jedi or non-dark Force users surviving past the time when Yoda died does not conflict with what Disney wants to do, and isn't bad for the story either. And I have no problems with it, because I've been used to thinking that way for years because of my exposure to the EU.

I guess it's only a shock and horror story to those who have little or no EU exposure or have never taken the EU into consideration when forming their worldview of the SWU. When stuff from the EU that doesn't agree with their long-held assumptions, formed from only a viewing of the movies, starts being introduced into canon shows, suddenly they get all indignant like "wtf is this? Oh teh noes, they're Ruining Everything, they're raping my childhood!!!"

I mean look at the ****storm already caused by the introduction of the Inquisitor, to those who didn't know much about the EU and struggled to get their heads around the idea that a Dark Side user was not nescesarily the same thing as a Sith, etc. Whereas to those familiar with the EU, we already had known for years that Sith were only a small subset of those who use the Dark Side of the Force. And more than that, we already knew of the Inquisitorious and its inquisitors... so bringing an inquisitor into Rebels presented absolutely no problem.)

 

Things get muddied in this conversation, since Filoni has put forth his own interpretation on the matter and with things getting revised some 30 years later by Filoni isn't something that is easy to account for.

Filoni has argued that Obi-Wan and Yoda wanted Luke to redeem Vader, but they needed him to arrive at that conclusion himself and so... yeah.... I kind of get lost in that line of logic, since that is not at all what I got from the films.

Palpatine foresees that Luke can destroy the Sith. But in Rebels, Vader tells the Inquisitor that the Emperor has foreseen the threat of the Children of the Force. The twins aren't the only threat to Palpatine, he perceives any Force sensitive child that could potentially be trained as a Jedi to be a threat, and the responsibility fell on The Inquisitor to deal with these dual threats of surviving Jedi and the children they could potentially train. Obi-Wan was just one such surviving Jedi, and Luke was just one such Force sensitive child. But so are Kanan and Ezra, respectively. And we can split hairs on Kanan all day, but when the trained Jedi hunter is calling him a Jedi, whether he is officially a Jedi or not is irrelevant, he is a threat, and his apprentice is a threat, to the extent that The Inquisitor has died, Tarkin has suffered an embarrassment, and the Emperor has sought it fit to send his right hand man to deal with these two. The Emperor is not joking around or taking chances or thinking to himself, "Kanan's no Yoda, and the kid is no child of Skywalker." Any Jedi seems to be perceived as a threat. Even the Younglings - as Obi-Wan points out in ROTS - were not spared. Younglings, Padawans, Knights and Masters - all were threats, along with anyone they could potentially train.

And I don't see where Filoni's notion that Obi-Wan and Yoda wanted Luke to redeem Vader came from.

Obi-Wan lets Luke believe Vader murdered his father. Yoda doesn't want Luke to face Vader in ESB, and encourages Luke to sacrifice his friends and complete his training. When Luke comes back in ROTJ and questions Yoda about whether Vader is really his father, Yoda says it was unexpected that Luke would find out. He says Luke's failure to finish his training made him ill prepared for the burden of that information. Then when Luke says he can't kill Vader, and Obi-Wan replies that the Emperor has then won. To me it seems pretty straight forward that Obi-Wan and Yoda want Luke to kill Vader. Luke found a different path. But even so, the Emperor, Obi-Wan and Yoda all seemed to see the potential of Luke triumphing in combat.

Palpatine in particular seeing a threat from anyone trained as a Jedi, not just Luke specifically. And while Vader assures Palpatine that Luke's not a threat without Obi-Wan to train him, if there's other people like Kanan or Ahsoka running around (or other Order 66 survivors), then Vader should feel like the threat of Luke has subsided, since Kanan is already perceived as a threat worthy of Vader's attention. And Tarkin shouldn't be under the impression that they're dead, unless they were confirmed KIA.

 

Exactly my point. The Clone Wars and now Rebels undermine the idea of a Jedi as a heroic ideal. The prequel Jedi, as depicted in CW, were incompetent. Now Rebels takes it one step further - we are shown that spending your entire life training is a waste of time, you can learn how to use the Force from an ex-padawan in a few weeks! This establishes a corrosive element to the SW mythology, namely that the training, discipline and strength of character necessary to being a Jedi is not important. It also undercuts the struggle of Luke's journey.

As another poster mentioned, I thought the point of rebooting was to avoid the mistakes of the EU.

 

This whole thing is really simple. If Ahsoka, Kanan, and Ezra don't identify as Jedi then they are no longer Jedi. It's no different than when Dooku stopped identifying as a Jedi and he stopped actually being a Jedi.

Maybe Ahsoka comes up with a brilliant new force-sensitive philosophy. Call it Idej. Once Ahsoka, Kanan, and Ezra start following Idej they simply aren't Jedi anymore. Yoda's words have no more bearing on them.

 

LOL.. wut? Becoming a Jedi that fights against injustice/the Empire isn't a heroic ideal?

Were they incompetent or were they arrogant in trying to control as much as they tried to? Also it isn't like Luke didn't learn how to use the force in a short amount of time from Kenobi in ANH (however little he may have used the force at the time)..... Granted Kenobi was a Jedi Master, it isn't like he exactly had weeks or months (however much time has passed in Rebels) to learn like Ezra has from Kanan. IMO, you're making a big deal out of something that was already exploited (time/length of training) by Lucas to facilitate the story in ANH.

 

The OT already showed us that training for your entire life was a waste of time... Luke gets literally a few minutes of training with Obi-Wan, then is on his own for 3 years, then gets maybe a few weeks of training with Yoda (if that since the timespan of ESB is so vague and neither Yoda, Luke, Han, nor Leia change their clothes). Not even a single, solid year of formal master-apprentice training, and...voila! He's a Jedi. Already knew he, that which he required. For all of Yoda's talk of deepest commitment and all that, a Jedi can be trained in a no-time.

 

I personally don't like it but we can see how it pans out.

 

It has bearing on them in the sense that the gist of what Yoda is telling Luke is that it all falls on his shoulders. Palpatine senses that Luke can destroy him, and Vader believes to the contrary, since Obi-Wan is no longer there to help him. It doesn't matter if it's a Jedi, Witch of Dathomir, or follower of Idej. If there are Force users out there that can train Luke to be formidable with his vast Force potential, they are a threat. But when it comes to the OT, there is no mention of these other threats.

The only threat in ANH is the Rebel Alliance as a whole, which was to be destroyed by the Death Star. And more to the point, Vader's dialogue to me indicates that the destruction of Yavin base = end of Rebellion. He doesn't seem to think that there are all these cells out there, or that Ahsoka could be elsewhere with another cell. Alderaan was destroyed, and then THE Rebel base (not A Rebel base) was to be destroyed and Vader seemed to think the destruction of Yavin IV would prove significant. Alderaan didn't get such commentary from him:

Where was Ahsoka? Where was Kanan? Why does Vader believe this is it? Why does Tarkin think that Vader is all that's left of the Jedi religion. And I do not buy that Tarkin of all people is really educated enough to be differentiating between Jedi and "Idej" here, since he refers to a Sith (Vader) as all that remains of the Jedi religion.

It kind of seems like the 5 years since Fire Across the Galaxy have not been kind to the Rebel Alliance, and indeed they haven't, if the Rebels didn't win their first victory until right before ANH.

By ESB, then Luke is acknowledged as a threat too, but only because Palpatine fears him being trained as a Jedi. And we can sit here and say "oh look, Palpatine said 'Jedi!' he's not referring to 'Idej!'"

The problem is, as far as Tarkin/Kallus/Inquisitor are concerned, Kanan is a Jedi, regardless of whether he was knighted or not. The Inquisitor in particular seems to know about Kanan's past history and who his master was, and that Kanan was only a padawan, but it doesn't stop the Inquisitor from calling him a Jedi. The Inquisitor died fighting this Force user, whether he calls himself a Jedi or a Womprat, it doesn't matter, he is a Force using threat that the villains have taken to calling a Jedi whether he's technically one or not. If said threat is still running around at the same time as Luke, this creates the issue that Palpatine and Vader should be horrified of Kanan, not Obi-Wan, being the likely one to train Luke further. While Vader seems convinced that nobody can help him, now that Obi-Wan is dead.