"This is a shortcut"- irony & foreshadowing

In AOTC, while chasing Zam Wessel, Anain turns his speeder, and when Obi-Wan asks why, he replies
"This is a shortcut"

It's a rather ironic line isn't it as it foreshadows his choosing the "quick and easy path" by turning to the dark side?

 

And the shortcut ends with a fall - which he himself chooses.

 

Come off it, this is absolutely stretching it! Just kidding!

Nice thought actually.Interesting for sure.

 

Interesting... a bit of a stretch.. maybe. hmmmm but I still like it....

 

I agree it is, Gl is Full of foreshadowing

 

I´m sure it´s deliberate foreshadowing. Everything that sets Anakin up as a character that is eager for quick, powerful solutions is foreshadowing the fact that he will fall.

 

I think Lucas put far more thought into his scripts than some people give him credit for.

 

Hey, that's a good analysis. I can see why you say that though I don't think it's foreshadowing. I think Anakin was using the Force as indicated by knowing precisely when to jump. He explained that if they chased Zam any longer she'd end up deep-fried.

 

Oh, that´s right! Actually, that´s what GL is saying about that scene. Anakin turns out to be right all the time, even though he might look stupid at first. He is simply more in tune with the Force than Obi-Wan, due to his extreme talent.
Still, it does show how Anakin likes to work. He tends to go on instinct rather than reason. Later on, he realizes what consequences this might have, but that realization won´t help him. Until the end of ROTJ, of course.

 

Well it definitely shows Anakin's recklessness. Nice probably unintentional foreshadowing.

 

It's an interesting thought, R2D1000.

But I'm with Sape on this one. ^^^^^

To me it shows Anakin's potential/power as a Jedi. Anakin was using the Force to get the jump on Zam. Even Obi-Wan didn't see it coming.

I hate it when he does that...

I guess he's shown Obi-Wan up in the past.

 

Intentional or not, it's a cool idea. Good catch, R2D1000.

 

probably intentional, since GL probably goes through each line of dialogue very carefully

 

Definitely a foreshadowing.

Anakin is taking shortcuts all the time.
Killing the Tusken Raiders is a "shortcut" way to release his anger and pain.
Even the way he attacks Dooku later in the movie is a demonstration of that attitude.

That line was put there intentionally, believe me. There is no doubt at all.

 

but does he really turn to the dark side as a shortcut?
Perhaps Palpatine leaves him no choice

 

This is probably one of the best AOTC analogies that I have read. Good thinking.

 

Whether or not it's a stretch, I like this one!

Anakin DOES seem to look for shortcuts and the easy way out.

 

I like this line for all the wrong reasons . It bridges the 9 year old Anakin with the 19 year old. Just as he was revealing about the Moons of Iego line which he seemed sure of but not really with - "I think". And in this threads line "this is a short cut...I think".

Ani maybe confident of many things, but then again maybe not

 

Good catch. Props, d00d. Props.



Rick McCallum loves you!

 

quote : "But does he really turn to the dark side as a shortcut? "

Of couse. the Power of the Dark side is right at hand and easier to obtain.

Becoming the most powerful Jedi ever by sticking to the Jedi code, with all the sacrifices that it implies is a harder job. A Jedi doesn't owe anything, not even passions. They dominate them.
Being a Jedi requires detachment and Anakin's main problem is that he can't let go => is dominated by his passions.

Giving in to one's wrath, passion and feelings is the short cut to becoming as powerful as a Jedi powerful on the Dark Side, without having to pay the price of effort and time (in a certain sense, because Anakin will lose his soul).


quote "Perhaps Palpatine leaves him no choice"

As someone who was able to carefully plan a whole galactic war down to the smallest details, Palpatine knew exactly from the beginning what Anakin would become. And totally manipulated him to his advantage.
anakin is too osessed with himself and too dominated by his passions to notice the fact that he's nothing but a puppet to Palpatine.

 

As someone who was able to carefully plan a whole galactic war down to the smallest details, Palpatine knew exactly from the beginning what Anakin would become. And totally manipulated him to his advantage.
anakin is too osessed with himself and too dominated by his passions to notice the fact that he's nothing but a puppet to Palpatine.

Being a little harsh there, eh, lad? I hardly think Anakin's obsessed with himself. Who did he seek to protect on Coruscant? Padme, if I reckon right. And who exactly did he race off to Tatooine for? Oh, that's righ! His mother. And I'm pretty sure he was obsessed with himself and his own passions to remember good 'ol Master Obi-Wan held captive on Geonosis!!



"This is a shortcut"- irony & foreshadowing

That's a good point you guys made. It never occured to me that line could serve as a metaphor for his fall to the dark side. I think it could.

 

Becoming the most powerful Jedi ever by sticking to the Jedi code, with all the sacrifices that it implies is a harder job.

Aye, of course it tis. But this is the same Jedi Code that hadn't wanted Anakin to be trained, because he was "too old", but we all know that if he hadn't been trained, then there would have been no one able to destroy the Emperor, so the code was wrong, in a sense.

Being a Jedi requires detachment and Anakin's main problem is that he can't let go => is dominated by his passions.

He becomes dominated by his passions when he falls to the dark side, not before. He is led by his instinc, and like the Coruscant speeder chase when it appears he's lost Zam, Anakin's intincts and attunement with the Force proves him right, just like his marriage to Padme me, which produced children. One of whom was a son that would redeem him and thus kill the Emperor, therefor allowing him to fullfil the prophecy of bringing balance to the Force.

 

ahemm.... first of all, lhasgalen, I'm a lassie and not a lad....

Second, when I told that Anakin is obsessed with himself, I truly, deeply meant it.
The fact that he can have feeling of love and friendship for other people (Padme, Shmi and Obi) doesn't automatically run out his obsession of becoming the most powerful Jedi. His attitude towards Obi wan and the Council clearly show it : he think he's the best, better than anyone, he thinks that they're holding him back because they're jealous of him. He thinks that the fact that he may be the Chosen One makes of him the bellybutton of the Universe. He thinks that he can beat Dooku - a uber powerful and skilled Jedi - without the help of anyone.
Don't you call this excess of self-confidence and being obsessed with oneself?

He becomes dominated by his passions when he falls to the dark side, not before.

I don't agree with this at all.
I think that your vision of Anakin and his downfall is limited to what you see in the movies. If we stick to the movies, the Tusken Raider massacre aside, I just didn't see how Anakin could turn into one of the worse villains the galaxy had ever seen.

He was always dominated by his passions. A ten years old boy who cannot stop thinking about a girl for ten years is the starting point. The powerful link with his mother is passion : his dream is to become a Jedi, but he is not ready to leve her and the thought of her pursues him all the time. He just can't let go, and i call this being dominated by passion, because passion is not necessarily a powerful display of emotions.

Again, being led by one's instincts doesn't exclude the fact that one can be dominated by his passions.
Instinct : An inborn pattern of behavior, an innate capability or aptitude. Instinct is not subordinated to external causes or events.
Passion : a powerful emotion, such as love, joy, hatred, or anger. Caused by external causes.

Anakin has instinct and passions, and the fact that he just can't dominate himself is exactly what Palpatine noticed in him, plus his insecurities that eat away at him. Personally, I don't think Anakin was necessarily fated to go to the darkside but circumstances were manipulated by Palpatine to push him in that direction. 
This is what Yoda felt, and why he opposed to Anakin's training in first place.

 

yes notpadme, and I have to add that when anakin run seek padme or his mother, it's for HIM, that's why he doesn't want to understand that padme doestn't want to fall in love (he just want to be satisfied), that's why he speaks about him at shmi's funerals ("I wasn't strong enough etc...). Notice that there is an interesting thread about his lines on tatooine.....

 

Where, where? oh pleeeeze ! Youssa tell missa where !

I love psichologic threads