EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

You'll never believe what happened to me...

So after smacking Luke in the face and choking his lizard (excuse me?), the wampa drags him through the snow to his ice lair.

Okay, so what's the story here, Luke? You were attacked by some sort of snow creature? And this snow creature somehow managed to FREEZE your FEET into the CEILING of its cave, correct?

This feet-frozen-into-the-ceiling story is another really good indication this whole scene is largely a fabrication based on Luke's 'recollections'. Or, perhaps it points to something sinister about the omission of the rest of the wampa footage (see starwarscutscenes.com). Maybe the Rebels are an unwanted occupying force and the wampas (a proud indigenous people) are engaging in guerilla warfare against the Alliance interlopers.

Are the wampas a technological society? Nothing shown of them in either the original release or the Special Edition would indicate they have some kind of natural flash-freezing ability. Ralph Maronay IV was quick to point out that 'The Wildlife of Star Wars: A Field Guide' sites saliva as the agent used to freeze and suspend things from a ceiling. Personally, I find this hard to accept, considering the same source shows wampas being largely quadrupedal while the movie clearly shows the beast as bipedal (with the Special Edition making an even better case for this).

While the particulars are highly questionable, what seems certain is that Luke was indeed attacked by a fierce beast (indicated mostly by his wounds). He presumably did mortally wound or slay his attacker as it's unlikely that such a tender morsel would be left alone without some hefty inducement - the kid does have a lightsaber after all.

So why question the veracity of this particular scene so intensely? One word: telekinesis. It is Luke's claim that while a hostage of the ice creature, with no witnesses around, he pulled his lightsaber into his hand WITH HIS MIND.

So. New-found telekinetic ability that he only demostrates when he's alone. Telekinetic ability that he DOESN'T TELL ANYBODY ABOUT. uh huh. I've met people who claimed to be telekinetic. They couldn't do it with people watching either. Maybe they were Jedi as well. Indeed. I would still probably be willing to at least consider the possibility if not for the fact that the next time he pulls this off, it's obviously faked.

Maybe we're just misinterpreting the action here. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have a cord that goes around their neck and attaches to their firearm. This is to prevent them from losing their gun or having it taken from them. The level of technology in the Star Wars universe would make it fairly easy to have some sort of small, tractor-beam device that specifically pulls the lightsaber back into the user's hand. Unlikely, you say? More unlikely than TELEKINESIS?!

Okay, Kenobi never mentioned that Jedi could move objects with their minds. In the first movie (A New Hope) Vader and Kenobi both were shown effecting others' minds but never manipulating inanimate objects. When Kenobi needed to throw a couple of switches on the Death Star he didn't do it with his mind. Nope, he had to shimmy out over a deadly drop and physically adjust the controls.

Vader isn't seen by anybody else exhibiting supposed telekinetic abilities (except on Bespin and mostly in the presence of Luke, discussed here and here). Rather than telekinesis, Vader's ability is more credibly ascribed to powerful electromagnets (note that while he manipulates metalic objects he doesn't levitate Luke to keep him from falling). Luke doesn't have a credible alternative. This is because he's lying.

I've watched and re-watched these movies. Many things have come to light under this scrutiny. One of the big realizations is that telekinesis is no more prevelant in the Star Wars universe than it is in this one. Use of the Force seems to be limited to self-hypnosis/self-mastery and charismatic control of others.

Hypnosis, yes. Spoon bending, no.