EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

Probe droid part 2

The Rebels spot the probe droid. Upon hearing that it's made of metal, Leia delivers the brilliant observation that "it couldn't be one of those creatures". um ... thanks, princess.

Han, Leia, and General Rieekan agree it's time to beat feet. You might think that they're a bit hasty but with Vader on their ass, it turns out they are already too late.

While preparing for evacuation, Luke stops to say goodbye to Chewbacca and Han. Han is far from through pouting about the princess and glowers at Luke, eliciting a grumbled question from Chrewbacca. Don't think about it, Han. That kid's crazy. And he's got a lightsaber.

Watch Han's interaction with a droid here. He tells it to "wait a second". The droid is no simple literalist, so it waits a short period of time and when it's obvious that Han is occupied with something else, the droid leaves to go about its work. These droids have some pretty sophisticated programming that lets them make decisions, suggesting at least possible sentience.

Perhaps this is the root of the Rebel's affection for robot companions. It may also help explain the droid faction's backing of the Imperials in Attack of the Clones. The Imperials may acknowledge droid independece and right to freedom, while the royals insist on keeping them enslaved (Threepio and R2 certainly act like a couple of 'house droids'). I do think that droids deserve some consideration. It could very well be appropriate to grant them human status. I myself value my computer more than I do most humans. What it can do makes me feel inadequate (especially at night, in the dark, when I'm naked...).

Vader, meanwhile has good and bad staff members to deal with. Checking the data for himself he once again comes to the exact right decision. He's sharp, but he seems to have slipped a bit and let his men know that he is searching for Luke Skywalker specifically. This little piece of info gets back to the Emperor later.

We're informed here that the Rebel base is located on "the sixth planet of the Hoth system". Once again, just take note that this is the Hoth solar system and this icy planet has not been named in the movie (appendix ii).

Check out Vader's private office. Wow. When he says he wants to be alone, I guess he means it. It's called his 'meditation cubicle' in the screenplay, and he is indeed described as meditating. This is something else we don't see the Kenobi ever doing and Luke only claims to meditate when he's alone (in the wampa cave) or without any verifiable witnesses (on Degobah).

Vader does not tolerate incompetence. I like the boy, but I will admit he's a bit strict. He's already irritated with Ozzel for attempting to block crucial information about the Hoth base. When he bungles the surprise attack by coming out of lightspeed too soon, Vader executes the man. Personally. Take a moment to consider that he is killing Ozzel with his mind, over a telecomm. That's more impressive mind control than we see Kenobi or Luke ever pull off. When Vader tells you to find his kid, best try and find the brat.

Now, killing is bad and I don't like it a bit. Vader is responsible for many battlefield deaths, but then so is princess Leia, who is leading the insurgence. Vader personally kills eleven people in all three movies. One of them is the Emperor (unless Luke actually killed the Emperor, but more on that later). Two of them are his own officers. There's the Rebel officer on the Blockade Runner and six Rebel pilots on the Death Star trench run (wow). And of course his arch nemesis Kenobi. Eleven murders is pretty bad, I admit. How about our plucky heroes? Can't keep count? Me neither, but it's a few more than eleven isn't it?

Who are we supposed to be rooting for again? The murderous royal and the gun-toting drug smuggler who kidnapped the farmboy?

...my entire childhood is a fraud...