STAR WARS

Kenobi's decision

Kenobi changes the subject to R2 and we're shown another handy coincidence - Ben pats R2 twice and the message pops right on. Is R2 this clever? Is Luke (are WE) this dense? We don't find out until years later how well Kenobi knows these droids, but in hindsight their familiarity is noticeable.

In her message, Leia addresses Ben as "General Kenobi", indicating he's possibly an active military commander. Oh sure, he could be in retirement - he just HAPPENS to have taken up residence near his enemy's offspring, and he just HAPPENS to be recruited by the leader of the Rebellion, and he just HAPPENS to receive vital secret information that just HAPPENS to be housed in a droid he's worked with during covert operations in the past. Indeed, just a quiet old man minding his own business. yeah...

Does the message contain an activation code ("years ago you served my father" ... the eagle's shadow passes over the moon...)? It certainly has that effect. After supposedly being a hermit for years he's all set to travel the space lanes again. Don't forget, he wants Luke to go with him. Bad. Real bad, baby.

In the recording, Leia says that her mission to bring Kenobi to Alderaan failed because her ship was attacked. Leia herself is saying that she was trying to get to Kenobi, that that was in fact her mission.

After the message ends, without any preamble, Kenobi looks over at Luke and lays on the Jedi smooth talkin'. Perhaps his father's Force powers finally kick in because Luke laugh's off this attempt to ensnare him. Luke wants to join the 'Acadamy' but when offered a chance to fight for the Rebels he firmly declines. Kenobi tries, bluntly to sway Luke again:

Watch Ben's eyes. When Luke declines the second time, Kenobi has almost lost patience and commands bluntly, "Learn about the Force, Luke." When Luke denies him for the third time, Kenobi delivers that chilling line "you must do what you feel is right, of course" after crossing his arms in resignation. An ominous bit of body language in hindsight. Ben's job is to snag the kid away from Vader. This is critical, he HAS to get Luke to go with him (can you imagine trying to take a Skywalker somewhere by force? In Empire, Vader tries to freeze Luke in carbonite - a perfectly reasonable precaution for these psychopaths). Luke tells this hard-bitten military hard-liner that he can't go because of his aunt and uncle. Oops. Without knowledge or intent, Luke has condemned them both.

Sorry Owen. Sorry Baru.