STAR WARS

Bar room blitz

Next, the hermit takes us to what a generation or two of loyal fans came to know as the 'creature cantina":

So this EXACT bar is where the FREIGHTER pilots hang out? Old man, you know alot about this town for being a hermit. So let's drop the hermit ruse, shall we? Obviously Kenobi is familiar with Mos Eisley and apparently he hangs out at the local watering holes, keeping an eye out for the quickest way offworld. Luke, traumatized and hypnotized, questions none of this.

Upon entering the cantina, we're treated to a rather jarring bit of anti-droid culture:

What the hell was that all about? Why the hatred towards the robots? Remember that the Imperials don't seem to care much for droids, while the Rebels not only use more droids but seem to genuinely like them. So maybe this love of robot servants that the royals and their supporters have isn't shared by all the peoples of the galaxy who are made obsolete by these machines. So the bartender, and the patrons by implication, don't want droids around.

So are these quasi-criminal types aligned with the Empire? We're led to infer that most folks don't care for the Empire much, and that this crowd if anything has less love than most. If the Old Republic was so damned great, why does Kenobi have to hide at all, anyway? Seems as if the peoples of the galaxy would offer protection and help if there was any kind of actual resistance or hatred for the Empire.

While Ben finagles with a Wookie, the farmboy manages to piss off one of the customers and Ben has to step in. He first tries to 'influence' the angry fellow but this guy's a criminal so Kenobi's hypnotic efforts have no effect and the guy pulls a gun. A samurai through and through, Kenobi whips out his lightsaber and severs the offending arm. He then glances around the bar. A cool crowd, everybody turns and minds their own business (removing any doubt about their criminal tendancies - an honest crowd would be more squeemish at sudden body-rending violence).