STAR WARS

Luke gets hypnotized. Again.

Han is surprised to see first one, then two more Star Destroyers. He wasn't surprised by the the presence of stormtroopers in Mos Eisley and didn't think that cruisers would be nearby. One can infer that stormtroopers are the occupying force on Tatooine, whereas giant war ships are not the norm. A constant presence even here on the Outer Rim probably explains why Jabba the Hut is now hiding in the desert. But what about his appearance at docking bay 94, you say? Another Special Edition contrivance. I don't believe it happened. Jabba is shown in Phantom Menace and New Hope as being nearly the same size and mobility. The two movies are seperated by approximately forty years and Jabba's appearance changes little. Then a few years later, in Return of the Jedi, he's so fat he's no longer abulatory and his entire appearance is different. And he's constantly drooling. Han makes no reference to any marked change. Ah yes, he's temporarily blind at this point, isn't he? Is Chewbacca? Once again we see that a Special Edition alteration is a forgery and not a true piece of the historical record.

Before we get to Luke's further indocrination by Kenobi, let's take a look at his behavior in the Falcon's cockpit just after leaving Tatooine. He's a complete dolt, buzzing with questions like a hyperactive five year old and literally pointing at instruments and getting in the way. Changes soon come over him that I suspect are the result of hypnotic suggestions from Kenobi (you ARE a supersoldier, Luke... you ARE invincible... you ARE my tool...)

Okay, so Luke's practicing lightsaber moves with a small, hovering, ball-shaped gizmo referred to in the screenplay as a "seeker" robot "covered with antennae". Who brought THAT on board? Is this a device that Kenobi had on his person? Jedi, like Double-0 agents, employ a lot of gadgets (in Phantom Menace they whip out rebreathers when going underwater). Is this the James Bond school of mysticism?

This thing's got anti-grav (a cheap and reliable technology it seems as we never see anti-grav or artificial gravity falter in the Star Wars universe), and it employs some sort of laser weapon. Is this a spy droid of Kenobi's? Han doesn't seem to hold much with remotes and we never see him with anything like it, so presumably it's not his. It's been argued that Kenobi is making it float - you know... with his MIND. This clearly is NOT the case. A hovering device is not unusual in the Star Wars universe and when Ben suddenly feels a "disturbance" the ball doesn't drop to the floor.

In the first DVD release of the original trilogy, this scene is noteable because of Luke's saber. It's now GREEN, whereas in every other version prior to this release it was BLUE for this scene (as it should be because up until he loses it on Bespin it's BLUE in every scene). Is this supposed to be some kind of non-lethal practice setting? There is no explanation given and is again evidence of tampering.

Kenobi here pulls his "great disturbance in the Force" card. If a planet of people suddenly being annihilated could be felt by Force-sensitive folks then wouldn't Vader have felt this as well? If he does, we aren't shown this. If Luke feels anything he doesn't remark on it. So, what's Ben pulling here? His timing is great, so when they get to the debris field it looks like as if he 'knew' before hand. I think he DID know. I think that "seeker" robot isn't the only piece of tech he's got on him. Using a communication device, he probably received intelligence of the destruction of Alderaan. He's now using it as an opportunity to show Luke his 'mystical powers'.

Han's line, "Don't everyone thank me at once", is completely valid. They escaped with his help and not a word of thanks. Maybe there's a good reason all the Jedi were wiped out.

Threepio attempts for the first time to sway Han, trying to engender sympathy for droids:

It doesn't work. Han, as a criminal and a sharpie, is seemingly immune to Jedi mind tricks. Since Luke has fallen under Kenobi's spell it's worth considering the idea that being Force-sensitive can lead one to be MORE susceptible to mind tricks as well as being able to perform them. It would help explain Luke's malleability under Kenobi as he's received no training until now, so his Force resistance would be undeveloped. Real open to suggestion, that kid. REAL OPEN.