# I have a stupid Star Wars question...

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-stupid-star-wars-question/104961
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [April 22, 2002, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-stupid-star-wars-question/104961 "2002-04-22T09:53:30Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![ninevah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/46a35a/32.png) [@ninevah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ninevah)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2002, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-stupid-star-wars-question/104961/1 "2002-04-22T09:53:30Z")

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Why, in Eps 4, 5 & 6, doesn’t Darth Vader acknowledge the connection between himself and Princess Leia? Does he just not care, or is it a male patriochal thing (that sons are more important, etc)? Why can he ‘sense’ Luke but not Leia? Is this a Jedi thing?

Secondly, can females be Jedi’s?

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### Author: ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2002, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-stupid-star-wars-question/104961/2 "2002-04-22T09:57:31Z")

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Leia wasn’t Darth Vader’s daughter until they were shooting Episode 6. In the scene where Luke is hiding from Darth Vader the shooting script said ‘Vader says something that angers Luke’. When the day came to shoot that scene they needed to figure out what he said that made Luke go berserk and attack. That’s when they decided that Leia was Luke’s sister and that Vader angers Luke by saying he will turn his attention to her.

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### Author: ![kuroashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9a140/32.png) [@kuroashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kuroashi)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2002, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-stupid-star-wars-question/104961/3 "2002-04-22T09:59:22Z")

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SPOILER

Yeah, I think we’ll be given the answer to that on a silver platter in Epsode III, but I always figured that Luke and Leia were separated at birth, she was hidden, and he only knew about Luke for sure. He didn’t pick up on her existence as kin until Luke’s “thoughts betrayed him.”

And in Episode I there are a few female Jedis on the council.

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### Author: ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2002, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-stupid-star-wars-question/104961/4 "2002-04-22T10:14:17Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Badtz Maru \*  
> \*\*In the scene where Luke is hiding from Darth Vader the shooting script said ‘Vader says something that angers Luke’. \*\*

Other lines considered include:

1. “Hey, I hear Luke Skywalker is _gay_.”

2. “Luke wets the bed and uses the Force to dry the sheets.”

3. “My light saber is MUCH bigger than Luke’s.”

4. “Many years from now, some truly shitty prequels are going to be made in this series.”

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### Author: ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2002, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-stupid-star-wars-question/104961/5 "2002-04-22T10:30:11Z")

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Vader couldn’t sense them until they had developed their Force powers. He felt nothing significant from Luke in ANH (only that “The Force is strong in this one”, as Luke had only begun to scratch the surface in terms of training). Perhaps there’s an automatic “sense block” in Force-sensitive-yet-untrained relatives? Or perhaps Vader needed to actively hunt out his son and daughter for him to detect them?

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### Author: ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2002, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-stupid-star-wars-question/104961/6 "2002-04-22T11:42:07Z")

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I think the fact that he was named Skywalker was a bit of a giveaway.

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### Author: ![stankow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@stankow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stankow)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2002, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-stupid-star-wars-question/104961/7 "2002-04-22T11:54:41Z")

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1. “Your smuggler sidekick will go on to immense fame and fortune. Your next big role will be as the voice of the Joker in a Batman animated series on television.”

2. “Lucas wanted Christopher Walken for your role, but the studio said he would bring too much depth and nuance to the role.”

3. “You will never again be able to walk down the street without someone saying, ‘Luke, I am your father.’ Especially teenage boys. They’ll love that joke.”

4. “Kevin Smith says hello.”

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### Author: ![ninevah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/46a35a/32.png) [@ninevah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ninevah)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2002, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-stupid-star-wars-question/104961/8 "2002-04-22T12:00:44Z")

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Hmmm… thanks, **Badtz Maru** for your explanation, although it’s hard to believe that George Lucas **didn’t** have the whole saga set out (re: the Luke/Leia thing) way before shooting. (Hasn’t he, like, for the last twenty years or so, had all the scripts already written hidden under his pillow?!)

And another question, Uncle Owen Lars… Is he really Anakin’s brother (or Amidala’s brother)? How does that work out? Or is he one of those “friends-of-the-family-type-uncles”??

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### Author: ![kuroashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9a140/32.png) [@kuroashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kuroashi)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2002, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-stupid-star-wars-question/104961/9 "2002-04-22T12:04:18Z")

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I thought everyone had an Uncle Owen\>

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### Author: ![Legomancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/779978/32.png) [@Legomancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Legomancer)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2002, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-stupid-star-wars-question/104961/10 "2002-04-22T12:35:16Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by ninevah \*  
> **Hmmm… thanks, Badtz Maru for your explanation, although it’s hard to believe that George Lucas didn’t have the whole saga set out (re: the Luke/Leia thing) way before shooting. (Hasn’t he, like, for the last twenty years or so, had all the scripts already written hidden under his pillow?!)**

Lucas says a lot of things. I think it’s pretty clear that the relationship with Luke and Leia didn’t exist until, at best, a few drafts into Empire.

But remember, everything Lucas says is true - from a certain point of view.

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### Author: ![kuroashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9a140/32.png) [@kuroashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kuroashi)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2002, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-stupid-star-wars-question/104961/11 "2002-04-22T13:29:13Z")

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[LUKE SKYWALKER WHINE] A certain point of view?! [/LUKE SKYWALKER WHINE]

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### Author: ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2002, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-stupid-star-wars-question/104961/12 "2002-04-22T14:53:08Z")

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I was told by a bunch of my Star Wars fanatic friends that Owen was actually a relative of Obi Wan, hence his being chosen as Luke’s guardian and the fact that he REALLY didn’t want Luke anywhere near the old bastard. But I have no idea where they got their information.

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### Author: ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2002, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-stupid-star-wars-question/104961/13 "2002-04-22T15:00:42Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by ninevah \*  
> \*\*And another question, Uncle Owen Lars… Is he really Anakin’s brother (or Amidala’s brother)? How does that work out? Or is he one of those “friends-of-the-family-type-uncles”?? \*\*

Well, my “Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Characters”[sup]\*[/sup], has this to say:

> [@](#):
>
> Owen Lars was never as flashy as his brother, Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of the strongest of the Jedi Knights, nor as daring as Kenobi’s friend, Anakin Skywalker.

Of course, most of the bios in this book seem like BS space-fillers. Were people actually writing _novels_ about these minor characters?

[sup]\*hey, quit laughing! It was a gift! Honest![/sup]

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### Author: ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2002, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-stupid-star-wars-question/104961/14 "2002-04-22T16:12:19Z")

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The novelizations of the movies, state that Owen was indeed Obi Wan’s brother.

Another thing-how could Obi Wan have hid for so long? And why had Luke never heard of Darth Vader (“A pupil of mine, named Darth Vader…”) I mean, EVERYONE knew that Vader was the Emperor’s right hand man?

Or I guess they weren’t supposed to talk about the old days-like people in Russia not knowing the history of Tsarist times completely during the Soviet period?

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### Author: ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2002, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-stupid-star-wars-question/104961/15 "2002-04-22T17:17:28Z")

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1. “Luke, Micheal Jackson wants his glove back.”

2. “Come and get one in the yarbles, if you’ve got any yarbles, you unit jelly-thou!”

3. _“I’ll swallow your soul!”_

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### Author: ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2002, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-stupid-star-wars-question/104961/16 "2002-04-22T18:43:34Z")

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“Your thoughts betray you even now…you’re considering a script for…_Corvette Summer_??!! BWAAAA HA HA HA HA!!”  
“NNNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!”

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### Author: ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2002, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-stupid-star-wars-question/104961/17 "2002-04-22T18:55:15Z")

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1. “I can drive a motorcycle better than you.”

2. “George, you can write this shit but you sure can’t say it.”

3. “Because I’m your father and I said so!”

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### Author: ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2002, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-stupid-star-wars-question/104961/18 "2002-04-22T19:09:32Z")

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1. That was your _sister_ you were tongue kissing, you pervert!

😉

_-me_

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### Author: ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2002, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-stupid-star-wars-question/104961/19 "2002-04-22T19:10:04Z")

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I had heard that that line actually was decided as of writing the script, but that they didn’t trust the fellow playing the body of Vader, and thought he might leak if he knew the actual line. JEJ, however, they could trust, so there was no problem when he did the voiceover.

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### Author: ![Vorae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@Vorae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vorae)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2002, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-stupid-star-wars-question/104961/20 "2002-04-22T19:44:56Z")

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I agree that the Luke-Leia brother-sister relationship wasn’t there from the get-go, but it had to be there (or at least considered) a few drafts into “The Empire Strikes Back.” It’s in that film that Yoda says, “No, there is another.” Hope, that is.

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \*  
> **The novelizations of the movies, state that Owen was indeed Obi Wan’s brother.**

**From what little I’ve gleened of the plot of “Attack of the Clones” (without spoiling the entire movie for myself) it seems Owen Lars is actually the son of Cliegg Lars, who is apparently Anakin’s new stepfather. Which would indeed make him Luke’s uncle, though not by blood.**

> [@](#):
>
> **Another thing-how could Obi Wan have hid for so long?**

Presumably, like Yoda, he knew he was too past his prime to take on Vader and the Empire and thus hid on a barren armpit of a planet to avoid detection and bide his time until “a new hope” would present itself.

> [@](#):
>
> \*\*And why had Luke never heard of Darth Vader (“A pupil of mine, named Darth Vader…”) I mean, EVERYONE knew that Vader was the Emperor’s right hand man?
> 
> Or I guess they weren’t supposed to talk about the old days-like people in Russia not knowing the history of Tsarist times completely during the Soviet period? \*\*

I’m guessing the Stormtroopers, Star Destroyers, etc. would be the most visible part of the Empire. Vader himself never really addresses the public or even makes his presence known until necessary. Anyone involved in the whole struggle would know who he is, but it’s conceivable a layperson wouldn’t.

Of course, this could all change, depending on how visible Vader makes himself to the public when he goes on a galactic rampage in “Episode III.”

Finally (I’m such a geek), Vader probably couldn’t sense Leia because (1) she hadn’t developed her Force powers at all; (2) her name wasn’t Skywalker; and (3) he assumed she really was of the Organa family and thus didn’t act on any intuitions he may’ve had.

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