In one of the early scenes of Star Wars, during the dinner conversation with his aunt and uncle, Luke whines about how he was planning to go to The Academy next year and how all his friends are already there, etc.
Who runs the Academy? Is it an Imperial institution? I don’t think it’s affiliated with the Rebel Alliance, as accepting college applications from every farmer on every outlying planet would somewhat blow their cover.
So, but for the grace of Obi Wan Kenobi, would Luke have become an Imperial pilot?
It was my understanding that the Academy is an Imperial institution. People go there to learn how to fly starships, then the rebel sympathizers break off to go work for the other side. (This is what Luke’s friend, Biggs, did.)
Yes, the Academy is an Imperial institution. When you graduate, you get a commission in the Imperial Navy. Luke’s friend Biggs went to the Academy, jumped ship to join the Rebels (whether before or after graduation is not clear), and then died in the Battle of Yavin. In on of the Han Solo books written in the early 80’s (which are cannon to some people), Han runs into one of his buddies from his Academy days. Han was apparently a standout at the Academy and served in the Imperial Navy. I have heard it said, even though I don’t remember reading this anywhere, that Han “went rouge” when he was ordered to kill a group of Wookie slaves and refused, thus befriending Chewbacca and becoming a smuggler.
Now if you will excuse me, I’ll just climb back into my geek-hole.
Why anyone would attempt to use a book as a piece of artillery is beyond me. Particularly one that is sacred enough to some people to be deemed canonical.
I know, I know… let he who is without typo cast the first flame. I just thought it was amusing.
So, does the SDMB spring full-grown from your brow, or what? And would it run faster if we got you a bigger brow? [cue They Might Be Giants]“Everybody wants prosthetic/Foreheads on their real heads”
Oh, and just to make some comment on the OP: in the novelization, Luke seems decidely apolitical. The first time he apparently even thinks about joining the Rebellion is when his old pal the aforementioned Biggs Darklighter pops up and gives him a little speech about how the Empire is Evil and the Rebels are Good. One gets the distinct impression that if ol’ Biggs had come back with a glowing report about how Palpatine’s New Order was bringing peace and prosperity to the Galaxy, Luke would have cheerfully signed up as a TIE fighter pilot. Before that, Luke seems to have mainly had a general desire to get the hell off of Tatooine. Oh, and Biggs is First Mate of a freighter (the Rand Ecliptic), so apparently the Academy does still have a merchant marine function. He mentions not waiting “for the Empire to conscript me into its service” and being “drafted into the starfleet”, so evidently an Academy commission doesn’t automatically put you on the bridge of a Star Destroyer.
[sub][sup]Geek? Moi?[/sup][/sub]
Of course, then the Empire murders Luke’s entire family. After that–it’s personal! Just like Mel Gibson or something.
I don’t think it’s any secret that the original Star Wars movie’s novelisation was actually written by Alan Dean Foster. Lucas’s name is on it only because that was the tradition of the time, especially since he had written the screenplay it was based on, and that the story is definitely all George’s.
Of course it is. I’ve seen clips from the European release. In one scene, Han Solo is seen reclining against a bale of hay. He unbuttons his chenille blouse in the waning sunlight of a summer’s afternoon, and nurses his baby. It’s a beautiful and evocative scene.
Nastassia Kinski…Harrison Ford…Hmmmm…tough call there
Just today at work I was thinking about Gaudere’s Law for some reason and said to myself, “Self, I wonder if I’ve ever unwittingly invoked that. Hmm, I did post about rouge/rogue… nah, I didn’t make a mistake there.”
Or I could pretend that I made that mistake deliberately just so we could continue making the jokes about Gaudere’s Law …
