# Was the "other" Empire Strikes Back reveal a surprise? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 29, 2012, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-other-empire-strikes-back-reveal-a-surprise/617159 "2012-03-29T14:24:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-other-empire-strikes-back-reveal-a-surprise/617159/41 "2012-03-30T14:31:55Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > IIRC, the in-universe reason is that droids who don’t routinely get wiped keep piling up experiences to develop a genuine personality complete with a sense of humor and real sentience, which would be awkward for a universe chock full of folks who overtly discriminate against 'em – inconveniencing others, who, uh, simply own 'em. Better than just giving them a four year lifespan and hunting down any that go rogue. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-other-empire-strikes-back-reveal-a-surprise/617159/42 "2012-03-30T14:35:22Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > I was 19 and I was pretty sure that was going to be Yoda when he came on screen. What is interesting and funny in light of the prequels is that R2D2 knows who Yoda is and still gives him the shock when Yoda tries to grab Luke’s food/stuff. I never thought of that before. R2D2 is lucky Yoda didn’t force push him across the planet! ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-other-empire-strikes-back-reveal-a-surprise/617159/43 "2012-03-30T16:24:37Z")
I had the action figure for Yoda before I even saw the movie so yeah I knew. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2012, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-other-empire-strikes-back-reveal-a-surprise/617159/44 "2012-03-31T05:42:46Z")
It wasn’t a particularly big surprise for me, since we saw Ben Kenobi do exactly the same reveal in A New Hope. ---
**Author:** ![Pitchmeister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pitchmeister/32/3459_2.png) [@Pitchmeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitchmeister)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2012, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-other-empire-strikes-back-reveal-a-surprise/617159/45 "2012-03-31T07:31:06Z")
> [@grude](#): > > C3PO and R2 didn’t get their memories wiped, they were scheduled to but before Luke could get around to it R2 took off. If they were wiped how did R2 find Obiwan then? > [@LaurenIpsum](#): > > I believe **Pitchmeister** was referring to the end of “Revenge of the Sith,” although it was only C3PO that has his memory wiped, not R2D2. That always bugged me because it was clearly done only to explain why C3PO didn’t know certain things in the original trilogy, but there didn’t really seem to be any in-universe reason for it to be done. > [@Mahaloth](#): > > Only C-3PO had his memory wiped. > [@RickJay](#): > > That absolutely does not happen in “Star Wars.” Uncle Owen tells Luke to do it, but it never takes place. I stand corrected. ---
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-other-empire-strikes-back-reveal-a-surprise/617159/46 "2012-04-02T14:20:11Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > It wasn’t a particularly big surprise for me, since we saw Ben Kenobi do exactly the same reveal in A New Hope. Well I don’t think Obi-Wan Kenobi being Ben Kenobi in New Hope was meant to be a big surprise. As I recall, even Luke says “I wonder if he means Old Ben Kenobi”. Side note, as far as that’s concerned… here’s an interesting look at a fan theory (presumably pre-prequels) that Obi-Wan was actually a Old Ben Kenobi clone, as in OB1… [5 Movie Fan Theories That Make More Sense Than the Movie | Cracked.com](http://www.cracked.com/article_19266_5-movie-fan-theories-that-make-more-sense-than-movie_p2.html) ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-other-empire-strikes-back-reveal-a-surprise/617159/47 "2012-04-02T15:35:32Z")
I was also suprised by the following reveals: AT-AT armor was too strong for blasters Tauntans smell worse on the inside than the outside There is no “try”. Only “do” or “do not” when it comes to Force lifting an X-Wing fighter This isn’t a cave [Vader would be delighted if Han & co could join him for dinner](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cuebj4kVOy4&feature=player_embedded) That Luke was not, in fact, the last hope and that there was another > [@LaurenIpsum](#): > > I believe **Pitchmeister** was referring to the end of “Revenge of the Sith,” although it was only C3PO that has his memory wiped, not R2D2. That always bugged me because it was clearly done only to explain why C3PO didn’t know certain things in the original trilogy, but there didn’t really seem to be any in-universe reason for it to be done. They had C3POs memory wiped because he wouldn’t shut the fuck up. They didn’t care what they thought he knew or didn’t know.😃 ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-other-empire-strikes-back-reveal-a-surprise/617159/48 "2012-04-02T16:06:01Z")
I seem to recall one of Ebert’s “Movie Answer Man” columns addressing what was becoming an annoying trend: the pre-release movie hype giving away surprises like these. He also mentioned Arnold Schwarzenegger on a talk show revealing that in T2 he played a “good Terminator,” which you wouldn’t know if you just saw the movie cold. The Leia/Han exchange always seemed to be treated like a joke, when I think it’s a very moving farewell. “I don’t want you to die not knowing that I love you.” “Of course I know, sweetheart. Please don’t worry about me. Just stay safe.” ☹ Wahh! ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-other-empire-strikes-back-reveal-a-surprise/617159/49 "2012-04-02T17:00:28Z")
I was about 10 years old when I saw ESB in the theater in 1981, and had already had the Yoda identity thing at least partially spoiled for me. I remember knowing even ahead of the movie’s release that the plot of ESB would feature Luke getting trained to be a Jedi by an ancient master in hiding. Then before I saw the movie myself, a kid told me he’d heard from another kid (who’d maybe heard from another kid, etc.,), who’d seen it on opening night, that Yoda wasn’t human… “Kind of like Grover or something”. And of course, Frank Oz voiced both Yoda and Grover on Sesame Street. So as soon as I heard Yoda speaking, I was all like, “OMG, that’s Yoda!” At the same time I do remember wondering “But HOW can this be the great master Yoda?” when he first came on the screen, acting so silly and so on - “if he’s the great Jedi master, he wouldn’t be pilfering food and giggling over a flashlight!” - so had I not had that pre-movie reveal, I’m sure I would have been “fooled” initially. (I think I’d have caught on when he takes Luke back to his shack while promising to bring him to Yoda.) > [@msmith537](#): > > I was also suprised by the following reveals: … 😃 ---
**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 2, 2012, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-other-empire-strikes-back-reveal-a-surprise/617159/50 "2012-04-02T18:23:37Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I was also suprised by the following reveals: > AT-AT armor was too strong for blasters > Tauntans smell worse on the inside than the outside > There is no “try”. Only “do” or “do not” when it comes to Force lifting an X-Wing fighter > This isn’t a cave > [Vader would be delighted if Han & co could join him for dinner](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cuebj4kVOy4&feature=player_embedded) “Attack Pattern Delta” involves flying straight towards the AT-ATs, which was a curious choice since any other approach would avoid the very limited range of fire from their little heads. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-other-empire-strikes-back-reveal-a-surprise/617159/51 "2012-04-03T05:30:31Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > “Attack Pattern Delta” involves flying straight towards the AT-ATs, which was a curious choice since any other approach would avoid the very limited range of fire from their little heads. Well, that would explain why it was fourth on the list… ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-other-empire-strikes-back-reveal-a-surprise/617159/52 "2012-04-03T07:18:56Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > I never thought of that before. R2D2 is lucky Yoda didn’t force push him across the planet! Having just rewatched this scene from the 97 re-release, it is just a tug of war, R2 doesn’t zap him. And it is rather playful. Both of them are messing with Luke. Does Yoda remember R2? There is no reason R2 wouldn’t remember Yoda, although I don’t recall if they met earlier. ---
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-other-empire-strikes-back-reveal-a-surprise/617159/53 "2012-05-21T18:26:34Z")
Family Guy’s “Something Something Something, Dark Side” has a good riff on this. Yoda’s first couple of lines are “I’m not Yoda. Okay I really am Yoda. I won’t train him. Okay I’ll train him.” ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-other-empire-strikes-back-reveal-a-surprise/617159/54 "2012-05-21T19:14:31Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Even R2 knew. Of course, R2 knew. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-other-empire-strikes-back-reveal-a-surprise/617159/55 "2012-05-22T00:35:09Z")
I was already well aware of who Yoda was thanks to my friend’s Kenner Yoda action figure. I was too young to understand why Luke didn’t know the little green guy was him. > [@johnspartan](#): > > Family Guy’s “Something Something Something, Dark Side” has a good riff on this. > > Yoda’s first couple of lines are “I’m not Yoda. Okay I really am Yoda. I won’t train him. Okay I’ll train him.” Only tarnished by them picking some fairly obscure minor character to play Yoda. And I still don’t get why they had Cleveland play R2 when Joe would’ve been much more appropriate for the part. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-other-empire-strikes-back-reveal-a-surprise/617159.md?page=2)