On my most recent podcast episode, Scott Ryfun and I talked about The Skywalker Family. During the discussion, I came up with the theory that Yoda was wrong and that Luke had to leave Dagobah to preserve what his friends fought for. I recently rewatched The Empire Strikes Back in order to see just what would have been effected if Luke had stayed instead. Here are all the events, in reverse chronological order.
First we have Artoo fixing the hyperdrive on the Falcon just as the Executor is going to snare them in a tractor beam. If Luke had stayed with his training, Artoo wouldn't be there.
Speaking of Artoo, he's the one that opens the door to the Falcon's landing pad. Lando couldn't do it since the security code had been changed. Maybe the group would have made it to another ship, but since the Stormtroopers were right on their heels, I doubt it.
Han would still have been used as a test subject for the carbon freeze, but this time Leia, Lando, Chewie & Threepio wouldn't have escaped, so there would be no one to tell Luke what happened.
So what does all this mean? Well, as I said in the episode, without Threepio (who would have either been scraped or mind-wiped) the Rebels wouldn't have been able to get the Ewoks on their side. Remember, the Emperor knew that the fleet was coming and had set a trap on the moon. No mater what you think of the Ewoks, they were responsible for the shield being knocked out. No Threepio, no Ewoks, the shield is still up.
So, the Rebel Fleet is wiped out. Even if Luke did the exact same thing, the Emperor & Vader would be dead, but the 2nd Death Star would still be around & the Rebellion would be over. The Empire still wins. Oh, there'd be some unrest as a new ruler came to power, but unless it was Luke himself, it's all over.
So, Yoda was wrong. Luke leaving didn't "... destroy all for which they have fought and suffered." In fact, he ensured the success of their side by leaving when he did.
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Another view is that Yoda knew he had to make a choice and laid it on thick so he would make it. Yoda could see what Luke could see, so he manipulated events, he could risk Luke, there was 'another'
ReplyDeleteI'd agree with you, except that Yoda, in Empire, doesn't lie to Luke at all. Even when he's pretending to be "the mad swamp hermit", he's telling the truth.
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