Message-ID: <2296@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 24-Jun-83 00:40:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.2296
Posted: Fri Jun 24 00:40:00 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 19-Jun-83 17:49:14 EDT
Lines: 61

From:  Susan L. Felshin 


Q: Why does Yoda go from 900, hale and hearty to 901 and decrepit
and dying?

A: Simple.  Yoda implies that the force can prolong life.  He uses
the force to sustain his life until he can train another Jedi to
succeed him (since he is the last).  Why doesn't he die after training
Obi-wan?  Yoda is strong with the force and has read the script.  He
knows Kenobi won't last long enough to train Luke.  Having finished
Luke's training, he is free to die, so he does.  (But why does he say
"soon I will rest forever" or some such and then materialize at the
end of the film?  You call that eternal rest?  I don't.)

Q: Where is the rest of Yoda's race?

A: Well, for one thing, they probably aren't all strong in the force.
Not all humans are.  They might all be dead.  According to one of the SW
books (I think - I'm not sure of the source), Chewbacca is the last or
nearly so of the Wookies.  The Empire blew up their planet.  Why should
the Empire stop at one planet?  (They didn't - Alderan went boom, too.)

Q: Why don't Vader and the Emperor sense Yoda?

A: Nobody ever senses anybody else until they've either already met or
at least know of the other's existence.  Vader senses Kenobi, not Luke,
on the Death Star, then having met Luke (sort of - they were in the same
landing bay), can sense him.  The Emperor doesn't notice Luke until
Vader tells him about him (I think this is right).  Since neither of the
big baddies knows of Yoda's existence, they can't sense him. (?)


While I'm at it ...

 Are Luke and Leia half siblings sharing the same mother?

 Don't be silly.  First, Kenobi says they're twins, but that aside, Leia
is the other hope (pretty weak one - her big threat: you're going to
regret this, we have friends in high places (who never help)).  The
force runs strong in the *Skywalker* family.

Tongues of flame leap up from the depths ...

 Comment on the other six movies:
  I'm not sure I could take another 6 x 2 hours of lightsaber fights.
Fortunately, though, Lucas has a golden opportunity to do something
really good with the next three; high tragedy and the corruption of the
Empire.  Cheap, too.  All this needs is good acting (*where* are they
going to find someone good enough to play Alec Guiness (pardon me, Ben
Kenobi) as a young man??), not flashy, gratuitous special effects,
excepting one scene where Kenobi throws Anakin=>Vader into the volcano.
I only hope that Lucas can withstand the hordes of popularly opinionated
types screaming and yelling for space opera.  (Three were nice, more
would be painful.)

			Sue Felshin
			PaFotSftPoRCD
			and person who swore she wouldn't type a word
			but finally succumbed to the eternal flames of
			hell=sflovers. Sorry.