A Still Moment in a Galaxy Far, Far Away by Oboe-Wan

It's been a while since I've blogged about the Galaxy Far, Far Away, so forgive me if I'm a bit rusty here...

I was 3 years old when a movie simply titled "Star Wars" hit the big screen in 1977. I saw it something like 6 times in the theater because everyone wanted a "kid" with them when they went to see it. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that this film shaped a large part of who I am: the dreamer inside of me.

When I was 3, my favorite characters were R2-D2 and C-3PO. I looked up to Princess Leia but not the way I would 3 years later when Empire Strikes Back blasted in to my life. And it would be 6 more years before my pre-teen crush on Luke Skywalker reared its ugly head. Part of the reason the droids captured my imagination as a toddler was the whole "robot-thing." Back in the olden days, there weren't computers in every house, telephones had cords & rotary dials and we actually wrote letters on actual stationery and used stamps and a mailbox!!

But here were these two shiny robots - something beyond the wildest imaginings of my young existence. They seemed to have feelings, fears & conversations. They found themselves in the middle of a civil war, not truly understanding their role in what would eventually be the destruction of the most sinister, powerful & evil government in the history of the universe. Even as a little kid, I knew something big was going to happen - how could it not? Did you see how shiny C-3PO was?

Simply put, when Obi-Wan stumbles across the rocks into the Jundland Wastes to save Luke, so entered my understanding that not everything is as it seems. I remember that rush of fear: who was that coming toward R2D2? Was he good or bad? Friend or foe? He's wearing a dark hooded cloak and had made a really scary noise, would he finish the job the Sand People couldn't on Luke? It's an exhilarating moment, one which I do try to trick myself into reliving every time I pop the "Star Wars" DVD into my player. That innocence of not knowing what was going to happen.

These days, this moment has even more weight knowing what we know now thanks to the PT. Obi-Wan is one of the greatest Jedi to ever live. He could have defeated Anakin on Mustafar if it weren't for his darn sense of mercy. Although, leaving your friend to burn on a lava floe seems less merciless than running him through. But, like another wise wizard said, it's not for us to say who should live and who should die. Obi-Wan paid for his choice for years, but in the end was able to help the story to its conclusion with his own death.

As Obi-Wan stumbles into R2's line of sight, we know he can't be someone sinister or wicked. Evil villains usually walk with much more confidence. Even someone like Han Solo walks with a swagger that I imagine wouldn't be hampered by a stroll over Tattooine's rocky terrain. So here comes Obi-Wan, an old man, seemingly frail & comedic, yet he hides a dark secret and a deadly purpose. It's no mistake that he was there to rescue Luke, he was trailing him all along. In fact, all his life! It's time to approach Luke, win his trust & thrust him head first into his destiny.

Perhaps his uneven gait is an outward manifestation of his unease about dragging Luke in to the war? Is this truly the right time to approach him? According to the NPR radio plays, Obi-Wan had rescued Luke once before, they had brief contact then. So what makes this meeting so different? It's likely that Obi-Wan could sense Leia's distress in the space above Tattooine. She speaks of her "mission" involving him as if this was prearranged and he was expecting her. If this is true, then when he looked to sky to see the laser-exchange and then did not receive Leia on time, he knew it was time to get Luke.

This image is Obi-Wan coming out of his seclusion, his hermit life, teetering on the brink of "crazy old wizard" and "Jedi Knight, same as your father". For him, it is just as powerful as it is for the those watching his approach (droids & human movie goers) - which will he be from here on out?

The excitement of the moment can get lost after countless viewings of the movie. But I challenge you: the next time you watch Episode IV, forget everything you know & just feel the excitement of a dark cloaked figure, moving through the shadows...