Episode 15: You Must Do What You Feel is Right, of Course... (7/24/2006)

Finding your density... uh, I mean fighting your destiny... Anakin Skywalker vs. Sir Lancelot...no, not a poll, not a duel, just a random comparison...


Posted on the OS on July 24, 2006.


This entry inspired by EDB and JMM...
And a special credit to my sister for the King Arthur story...

In my dim memory of high school English, I remember a story told by a man who found his true love, but she was already married. They met everyday in public, never touching, but one day she tells him she can't see him anymore. So he kisses her goodbye and walks away. He does the right thing.

In Arthurian legend when Lancelot falls in love with the King's wife he exiles himself into the deep forest. He tells Arthur that his wounds are bothering him and he must go until they are healed. Arthur asks him if he will be gone long, and Lancelot replies that it will be a long time because his wounds are deep. But he walks away from his love rather than betray her and his King. He does the right thing.

Anakin Skywalker had a choice to make. He chose to marry Padme, even though it was forbidden by the Jedi code. He did the wrong thing, and he knew it was wrong... so he then chose to keep it a secret even from his best friend.

What if Anakin Skywalker had walked away from Padme? Would he still have fallen to the dark side? Or, what if he had left the Jedi order? Would he have lived a long and happy life on Naboo as the respected husband of a senator, playing with his children at the lake, fixing things around the house... or was the lure of fame and glory too much to resist?

Obi-Wan Kenobi does the right thing when he leaves Vader's fate to the will of the Force on Mustafar... but what if he'd gone back and made sure he was dead?

Galactic history would certainly have been different, but would it have been better? Would Sidious have found a new apprentice to terrorize the galaxy? I'm not sure another man could have terrorized the galaxy the way Vader did... all that hate and anger and grief must have been boiling inside him... remember a Sith relies on passion for strength... and a passionate hate is a strong passion indeed...

Luke believes he's doing the right thing when he leaves Dagobah to save Han and Leia, and he's willing to risk his life to do it. He's willing to risk his life again when he surrenders to Vader at Endor rather than endanger his friends and their mission. He does the right thing.

Why is Luke strong where Anakin was weak? Neither of them was raised in the Jedi tradition... They both had fear and anger... Anakin loses his mother, but Luke loses his aunt and uncle, the only family he knew... how could one turn out so right where the other turned so wrong? Was it their destinies?

Sidious tells Luke his destiny is to kill his father and take his place with the Empire, but he chooses to die rather than turn to the dark side... (I'm not counting anything that happens in the EU so don't bring it up)

I know he attacks Vader in anger on the Death Star, but he's protecting Leia, and that's honorable. Jedi are the defenders of peace and justice after all.

I don't think much of destiny... ordinary people don't think about their destinies, and neither did Luke Skywalker... he just went about his life doing the best he could... but he always seemed to do the right thing.

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH US ALL!