THE WAR OF THE WORDS - Part Two

You were the Chosen One. It was said you would destroy the Sith, not join them. Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness! It's a sequel, you have to read it...



Last week I wrote about words... and about when a boy becomes a man and a man becomes a Jedi, and Jedi becomes a Man. That was about becoming a Man with a capital "M" (This is symbolic, not sexist, it applies to female Jedi as well).

This is about a Jedi becoming a man.

* * *

It is a story of love and loss, brotherhood and betrayal, courage and sacrifice and the death of dreams. It is a story of the blurred line between our best and our worst. (Matthew Stover, "Revenge of the Sith")


* * *

It's no secret around these parts, or anywhere in the galaxy, that I love Obi-Wan Kenobi. And not just because the young Obi-Wan is hot and sexy. Which he is, but that's beside the point.

To me, Obi-Wan Kenobi is the epitome of a Jedi Knight. He is not perfect, but he is the best of the Jedi. Not as arrogant as Anakin, not as stubborn as Mace Windu, not as rigid as Yoda, he nevertheless lives his life as a Jedi. He was dedicated, faithful, courageous, and above all, honorable.

And he is rewarded. He becomes a Jedi Master, he is chosen for the Jedi Council. He is a war hero, and yet a peacemaker, known for his negotiating skills, he has the respect of the Republic. He fights the war with words.

And so he goes to Mustafar, in spite of his reluctance to do so, and does his duty as a Jedi. He tries to save Anakin with words, but to no avail.

"The boy you trained," Yoda had told him, "Gone he is, consumed by Darth Vader." In spite of his Master's words of advice, he tries anyway.

"You have allowed this dark lord to twist your mind, until now.... Now you have become the very thing you swore to destroy." Powerful words, but words that Anakin ignores. Even near the end, Obi-Wan tries to save him with words. "It's over Anakin, I have the high ground."

* * *

"I hate you!"

"You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you." At that moment, Obi-Wan Kenobi, the great Jedi Master, becomes an ordinary man. Thinking he has just killed his best friend, the boy with who he has spent almost every day of the past thirteen years, he turns away with his heart broken, his life shattered.

But it is only for that one terrible moment that he is an ordinary man, and then he becomes a Jedi again. He leaves Anakin to the will of the Force, and sets about trying to save Anakin's wife and unborn child.

He volunteers to watch over baby Luke. He sentences himself to exile on a harsh and unforgiving planet that sucks the very life out of his bones, aging him far beyond his years.

I love old Obi-Wan Kenobi, too. When I first saw ANH, which was called "Star Wars" in those days, I wished I had old Ben Kenobi as a grandfather. Someone wise, and compassionate and caring, yet strong and brave. A crazy old wizard? I don't think so. He was still a Jedi Master.

He lives with, and somehow makes peace with, his regrets. How do I know this? Because, when baby Luke becomes a young man, Obi-Wan accepts his duty to teach Luke the ways of the Force. He honors his promise to Master Yoda to watch over Luke, for as far as he may know, he could be the last of the Jedi. If he doesn't teach Luke, who will?

* * *

I joked that I always tell Obi-Wan not to give up to Vader on board the Death Star, and he always does it anyway.

I don't think Obi-Wan found death to be anything but a relief from his torment. He probably welcomed it. His premature aging had left him feeling useless, and clumsy, and in pain. Yes, he still carried his regrets with him into the afterlife, but as my friend Jedi Master Mina points out, he thought he'd be more useful to Luke as a Force ghost.

And that's a valid point. As a ghost, he is free to explore the depths of the Force, to continue learning, and to appear to Luke when he needs help without Luke having the burden of looking after an old man.

He helps Luke with words when he can't with actions.

* * *

For all my friends on the Internet, here on this site and on other forums I hang out at, all brought to me by a shared love of Star Wars, I am thankful. Without their words these past few years I would be a lost soul, a Jedi without thought or purpose.

So, my words to all of you this Thanksgiving, is Thank the Maker for Star Wars... Star Wars is after all, only words, but words that have brought a galaxy to life, and life to this galaxy.

Happy Thanksgiving!