#beru lars

"Do you have any idea how much suffering would fail to take root if more people were just good parents?" -Helen Parr/Elastigirl, The Incredibles deleted scene

I know it's a joke but I feel like people who (unfairly) compare the Skywalker twins at the beginning of ANH are missing the point. Luke playing with his model ship is a bit ridiculous, but the reason he still has the luxury of enjoying some semblance of innocence is because Owen and Beru did everything in their power to protect him and give him as normal of an upbringing as possible. Yes, it's admirable that Leia becomes so involved in the rebel effort so young, but that aspect of her story is just as tragic as it is heroic. The same goes for characters like Ezra and Sabine, who are also pulled into the conflict before they hit adulthood. Nothing can or should diminish their heroism, but that heroism comes at the cost of their childhoods and their adolescence. None of them have the luxury of growing up shielded from the impact of the Empire, and they will forever be traumatized by it.

That's not to say Luke isn't traumatized af by the end of the OT because it's clear from from his internal conflict in ROTJ that he is. But I think he's better able to grapple with that trauma as an adult in part because his aunt and uncle stepped up and made sure that he could have as normal of a childhood as is possible on Tatooine. They're the reason he isn't thrust into the war too early, and they're the reason he grows up to be far more well-adjusted than he would have been had he left home to train as a Jedi earlier. That influence goes a LONG way when it comes to how maturely he handles his final confrontation with Palpatine.

so when a bedraggled, light-haired and light-skinned man showed up on her doorstep carrying a child, Beru Whitesun saw a solution to all her problems: identity fraud to get out of paying death taxes to the Hutts and ensure she had enough help running the farm

she even got a free baby out of the deal, and was able to convince her totally-not-new 'husband' that this would keep him safe from the new Empire as well!

this does, of course, add an additional layer of awkwardness to the arrival of Artoo and Threepio at the start of A New Hope

--

Luke: hey Uncle Owen, these droids we bought say that they belong someone named Obi-Wan Kenobi who they claim lives near here, do you know who that could be?

'Owen,' sweating: he, uh, died

Luke: oh, did you know him then?

Sure, it could be because of the fact they're literally family. But it also erases the fact that Beru, Owen, Bail, and Breha raised them. To me it feels as though their efforts raising the twins were erased, that their sign of love isn't reflected on them.

In my opinion Luke most definitely got his empathy from Beru, and his lack of filter from Owen. Leia most definitely got her boldness and strength from Breha, and her sense of formality and the need to help from Bail.

#stoptheberuowenbailandbrehaerasure

I wonder if Vader thought Obi-Wan raised Luke. I can't imagine how he would learn that Owen & Beru did.

"You don't know the power of the Dark Side," - he didn't mean his power, but the power of the Dark keeping him within its grasp, keeping him full of fear, anger, & hate in a depressive spiral he can't break out of.

"I must obey my master." That line really hanmers in that Vader has finally accepted that he isn't really an apprentice, but actually a slave.

Every time Palpatine calls him, "My friend," you can practically feel how humiliated Vader is. He knows they aren't friends. Palpatine is just rubbing in how much control he has.

Palpatine had Vader wear that suit because even though his injuries did not make him less human, Palpatine wanted Vader to feel less human. Like a monster. Irredeemable. Until Luke convinces him otherwise.

Luke & Anakin are so similar - both lost their hand after they were told not to rush into a fight. But the defining difference between them is that Anakin lost his arm, arrogant and foolish in his abilities, while Luke rushed to fight to save the lives of his friends. Luke losing his arm was worth it to save Han & Leia. Anakin rushing forward to face Dooku was anger and pride.

He brings Luke to Palpatine not because he wants Luke to join Vader's misery but because he believes being Palpatine's slave will happen no matter what and wants Luke to at least live under Palpatine instead of dying.

I love how both Palpatine & Leia question Vader & Luke on them sensing each other with such certainty. They are so connected even to everyone else around them.

It's so sad that Vader is beaten into such a perfect slave that he stops Luke from killing Palpatine. Or perhaps it was because he didn't really want Luke to Fall.

I wonder if Vader dueled Luke only so he could eventually let him win. He would know from killing Dooku how Palpatine chooses his apprentices. I don't think he would ever want to kill Luke in order to remain Palpatine's slave. I think he wanted Luke to kill him so that Luke could live.

Vader bardly even feels evil at this point. He's more like a broken, tortured dog forced to fight but is just hurting inside and no longer fights out of revenge. Just fear.

In that first scene with Palpatine in ROTJ, Vader kneels so quickly, and when they walk together, Vader frequently glances at Palpatine and then looks away. He is hesitant to answer truthfully that he wants to find Luke, but he knows that his master will know the truth anyway. He's so defeated and has no hope of hiding anything from his master, poor guy.

How crushing it must have been for Anakin to have to tell his son that the Emperor was his master now. The scene where Vader can do nothing while Palpatine taunts Luke and Vader tells Luke to resist is pointless - he must have finally understood what it was like to be Shmi Skywalker telling young Anakin why he couldn't be rude to Watto or fight back.

Hate led Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side. But fear is how he ends his time on the side of evil.

Jedi and conductors meeting each other and realizing they both knew Anakin.

New stories added to Ekkreth's name as Jedi add Anakin's stories of trickery and victory.

Quinlan passing along a youngling and asking a conductor why they were so ready to help the Jedi. The conductor bringing him to a few people Anakin helped. Learning that Ekkreth, the one who makes free, is also the sky walker.

Quinlan breaking down, his "nephew" is helping him even as he believes Anakin is dead.

Cal being proud to be associated with the hidden path because THE Anakin Skvwalker worked with it.

Jedi in hiding taking on the last name Ekkreth because it's common enough if you say you're descended from slavery.

Obi-Wan taking the name Ekkreth as a way to feel closer to Anakin and position himself as someone who could help.

Because Anakin Skywaker haunts the narative of everyone that knew him.

Beru Whitesun Lars helping Jedi along the path extra fast and they understand because they saw Luke. How can that boy be anything other than Anakin’s?

owen and beru are explicitly luke's aunt and uncle, not his parents. by dismissing this and forcing them into an ideal nuclear family, you are essentially positioning this dynamic as lesser in itself

owen and beru raised and loved luke as their nephew, not as their son.