So another tlj question, forgive me. When Luke was talking about Ben and the dark, he said something like: "a jedi master was responsible for Darth Vader", and I took that as Luke blaming Obi-Wan for Darth Vader/Anakin's fall. What do you think about that?
Hi! NOTHING TO FORGIVE. âĽÂ OKAY, BOY, DO I HAVE THINGS TO SAY. :D :D :D What Luke says is:
LUKE: At the height of their powers, they allowed Darth Sidious to rise create the Empire, and wipe them out. It was a Jedi Master who was responsible for the training and creation of Darth Vader.REY:Â And a Jedi who saved him.LUKE:Â Yes, the most hated man in the galaxy.
I go into this in a broader way in this post, but Iâll focus in on that line specifically. Itâs important that Luke says, âthe training and creation of Darth Vaderâ, not âthe fall of Anakin Skywalkerâ, because heâs not saying the Jedi were responsible for the darkness in Anakin, any more than heâs responsible for the darkness in Ben Solo. Heâs saying that the Jediâs legacy is failure, the hubris to think that they can save people and help the galaxy, instead of always failing.If you accept that Luke is narratively right about this, that the Jedi were responsible for Vader, then you also have to accept that Luke is responsible for the creation of Kylo Ren and that Luke was wrong to try to save Vader, because thatâs all part of what heâs saying, you canât take one without the others, because itâs all part of the same mindset Luke is in.Luke is blaming them, but itâs coming from a place of guilt and shame and isolation and despondency. Itâs coming from a place of so much hurt at how this all turned outâand who among us hasnât had that feeling of, âThis is all bullshit, itâs only ever going to end in failure.â when something we cared deeply about doesnât work out?But itâs not narratively correct and I donât think Luke actually means it. Heâs lashing out because he wants to be convinced that heâs wrongâwe see very clearly, when Yoda burns the tree and Luke thinks the books are lost, that he panics over their loss, he didnât actually want the Jedi to end any more than he actually thinks the Jedi are responsible for the failures heâs laying on them.He says it because heâs in a bad place and so hurt and in pain right now. But he comes back, heâs a Jedi again by the end, and the whole great big point of the movie is that, yes, the Jedi are needed. Thatâs the point of Yodaâs speech, that failure can be a teacher, but we shouldnât let it break us, because thatâs never been what the Jedi were about.And the idea that Luke is responsible for Kylo Ren? N O P E. One moment of doubt being enough to send Ben Solo on a murder spree? THAT IS NOT ON LUKE. And itâs the same with the Jedi and Anakinâas the Darth Vader comics have shown us, Anakin was given a clear path back to the light side and he said, âNo. This is all there is.â and kept right on going. From a Certain Point of View hammers home that Anakin had the wisdom to make a better choice. He still chose it anyway.Vader and Kyloâs actions are on themselves. Luke taking the blame onto the Jedi is something to get over, not something thatâs a Narrative Truth. And by the end of the movie Lukeâs come back around and they may bear some responsibility for what happenedâbut the choice to create Vader and Kylo Ren? Thatâs on Anakin Skywalker and Ben Solo.
