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The Clone Wars microseries is an interesting addition to the Star Wars movies. Bits of history that didn't show up in the movies are explored in it, including Anakin's Knighting.
When Obi-Wan proposes that Anakin should be Knighted (in Ch. 21), it's not entirely because he feels that Anakin is ready to be a Knight. In part, it's because the Clone Wars have been eating up Knights.
Obi-Wan actually proposes that Anakin *forego* the Trials and be promoted to Knight without formal testing. Obi-Wan's reasoning is that Anakin has already come through difficulties much harder than what the Council would set him. He survived a Trial of Skill -- defeating Ventress on Yavin 4 (in ch.17, 18, and 19) -- a Trial of the Flesh -- when Count Dooku maimed him in AotC -- and a Trial of Courage -- everything the Clone Wars he has thrown at him. The only thing that Anakin never undertook was a Trial of Spirit.
Given that one of the Council members calls the Trial of the Spirit 'Facing The Mirror' and the vision/dream sequence right before Obi-Wan proposes Anakin's Knighting, I think this is what Luke went through in the Dark Tree on Dagobah.
This Trial is the Jedi equivalent of the hero's descent into the underworld. It's the place where a person confronts everything they have neglected or rejected about themselves, a confrontation with one's personal Darkness, or Shadow to use Jungian terms. If things go right, such a test burns of the slag in one's soul, leaving only the pure and tempered metal. If things go wrong, a person can be destroyed.
The fact that Anakin never has a formal Trial of the Spirit is a disastrous mistake on the part of the Jedi. Even through later in the microseries (ch. 23 and 24) he does have a vision, it's too late and he's too unprepared. Anakin can't integrate his Shadow, can't face his Mirror; he has no center where he can stand fast and self-assured.
Luke, on the other hand, gets shoved into his Trials with less than a year of training. Yoda sends Luke into the Dark Tree in the scene right after he accepts Luke as a student. For Yoda and Obi-Wan to do this indicates that they are so desperate that they are willing to risk destroying Luke in the process of making him; he's really too new in his training to be expected to come out all right, but he is dumped into the fire anyway.
Such ferocious testing means that Luke *is* a Jedi Master by RotJ, but he's been made so at enormous risk. If he had failed at the Tree -- been unable to integrate that vision with himself and Yoda's later teachings -- Luke could have become just as dangerous as his father.
When Obi-Wan proposes that Anakin should be Knighted (in Ch. 21), it's not entirely because he feels that Anakin is ready to be a Knight. In part, it's because the Clone Wars have been eating up Knights.
Obi-Wan actually proposes that Anakin *forego* the Trials and be promoted to Knight without formal testing. Obi-Wan's reasoning is that Anakin has already come through difficulties much harder than what the Council would set him. He survived a Trial of Skill -- defeating Ventress on Yavin 4 (in ch.17, 18, and 19) -- a Trial of the Flesh -- when Count Dooku maimed him in AotC -- and a Trial of Courage -- everything the Clone Wars he has thrown at him. The only thing that Anakin never undertook was a Trial of Spirit.
Given that one of the Council members calls the Trial of the Spirit 'Facing The Mirror' and the vision/dream sequence right before Obi-Wan proposes Anakin's Knighting, I think this is what Luke went through in the Dark Tree on Dagobah.
This Trial is the Jedi equivalent of the hero's descent into the underworld. It's the place where a person confronts everything they have neglected or rejected about themselves, a confrontation with one's personal Darkness, or Shadow to use Jungian terms. If things go right, such a test burns of the slag in one's soul, leaving only the pure and tempered metal. If things go wrong, a person can be destroyed.
The fact that Anakin never has a formal Trial of the Spirit is a disastrous mistake on the part of the Jedi. Even through later in the microseries (ch. 23 and 24) he does have a vision, it's too late and he's too unprepared. Anakin can't integrate his Shadow, can't face his Mirror; he has no center where he can stand fast and self-assured.
Luke, on the other hand, gets shoved into his Trials with less than a year of training. Yoda sends Luke into the Dark Tree in the scene right after he accepts Luke as a student. For Yoda and Obi-Wan to do this indicates that they are so desperate that they are willing to risk destroying Luke in the process of making him; he's really too new in his training to be expected to come out all right, but he is dumped into the fire anyway.
Such ferocious testing means that Luke *is* a Jedi Master by RotJ, but he's been made so at enormous risk. If he had failed at the Tree -- been unable to integrate that vision with himself and Yoda's later teachings -- Luke could have become just as dangerous as his father.
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Of course, surviving a Sith Lord who'd just killed his master was certain a Trial of Skill and Courage, but where was his Trial of Spirit?
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I am quite looking forward to your Darkside fic, you know. I can't wait to see what you do with Our Favorite Jedis
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To write that fic, I should probably get myself to a coherent state of mind. Sleeping more than 4 hours a day should be a start...
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And I think that there's more ways of not-succeeding than going completely batshit. Like Not Thinking About It, or perhaps the Balancing Act where you collect enough justifications for your behaviour to convince yourself you have to be on the light side. And then you try to be the perfect Jedi, but you find yourself turning more and more into someone like your master, just as ruthless to others and just as underhanded... :>
I think I've managed to scare my Kenobi-muse just now.
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At that particular moment? Complete mental break-down, I think. Luke had already be tempered by the losses of Owen, Beru and Ben, and the ordeal of the Tree. He had *time* to mourn and recover.
Obi-Wan had a devastating loss and his Trials of Spirit, Courage and Skills all at once. If the Jedi High Council was at all fair, they'd have at least let him mourn for a month or six before asking him to take Anakin on.
And I think that there's more ways of not-succeeding than going completely batshit.
Oh definitely. But Obi-Wan doesn't fail do dramatically and precipitously as Anakin does. He never becomes as centered as Luke -- and part of that is because Old Republic Jedi dogma wouldn't allow him to be.
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The thing is, Luke is strong in way that Yoda and Ben are not. as whiny as teen Luke was, he had a deeply ingrained sense of right and wrong, a deeply loving spirit and a willingness to defend others- even sacrificing himself ( as he was prepared to do in Jedi). Luke is also accepting. Not tolerant- accepting.
When he is cradling that stump of his hand, he says something that points to this:
"Ben, why didn't you tell me?"
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What strikes me is that, in another reality, had Qui Gon lived.... Because Obi Wan was never truly Anakin's master. He never had sure authority over him. There was always tension, and they were both much happier - they got along much better when Anakin was made a knight, and they were older brother and younger brother again, competitive, friendly, more like equals.
And Anakin never had a master. Not until he was brought so low... But even before then, he was searching. He needed validation from someone he could wholeheartedly trust and respect.
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And Anakin wanted someone to love him, to cherish, to never leave him, and to *tell him what to do*. Unfortunately, he got Palpatine.
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