Being a Force Ghost...

[neotoma]

In light of the new info from Revenge of the Sith how in the name of little green fishies did Anakin learn that trick?

Given Yoda's little speech to Anakin (and appallingly bad advice), it seems that Old Republic Jedi were expected to truly become one with the Force, to the point of losing their individual identities just a raindrop becomes part of the ocean when it finally falls. Actually, it sounds like Lucas poached a short explanation of what Nirvana is, and then garbled it.

The ability to remain conscious, instead of blending into the totality of the Force, is a *new* trick for the Jedi. It's attained through *compassion*, and by the one Jedi in the prequels who is identified as a maverick -- Qui-Gon Jinn.

However, given that Yoda and Obi-Wan have spent the two decades between series 'communing' with Qui-Gon the Force Ghost, which explains their bodily transformations into the Force, how the heck did Anakin Skywalker the Lord Vader learn how to be a Force Ghost?

Are we supposed to believe that the fact he died as a consequence of saving his son was enough to catapult him into this next state? If that was so, why didn't other Jedi learn how to do it before him -- I'm sure that there was a lot of self-sacrifice during the Temple Massacre, with Knights and Masters trying to protect their apprentices and the younger children.

Or are we supposed to imagine that Obi-Wan went about whispering in Vader's ear once the old Jedi died? Or that Qui-Gon did, being too stubborn to give up on the Chosen One even though he went evil?

Comments

[kaiz.livejournal.com]

My initial thought after my first (and only, so far) viewing of RotS, was, "Ooo, yet another Lucas continuity error!"

Then, after that, I had had the vague-ish notion that becoming a Force Ghost post-death was what the Emperor had been alluding to about the Dark Side trick of becoming immortal. That he was mistaken about it being a 'Dark' skill and that Vader had gone on to research and ultimately master it. Unlike Obi-Wan, however, he was unable to just *poof* into the Force upon his immediate death (leaving no body). And yeah, perhaps Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were standing by to jump Anakin into the Ghost club.

Then, I just shook my head and said, "Whatever!" LOL sorry, I'm not any help on this!

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

That's sort of how I make it work for myself. Or maybe he started seriously studying it after he saw Obi-Wan doing it and thought, "Hey, I want to do that."

Or perhaps he had a leg up, having no father and so being fathered by The Force?

[kaiz.livejournal.com]

Or perhaps he had a leg up, having no father and so being fathered by The
Force?

Oooo! Now that's an excellent idea! :-)

[neotoma.livejournal.com]

That's not a bad idea, come to think...

But I still like the idea of Qui-Gon whipsering in his ear. After all, he was screaming Anakin's name when we heard his voice in AotC. He was keeping an eye out for the boy.

[zoepaleologa.livejournal.com]

It's either there with the big continuity clasm that has Luke asking Leia what she remembers of mother: "She seemed sad a lot" (well she did for the minute she lived after they were born), or it's like the good folk above suggest.

I'm not mega bothered. He (Lucas) clearly needed to make some plot device whereby Luke and Leia were divided, and the only way was to kill off Padmé.

He had to show at the end of Return of the Jedi that Anakin was finally redeemed and so had him appear ghostly with Obi-wan and Yoda. Then he noticed that when Jedi die in TPM and AotC nobody disappeared. Ouch. So he set up that idea that it's a new thing learnt by Qui-gon.

[titc.livejournal.com]

junediamanti, I not only love your fic, I love your icon too.

As for Lucas & continuity... I guess SW is a thing you have to enjoy while looking at the big picture, and it's better to have the ability to gloss over (more or less) minor canon questions. Reading fic helps, sometimes, to acquire that habit ;-b

[gehayi.livejournal.com]

I thought that Anakin becoming a spirit in the Force was a gift of grace, not something he earned. Though that seems a bit lame now, in comparison to the explanations others figured out.

[neotoma.livejournal.com]

It could be both a gift of grace and something he was trying for. I think he might have had the idea, but not the ability -- in the script and novelization, Qui-Gon explains that *compassion* is the key, and Anakin had little enough of that.

His loved ones gave him a boost?

[rabidfangurl.livejournal.com]

Qui-Gon explains that *compassion* is the key, and Anakin had little enough of that.

*puts on Hat of Mythological Symbolism in Star Wars*

Actually, Anakin had plenty of compassion. To start with, virgin births in Eastern/Buddhist mythology were symbolic of the birth of a being of pure compassion, as virgin birth = birth from the heart chakra = compassion. Second, practically all of Anakin's character in TPM is compassion. A lot of this disappears between TPM and AotC, but there are flashes of it here and there, as in the scene where he wants to go back and help the clone troopers during the Battle of Coruscant. Thirdly, and I've advocated this theory before, children in the SW saga stand for compassion. So the true death of Anakin and birth of Vader is in the moment he slaughters the younglings.

Going off to the OT, you can argue that Vader has very little compassion, up to the end of the final duel. However, this is the point where I invoke the legend of the Grail King, who was young and beautiful and unworthy of the Grail, and set out from his castle with a cry of "Amor!*", only to be injured by a passing Sarascen. He suffers for years before Perceival heals him, a healing which is accomplished by Perceival showing compassion for the King. As should be obvious, Anakin is the Grail King, and Luke is Perceival. Once the King is healed, he learns the lesson of compassion, and is worthy of the Grail. Grail = Force Ghostie, anyone?



*Oh, look, it's selfish love. Not Eros, or Agape, but Amor. Remind you of anyone?

[murasaki99.livejournal.com]

Wellll... Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon could have been standing by waiting when Anakin finally died after his fight with the Emperor, and hauled him into their phase-state by the seat of his Jedi britches.

Qui-Gon: Heave-ho!
Obi-Wan: Well, well, Anakin, here you are at last!
Anakin: Yes, Masters, and erm, will you please quit with the wedgie now?

:-D

The whispering in Vader's ear bit sounds plausible, too. Between Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon he'd have stereo!

[neotoma.livejournal.com]

Standing by to give him a good talking to, I'll bet...

[murasaki99.livejournal.com]

"Talking-to" sounds so... mild. Heh-heh. Or maybe they'll just settle for that lovely guilt thing, "we're disappointed" that some parents can do so well.

Or perhaps they'll just be thrilled Anakin got it all together enough to scrape mind, heart, and soul all back into one bin. No one ever said spiritual salvation had to be pretty.

Are you familiar with the epic teaching poem the Dhammapada? It has some wonderful stuff in the various stanzas that seem very much to apply to Anakin.

"All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is
founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts. If a man
speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him, as the wheel
follows the foot of the ox that draws the carriage."

"There is no fire like lust; there is no grip
like hatred; there is no net like delusion; there is
no river like craving."

and these are great:

"121. Let no man think lightly of evil, saying in his heart, It will
not come nigh unto me. Even by the falling of water-drops a water-pot is filled; the fool becomes full of evil, even if he gather it little by little.

122. Let no man think lightly of good, saying in his heart, It will
not come nigh unto me. Even by the falling of water-drops a water-pot is filled; the wise man becomes full of good, even if he gather it little by little."

And of this sound familiar? I can hear Obi-Wan tuning up now. :-)

Available on Project Gutenberg for free dowload.