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!

[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.

[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.

[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!