Why did Obi-Wan wait so long to send Luke to Dagobah?

Galvatron · Post by **Galvatron** » 2007-09-03 04:23pm

It's more or less canon that TESB takes place ~3 years after ANH, right? So why did Obi-Wan wait all that time to send luke to Yoda for further training? Imagine how Luke would have fared against Vader at Bespin with three years of Jedi training under his belt.

DogsOfWar · Post by **DogsOfWar** » 2007-09-03 05:06pm

Maybe he waited until a crisis in the rebellion (the destruction of the base) to test Luke, to see if he would stick with his training or go help his friends.

Obi-Wan once left his own master and training to help his friends on Melida/Daan, possibly he wanted to see if Luke would make the same mistake.

Molyneux · Post by **Molyneux** » 2007-09-03 05:09pm

Perhaps Luke couldn't hear Ben until he was in a trance-type state - dying in the snow, as he was? Given Luke's lack of training, it could be that Kenobi wasn't able to get through to him until then.

Galvatron · Post by **Galvatron** » 2007-09-03 05:19pm

Molyneux wrote:Perhaps Luke couldn't hear Ben until he was in a trance-type state - dying in the snow, as he was? Given Luke's lack of training, it could be that Kenobi wasn't able to get through to him until then.

Luke heard him well enough in ANH immediately following Ben's death.

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2007-09-03 05:25pm

Maybe Ghosty-Wan knew the Rebellion needed their poster boy for a while to gather support and credibility, so he let him gallivant around the universe a few years before calling him in for training?

KhyronTheBackstabber · Post by **KhyronTheBackstabber** » 2007-09-03 06:28pm

I think it was because he wasn't ready for the training yet, and needed to grow into his powers, and when Luke used the force to free himself from the Wampa, Ben and Yoda saw that as a sign he was.

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2007-09-03 06:54pm

Perhaps due to some sort of "Qui-Gonesque" reason such as waiting until the Living Force told Obi Wan it was time.

Given the increased maturity Luke demonstrated between ANH and ESB, i'm sure it was worth the wait to Obi Wan, or perhaps they couldn't wait any longer at that point what with Darth Vader closing in and knowing Luke's identity. Perhaps Obi Wan was hoping to wait until Luke was more developed and mature until he sent him to see Yoda, who would be far less forgiving a Master than Obi Wan.

Molyneux · Post by **Molyneux** » 2007-09-03 08:47pm

Galvatron wrote:
Molyneux wrote:Perhaps Luke couldn't hear Ben until he was in a trance-type state - dying in the snow, as he was? Given Luke's lack of training, it could be that Kenobi wasn't able to get through to him until then.
Luke heard him well enough in ANH immediately following Ben's death.

Gah, you're right...I completely missed that.

Darth Ruinus · Post by **Darth Ruinus** » 2007-09-03 09:59pm

Molyneux wrote:
Galvatron wrote:
Molyneux wrote:Perhaps Luke couldn't hear Ben until he was in a trance-type state - dying in the snow, as he was? Given Luke's lack of training, it could be that Kenobi wasn't able to get through to him until then.
Luke heard him well enough in ANH immediately following Ben's death.
Gah, you're right...I completely missed that.

Isnt he in a trance like state right there too? I mean, he DID just stand there as lots of blaster bolts flew by...

Paradox244 · Post by **Paradox244** » 2007-09-03 10:32pm

That seemed more like shock than a trance. And he did snap out of it soon enough.

Darth Ruinus · Post by **Darth Ruinus** » 2007-09-03 11:33pm

Paradox244 wrote:That seemed more like shock than a trance. And he did snap out of it soon enough.

True, although he did hear Obi during that shock though.

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2007-09-04 01:22am

Hmmm, thought it was implied with RotS that the Jedi had not evolved and become stagnate while the Sith grew in knowledge and power. The old Jedi way was too ridged and Yoda probably didn't want to take a chance training Luke from a young age, nor let him face his father without some maturaty in him.

JointStrikeFighter · Post by **JointStrikeFighter** » 2007-09-04 01:41am

Paradox244 wrote:
That seemed more like shock than a trance. And he did snap out of it soon enough.

True, although he did hear Obi during that shock though.

He heard him again in the Trench Run as well.

Molyneux · Post by **Molyneux** » 2007-09-04 02:34am

Knife wrote:The old Jedi way was too ridged and Yoda probably didn't want to take a chance training Luke from a young age, nor let him face his father without some maturaty in him.

"maturity", and unless the Jedi way had bumps, I do believe you mean "rigid", not "ridged".

Did Yoda even know about Luke's growth, though? Did he have any contact with Obi-wan after Kenobi took the kid to Tattooine?

Galvatron · Post by **Galvatron** » 2007-09-04 02:37am

Knife wrote:Hmmm, thought it was implied with RotS that the Jedi had not evolved and become stagnate while the Sith grew in knowledge and power. The old Jedi way was too ridged and Yoda probably didn't want to take a chance training Luke from a young age, nor let him face his father without some maturaty in him.

Um...then why did Yoda say Luke was too old to begin training?

KhyronTheBackstabber · Post by **KhyronTheBackstabber** » 2007-09-04 02:46am

Molyneux wrote:
Did Yoda even know about Luke's growth, though? Did he have any contact with Obi-wan after Kenobi took the kid to Tattooine?

Yoda wrote: This one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away... to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing. Hmph. Adventure. Heh. Excitement. Heh. A Jedi craves not these things. You are reckless.

Yoda was keeping an eye on Luke though the force.

Kurgan · Post by **Kurgan** » 2007-09-04 03:55am

Yoda was keeping an eye on Luke though the force.

Luke... no Luke! Think that way about your sister you should not! *claws at eyeballs and babbles incoherently*

PainRack · Post by **PainRack** » 2007-09-04 07:42am

Kurgan wrote:
Yoda was keeping an eye on Luke though the force.
Luke... no Luke! Think that way about your sister you should not! *claws at eyeballs and babbles incoherently*

ewww...........So that's why Yoda never trained Luke.

lord Martiya · Post by **lord Martiya** » 2007-09-04 10:35am

For what we know, perhaps Obi-Wan sent Luke to the Larses because he wanted make a trap to Vader, and this is why they didn't train him from the beginning. Later Obi-Wan was too old to beat Vader. And in the midtime Yoda was training himself (ROTS novelization) for being a good master.
And perhaps he initially refuse to train Luke for an old prejudice: he was almost 900 years old, and at his age is difficult change mind.

Isolder74 · Post by **Isolder74** » 2007-09-04 11:01am

PainRack wrote:
Kurgan wrote:
Yoda was keeping an eye on Luke though the force.
Luke... no Luke! Think that way about your sister you should not! *claws at eyeballs and babbles incoherently*
ewww...........So that's why Yoda never trained Luke.

Did I miss something watching The Empire Strikes Back? I thought for sure that Yoda trained Luke in that movie.

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2007-09-04 11:29am

Molyneux wrote:
Knife wrote:The old Jedi way was too ridged and Yoda probably didn't want to take a chance training Luke from a young age, nor let him face his father without some maturaty in him.
"maturity", and unless the Jedi way had bumps, I do believe you mean "rigid", not "ridged".

Meh, it was late and I was tired, sue me Professor.

Did Yoda even know about Luke's growth, though? Did he have any contact with Obi-wan after Kenobi took the kid to Tattooine?

Yoda directly says that he's been watching Luke for some time. On top of that, both Yoda and Obi Wan were training so they could talk to the dead, it's not inconceivable that Qui Gon was relaying messages for them, or even straight out telling them how to proceed.

Galvatron wrote:Um...then why did Yoda say Luke was too old to begin training?

Uhm, yeah! It really took a lot of convincing to get Yoda to train Luke after he said that.

One could chalk it up to Yoda still giving Luke shit or just being stuborn in conservative mode for a second. Either way, it was hardly a sticking point with Yoda since one throw away line with Obi Wan apperently changed his mind.

Post by **RogueIce** » 2007-09-04 01:51pm

Molyneux wrote:"maturity", and unless the Jedi way had bumps, I do believe you mean "rigid", not "ridged".

I'd say losing your hand to your own father might count as a "bump" in the road.

Galvatron wrote:Um...then why did Yoda say Luke was too old to begin training?

Maybe it was a really half-assed form of "Let's see how serious he is about this" type of thing. Then again his crazy senile act was probably the test, Luke failed that and Yoda figured he really wasn't ready yet (though why he'd be "too old" then I don't know). And Obi-wan decided they really didn't have time to fool around so he tried to convince Yoda otherwise?

Bah, forget it. I wonder though, would Luke have gone straight to the Rebel fleet after Hoth? Or would he try and find Han and Leia first? Maybe that's what Obi-wan sensed...if he were with the Rebels he'd rush off to find his friends (and wind up fighting Vader), so he might as well have some training first, since Yoda obviously couldn't keep him there either.

Molyneux · Post by **Molyneux** » 2007-09-04 06:49pm

RogueIce wrote:
Molyneux wrote:"maturity", and unless the Jedi way had bumps, I do believe you mean "rigid", not "ridged".
I'd say losing your hand to your own father might count as a "bump" in the road.

Galvatron wrote:Um...then why did Yoda say Luke was too old to begin training?
Maybe it was a really half-assed form of "Let's see how serious he is about this" type of thing. Then again his crazy senile act was probably the test, Luke failed that and Yoda figured he really wasn't ready yet (though why he'd be "too old" then I don't know). And Obi-wan decided they really didn't have time to fool around so he tried to convince Yoda otherwise?

Bah, forget it. I wonder though, would Luke have gone straight to the Rebel fleet after Hoth? Or would he try and find Han and Leia first? Maybe that's what Obi-wan sensed...if he were with the Rebels he'd rush off to find his friends (and wind up fighting Vader), so he might as well have some training first, since Yoda obviously couldn't keep him there either.

It seemed to me when I was a kid that Yoda knew full well he was going to end up teaching Luke...he just wanted to make Ben convince him. He didn't seem to resist that hard, after all...though it's obvious he wasn't happy with what he saw of Luke at first.

Also, on a completely off-topic note: post 4000, hurrah!

Drooling Iguana · Post by **Drooling Iguana** » 2007-09-04 09:10pm

Maybe Obi-Wan realized that Vader could sense Luke and sent him to Dagobah to keep Vader from following him to yet another Rebel base.

Block · Post by **Block** » 2007-09-04 09:18pm

I think it might have something to do with emotion. The only time Luke sees Kenobi before he's been formally trained, is when he's extremely emotional. "Run Luke Run," Relax and trust your feelings or some such, and then in the snow of Hoth. So it's possible that those are the only 3 times Luke could see Obiwan, using the Dark side (intense emotions), Yoda DID say the dark side was quicker and easier to access.