Severed Limb

[Sam Or I]

What is the symbolism behind it? I am guessing a story line change, but anyone else has a better, more in-depth idea?

[Mr Bean]

Two things one from the book an old saying Luke heard somonewhere
*The evil men do is paid for by their sons
IE Anakin lost his Hand, Luke loses his hand too


Two
Seemed like a fun thing to do

[Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi]

It means lightsabers are dangerous if not used properly.

[IDMR]

What is the symbolism behind it? I am guessing a story line change, but anyone else has a better, more in-depth idea?

I am under the impression that in the original script for Star Wars, Luke was meant to fall to the Dark side. Perhaps that has something to do with it?

[BlueExcalibur]

What is the symbolism behind it? I am guessing a story line change, but anyone else has a better, more in-depth idea?

I am under the impression that in the original script for Star Wars, Luke was meant to fall to the Dark side. Perhaps that has something to do with it?

Well, he almost does, but the Emperor piped up and he realized what was going on.

[IDMR]

Well, he almost does, but the Emperor piped up and he realized what was going on.

No, I mean he was supposed to actually become the villain of the episodes VII through IX...

[David]

It means lightsabers are dangerous if not used properly.

There should be a warning label on those things, like on McDonald's coffee cups. We don't want Yoda getting sued.

[IDMR]

It means lightsabers are dangerous if not used properly.

There should be a warning label on those things, like on McDonald's coffee cups. We don't want Yoda getting sued.

He should be quite safe from rabid lawyers. He did not invent the weapon.

[David]

And McD's didn'y invent coffee, but they still got taken for a couple million.

[IDMR]

And McD's didn'y invent coffee, but they still got taken for a couple million.

McD provided the cups. Yoda did not make the lightsabres.

[David]

But he trained the little kiddies to use them.

[Mr Bean]

Still he did not provide the Sabers even if he was the one to show them how to misuse it

I always wish we could have seen Yoda's DO NOT Do Class with Lightsabers
(IE DO do this with the Saber, DONT do this )

[David]

Do Not point the open end toward the teacher!

[Kuja]

DO NOT clean w/open end facing you!

[Sam Or I]

I wonder how many students they loose during lightsaber cleaning class? No wonder why there are so few Jedi.

[Kuja]

hehe

Forget, cleaning class, how many do they lose while making the things?

"Here, does this look finished?"
"EYAAAAAAARGHH!"

[David]

Hey does this looked finished?


I don't know, why don't you hold it while I press the red button.

[IRG CommandoJoe]

Do lightsabers even need to be cleaned?

[Master of Ossus]

Obviously the severed limb in ESB was supposed to, symbolically, force Luke to come to grips with his father and what Anakin had become. Note that he was becoming "more machine, now, then man..." Also note that, when it was exposed, Luke covered his loss of humanity with a black glove--thus simultaneously adding a layer between himself and the rest of the universe (suffering, pain, hatred, love, fear, other feelings) and also becoming more like his father--unfeeling; cold; isolated. Note how, in RotJ, we have no clear indication of which side of the Force Luke is on until well into the movie. He walks into Jabba's palace dressed in black robes, like the Emperor, and even sends his friends to be captured. This covering of his obviously mechanical hand also covers up his past losses. Symbolically, his glove is meant to allow him to forget what happened on Cloud City in ESB. He is mentally preparing himself to face his father, again.

Because the severed limb is always the right hand (at least until Ep. III), the severed limb also indicates a loss of control (ref. Mystery of Heroism, by Stephen Crane). When Luke's hand was cut off by Vader on Cloud City, he had temporarily lost control. He was not strong enough to face his father at that time, and he failed in his task. When his hand was reattached (albiet mechanically), his ability to change the universe around him was restored. The same can be said about Anakin and Vader. In AotC, Anakin's arm is severed when he is at the bottom of his pit. He was incapable of protecting his mother. He cannot help Padme, and does not even know if she is alright. His negligence has allowed his master to be struck down, just as he failed Qui-Gon. Finally, when Vader's mechanical right arm is severed on DSII he is removing a part of his mechanical self. He has lost control over his own life, but he still has destiny to guide him. Note how his right hand is never again shown in the SW series. He has atoned for his failure. This last bit also ties in with the Lord of the Rings and its message of anti-technology.

The severed arm is one of the most obvious and interesting symbols in the SW saga. Although on the surface it is shallow, it becomes far deeper upon reflection, and multiple interpretations can be considered acceptable. The severed limb allows us a springboard from which we are free to travel in several directions, making it one of my favorite little symbols in the SW movies, and one of the most consistent in all of moviemaking history.

[omegaLancer]

Wow, all i throught was that those things were sharp..

Side note - before the rise of the Shogun in japan, spanish, dutch and Portegese tradera, began import fire arms into japan. Several of the officers of the ships carrying these items had several duels with Samuri, these duels usually ended in the lose of the sword arm of the european traders...

As one spanish monk put it.. "those things were just too sharp"....