R2D2, Architect of the Rebellion

15 years ago
A New Sith, or Revenge of the Hope
If we accept all the Star Wars films as the same canon, then a lot that happens in the original films has to be reinterpreted in the light of the prequels. As we now know, the rebel Alliance was founded by Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Bail Organa. What can readily be deduced is that their first recruit, who soon became their top field agent, was R2-D2. [...] Much of Obi-Wan's behaviour in this film, and Yoda's in the next, can best be understood if they are frankly scared to death of what Luke might become.

This is the best Star Wars nerding I've read since The Endor Holocaust...

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17 Responses:

  1. eyemage says:
    15 years ago at 7:56 pm

    this is really making the rounds.

    now if only they had made the prequels with this in mind.
  2. jarodrussell says:
    15 years ago at 8:12 pm

    I'd actually sit through Revenge of the Sith if I thought Lucas had a quarter of this in mind.
    • korgmeister says:
      15 years ago at 10:06 pm

      Likewise. This is such a better a better plot than what was actually in the film, it makes my head spin.

      That's the fun part about having mute, mysterious characters. The nerds get to write a more interesting backstory for them than the scriptwriters and producers could ever dream.
    • edge_walker says:
      15 years ago at 12:38 pm

      Read some Star Wars novels - most of the essay's peripheral conjecture is proper Extended Universe lore. There's some tripe among the books of course, but many are good and some are first-rate stuff. Not all authors are created equal - Timothy Zahn's first trilogy in particular is bloody brilliant and among the best of sci-fi ever. Even the tripe is at least as good as the prequels in terms of plot though, for the most part.

      I refused to see the prequels (and still haven't) after I got a summary of the plots precisely because I didn't want any part of Lucas' filthy greed spoiling the background of all those novels. The tripe in the Extended Universe is easy to ignore on the basis that it's not part of the canon; Lucas' smudging of the canon itself is a problem. Not that Jar-Jar was any surprise at all to anyone who considered the fucking Ewoks a blatant and gratuitous addition. Lucas. Accidental masterpiece indeed.

      Anyway, to get back on topic - the spin on R2D2 (and Chewbacca) in this essay is pretty dang funny. By the end, the author's stretching to fit all the plot twists into his picture, which only makes it funnier in my mind.
  3. kfringe says:
    15 years ago at 8:39 pm

    I sometimes worry that I have too much free time, but then I stumble across something like this and redefine what I meant by "too much."
  4. ultranurd says:
    15 years ago at 10:31 pm

    This card-carrying member of the Nitpicker's Guild approves. I had somehow managed to never see either of those analyses before.
  5. calmingshoggoth says:
    15 years ago at 4:41 am

    My theory (that was dashed by Episode III):

    • Vader is to bring balance to the force (unite the Dark Side and the Light Side)

    • First all other Jedi must die; they have too much invested in the current order.

    • At the start of Episode IV there are four Jedi left: The Emperor, Yoda, Vader, and Ben. Two lightside and two darkside of roughly equal power.

    • Ben and Vader are working together (Vader wouldn't check his old home, come on)

    • They can't kill the Emperor because Yoda has gone into hiding.

    • Luke starts being trained as a LS Jedi, so Ben must die to maintain the balance. As an added benefit he can now use the his powers to find Yoda. The whole discussion between Vader and Ben on the Death Star is in code (Now I am the master: I need to take over training Luke;I will become more powerful than you can imagine: kill me and I can find Yoda).

    • Luke catches a cold on Hoth and is sent to Yoda to infect him.

    • Yoda dies, Vader kills the Emperor offing himself along the way after Luke falls (partially) to the Dark Side.

    • Luke is now free to let the force be used the way it is meant to be used: in balance (Light and Dark)
  6. cygnus says:
    15 years ago at 6:35 am

    I've long thought that R2-D2 was the key to everything.
  7. rcr203 says:
    15 years ago at 7:24 am

    Yeah, but when and why did they remove R2D2's flying jets?
  8. ravennso says:
    15 years ago at 9:42 am

    In fact, R2 is the only omniscient character in the entire series. C3PO's memory is erased after Travesty III: Revenge of George's Pocket Book, but R2's never is. He gets overlooked, because he doesn't talk, so he knows everything that is going on, even that Luke and Leia are Vader's kids. The whole story could be interpreted as being seen from R2's point of view, which means that depending on the robot's personal allegiances and motives, maybe the characters we think of as "good" aren't really, they're just the ones R2 had a good relationship with. Maybe the Empire is good, and R2 just didn't like them, so he told the story as if they were the black hats.
  9. dohmnaill says:
    15 years ago at 10:36 am

    and I thought I spent too much time and energy on diversions and things that had no practical applications.
  10. boss_sauce says:
    15 years ago at 3:20 pm

    R2-D2 has always been the hero of the series. This is old news-- search for "Journal of the Whills"... and may the force be with you.
  11. remaker says:
    15 years ago at 9:21 pm

    The case for the Empire is one of my favorite Star Wars "outside the box" readings.
  12. newtzipper says:
    15 years ago at 10:32 pm

    Lest we forget, and it IS part of the Star Wars universe like it or not, "THE STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL," c. 1978. Dreadful, yes. A treasure trove of Chewbaccan psychological and personal intrigue, yes! The plot at its most basic involves Han Solo getting his beloved and particular friend Chewie home for, cough, "Life Day."

    Look here:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Star_Wars_Holiday_Special
    http://www.starwarsholidayspecial.com/photos.htm
    http://www.moria.co.nz/sf/swholidayspecial.htm