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[heartofaskywalkerprincessleia]

This is so sweet. ❤️

Rare behind the scenes footage of “Return of the Jedi” 🎬🎥

Mark explains that he’d be finished with something before lunch 😆. I’m not sure what that is. Also, if anyone knows where to find more of this “behind the scenes” ROTJ stuff because I only managed to find this clip. I’ve seen others on YouTube but not this particular one so I’m wondering if a full version is somewhere. 🤔

[heartofaskywalkerprincessleia]

Luke Skywalker is a hero for people with anxiety

(Contains spoilers from Episodes 4-6).

A lot of people relate to Luke Skywalker. He's down-to-earth, honest, and always strives for the light. Watching Star Wars again for the first time in a while, however, I realized something. When I looked it up on the internet, I was surprised that I couldn't find a lot of discussions about it. What do I mean? That Luke Skywalker suffers from anxiety.

The deleted scene from Tosche station, which I recently saw for the first time, sheds some light on this aspect of Luke's character. In the scene, we learn from Luke's friends that he panics easily. They're all chiding him for ‘again’ thinking that the Empire is coming. Even though he's just seen Princess Leia's ship fighting with Darth Vader's ship, his friends begin gaslighting him.

Someone online pointed out that this scene causes Luke's statement “there's nothing left for me here, now” to be more forceful. Upon finding out that his Aunt and Uncle are dead, Luke doesn't go to his friends for help. You wonder what his friends thought upon hearing that Luke's family had been killed by stormtroopers, right after he'd tried to warn them.

This aspect of Luke's character, and how he is treated by his friends, conditions him to not ask for help. In the ESB, as he's dying on Hoth, he never calls for anyone. If Obi-Wan hadn't shown up, Luke wouldn't have started calling out to him. If he hadn't started shouting, Han Solo wouldn't have seen him. 

This trend continues. Luke panics about things, but doesn't ask for help. Yoda tries to help him, getting him to relax and clear his mind. But, the vision of his friends worries him too much. He makes light of Obi-Wan’s warning that the Empire is after him for his talents. Luke is still holding onto what he told Biggs in the deleted scene from Tosche station–that the Empire will never draft him. 

During the fight on Cloud City, Vader acknowledges that Luke has learned to control his fear. Remember, Luke canonically gets so scared of the Sand People that he faints in the first movie. There's almost a parallel of that first moment, as Vader knocks Luke down and holds his lightsaber to Luke's throat just like the Sand People knocked him down before.

Luke has always gotten through things on his own. But, at this moment, he loses his hand. Losing his hand is symbolic of Luke losing the ability to do everything on his own. His father, who he always idolized and held onto, is evil. He's alone. He realizes that everyone was trying to protect him from this reality. Even his aunt and uncle let him think that his father was a hero, because it helped Luke to hold on. 

He finally reaches out to Leia. He finally forms a real connection with someone, which requires being vulnerable, and overcoming his fear of not being taken seriously. And, Leia rescues him. 

In the ROTJ, Luke tells Obi-Wan that he can't do this alone. He starts working with Han and Leia, and realizing that he is actually important to them. He trusts Leia enough to tell her that she is his sister, and that he has to save their father. 

But, still, Luke is trying to do everything on his own. He goes to face his father, and tries to be calm. He tries to avoid becoming angry. He tries to control the anxiety that got him ridiculed by his friends. The anxiety that led him to destroy Vader in his vision during his training on Degobah. The anxiety that he sees as his greatest flaw. 

But, he panics. He goes after Vader, and cuts off his hand. And, that's when he realizes it. 

All his life, Luke has wanted to be like his father. He praised himself for the positive qualities that are like his father. Being a good pilot. Being a Jedi (before he knew that his father was Vader). But at this moment, Luke looks at Vader's mechanical hand, and realizes that his father is just like him. His father is anxious. His father was scared, and overwhelmed once, just like him. His father didn't have anyone to turn to. 

Luke stands up to the Emperor, but that isn't what causes this scene to be so powerful. It's the fact that, as Luke is dying, he says the words his father once desperately wanted to say to someone.

“Help me.” 

“Please, help me.”

And Anakin, who wished someone would help him, who told Luke that it was too late for him, realizes that he can be that person for someone else. The pain he's gone through his whole life doesn't have to be passed on. He can save his son from the same fate. And he does. 

That's why Luke Skywalker is a hero for people who suffer from anxiety. Because he shows us the importance of accepting ourselves. Of self-compassion. Of reaching out to others. Of not being afraid to ask for help when we need it. And, if we do, we might just be that little spark of hope that someone else needs. 

May the Force be with you, always.

[heartofaskywalkerprincessleia]

Mark Hamill holding a cat

To brighten up your monday... I've been watching a lot of Star Wars interviews this year. This one from the BBC's Blue Peter program is really cute. I love how Mark Hamill is answering all the questions so calmly that the cat is like: "Okay, I'm gonna sleep here." 💤❤️😺

[heartofaskywalkerprincessleia]

Mark Hamill And David Prowse Practicing Their Lightsaber Fight In "The Empire Strikes Back"

[heartofaskywalkerprincessleia]

Anakin's vision in The Empire Strikes Back

(Contains spoilers for Star Wars Episodes 4-6.) 

I recently rewatched The Empire Strikes Back. It's been a long time since I've seen the film, and I found myself asking two questions that I've never considered before. 

Why doesn't Darth Vader (Anakin) use the Force to stop Luke from falling in Cloud City?

Why is Lando Calrissian (a total stranger to Luke) the one who opens the hatch and catches Luke? 

I came up with a theory to answer both of these questions: because of Anakin's vision. 

We know that both the Jedi and the Sith have visions of the future. The Jedi are connected to the emotions of the people around them. Visions are often caused as a sort of forewarning that someone will be in emotional distress. Luke himself has a vision because his friends are going to be in danger.

What you may not have realized before is the level of the cruelty shown by Anakin in knowing that his son is connected to the force and therefore has these types of visions. Because he wants Luke to come to Cloud City, he purposefully tortures Han Solo to trigger a vision in Luke. The audience may not have noticed that detail, because torturing Han Solo happens after Luke's vision. Anakin knows that Luke will be made to sense his friend's pain before it happens. 

This kind of vision happens to Anakin at the beginning of the film, when Luke nearly dies in the snow on Hoth. The Empire has been searching for the Rebels for some time, yet when Darth Vader sees the image from the Hoth planet, he adamantly states that the Rebels are there. This is only possible because he was able to sense his son in danger before, and, just like Luke is able to see Cloud City, saw the Rebel base before. 

That vision isn't the one I'm referring to. The vision I'm referring to happens when Anakin sets his trap for Luke. What does he see? Because Luke is about to be in pain, Anakin has a vision of Lando Calrissian, in the Millennium Falcon, rescuing his son. 

Anakin knows that his son has to join him, or be killed by the Emperor. Yoda said before that the future was always changing. Anakin's only hope of saving his son was to help his vision to become true. This is why the Millennium Falcon is left relatively unguarded. Think about it. Why is the Millennium Falcon even left alone in Cloud City? When the Rebels have used it to escape Vader multiple times already? I'll get back to that in a moment. 

Vader knows how to manipulate the emotions of others. He begins by trying to get Lando Calrissian's emotions to the edge. Changing the deal multiple times, so that Lando will become angry enough to rebel against him. After freezing Han Solo in Carbonite, he tells Lando that he's taking the princess. Vader can feel his emotions. He knows that's the last straw. 

With everything made as perfect as possible, Anakin begins the fight with Luke. Anakin tries everything he can to knock Luke unconscious without killing him, including throwing multiple metallic things at him using the Force. When that doesn't work, Anakin ends up revealing that he is Luke's father. 

Some people have argued that the reason that Vader doesn't try to prevent Luke from falling is that he's in shock. I think that is partially true. Anakin is in shock that his son would rather die than join him. However, he's also been trying to capture him for all this time. He can feel that Luke hasn't died. Why would he give up so easily? 

Anakin returns to his ship, and leaves Cloud City. Why is he doing this? He turns to his general, and asks if his men deactivated the hyperdrive motivator in the Millennium Falcon.

BECAUSE HE ASKED THEM TO DEACTIVATE IT. 

WHY would Anakin ask for the hyperdrive to be disabled if he didn't KNOW that Lando would betray him, and use the ship to escape? He knows that Luke is aboard the Millennium Falcon, and even tells the general to have the men turn their blasters to stun. He tries to connect with Luke, and tells him that he can't escape his destiny. 

Anakin knew that Lando would save Luke no matter the outcome of the fight. And he set things up so that, no matter what, his vision would come true and Luke would be rescued. 

He didn't know his son would refuse to join him, but he did know that the outcome would be this way. The only thing he didn't factor in was R2-D2 being able to repair the ship. Even with all his preparations, he didn't know the future exactly. 

What do you think of this theory? Do you have your own theory about this? 

[heartofaskywalkerprincessleia]

Anakin's vision in The Empire Strikes Back

(Contains spoilers for Star Wars Episodes 4-6.) 

I recently rewatched The Empire Strikes Back. It's been a long time since I've seen the film, and I found myself asking two questions that I've never considered before. 

Why doesn't Darth Vader (Anakin) use the Force to stop Luke from falling in Cloud City?

Why is Lando Calrissian (a total stranger to Luke) the one who opens the hatch and catches Luke? 

I came up with a theory to answer both of these questions: because of Anakin's vision. 

We know that both the Jedi and the Sith have visions of the future. The Jedi are connected to the emotions of the people around them. Visions are often caused as a sort of forewarning that someone will be in emotional distress. Luke himself has a vision because his friends are going to be in danger.

What you may not have realized before is the level of the cruelty shown by Anakin in knowing that his son is connected to the force and therefore has these types of visions. Because he wants Luke to come to Cloud City, he purposefully tortures Han Solo to trigger a vision in Luke. The audience may not have noticed that detail, because torturing Han Solo happens after Luke's vision. Anakin knows that Luke will be made to sense his friend's pain before it happens. 

This kind of vision happens to Anakin at the beginning of the film, when Luke nearly dies in the snow on Hoth. The Empire has been searching for the Rebels for some time, yet when Darth Vader sees the image from the Hoth planet, he adamantly states that the Rebels are there. This is only possible because he was able to sense his son in danger before, and, just like Luke is able to see Cloud City, saw the Rebel base before. 

That vision isn't the one I'm referring to. The vision I'm referring to happens when Anakin sets his trap for Luke. What does he see? Because Luke is about to be in pain, Anakin has a vision of Lando Calrissian, in the Millennium Falcon, rescuing his son. 

Anakin knows that his son has to join him, or be killed by the Emperor. Yoda said before that the future was always changing. Anakin's only hope of saving his son was to help his vision to become true. This is why the Millennium Falcon is left relatively unguarded. Think about it. Why is the Millennium Falcon even left alone in Cloud City? When the Rebels have used it to escape Vader multiple times already? I'll get back to that in a moment. 

Vader knows how to manipulate the emotions of others. He begins by trying to get Lando Calrissian's emotions to the edge. Changing the deal multiple times, so that Lando will become angry enough to rebel against him. After freezing Han Solo in Carbonite, he tells Lando that he's taking the princess. Vader can feel his emotions. He knows that's the last straw. 

With everything made as perfect as possible, Anakin begins the fight with Luke. Anakin tries everything he can to knock Luke unconscious without killing him, including throwing multiple metallic things at him using the Force. When that doesn't work, Anakin ends up revealing that he is Luke's father. 

Some people have argued that the reason that Vader doesn't try to prevent Luke from falling is that he's in shock. I think that is partially true. Anakin is in shock that his son would rather die than join him. However, he's also been trying to capture him for all this time. He can feel that Luke hasn't died. Why would he give up so easily? 

Anakin returns to his ship, and leaves Cloud City. Why is he doing this? He turns to his general, and asks if his men deactivated the hyperdrive motivator in the Millennium Falcon.

BECAUSE HE ASKED THEM TO DEACTIVATE IT. 

WHY would Anakin ask for the hyperdrive to be disabled if he didn't KNOW that Lando would betray him, and use the ship to escape? He knows that Luke is aboard the Millennium Falcon, and even tells the general to have the men turn their blasters to stun. He tries to connect with Luke, and tells him that he can't escape his destiny. 

Anakin knew that Lando would save Luke no matter the outcome of the fight. And he set things up so that, no matter what, his vision would come true and Luke would be rescued. 

He didn't know his son would refuse to join him, but he did know that the outcome would be this way. The only thing he didn't factor in was R2-D2 being able to repair the ship. Even with all his preparations, he didn't know the future exactly. 

What do you think of this theory? Do you have your own theory about this?