Question: What would have been the correct thing for Luke to do in the cave?
Answer: I wonder if Luke was supposed to allow the illusion of Darth Vader to "kill" him, similar to how Obi-Wan allowed himself to be killed. A lesson about how you can still lose in the long run, even if you win a fight with weapons. Obi-Wan trusted the Force and did not need to win the last duel with Vader. Vader won, but was still trapped by his choices and his obligations to the Emperor.
Question: About 20 minutes into the movie Darth Vader says "I am sure Skywalker is with them" but later the emperor says to him "I have no doubt this boy is the offspring of Anakin Skywalker" and then Vader says "How is that possible" so I am just wondering 2 things: 1) is that part of Vader's plan to overthrow the Emperor? and 2) if the emperor is more powerful than him and Luke, how does he expect Luke to help him overthrow the Emperor? Surely the Emperor could destroy him since the Emperor is more powerful than both Luke and Vader.
Chosen answer: For the special editions George Lucas changed the scene to feature the same actor (Ian McDiarmid) as played the emperor in RotJ and the prequels. He also changed the dialog. In the original version, there is no comment from the emperor about Luke being Anakin's offspring. Instead it is left more vague and he is simply referred to as "the son of Skywalker", as at this point it is not known that Vader is in fact Anakin Skywalker. The change was made to tie the original film to the prequels, but as you point out, it only served to create a plot hole.
Answer: At the time Vader knew Luke was his son but did not tell the Emperor this. He was faking his reaction to make the Emperor feel like he was one step ahead of him.
Question: Chewbacca says something to Han about Lando, and Han says, "That was a long time ago. I'm sure he's forgotten about that." Has it ever been revealed what Chewbacca mentioned?
Answer: At the time of the film, it was suggested that Lando was upset because he lost the Falcon to Han in a game of Sabaac. Later (now) non-canon materials offer up other reasons Lando would hold a grudge (Such as the time Han set Lando up with the Tonnika Sisters, twin siblings that conned Lando into thinking they were a single person).
Question: Why does the Emperor contact Darth Vader and tell him about Luke Skywalker, when Vader has already been searching for Luke since the beginning of the movie?
Answer: The Emperor knows that Vader is aware of Luke. He contacts Vader to tell him to kill Luke when he is found. Vader, however suggests he be captured instead and turned to the dark side. The Emperor questions whether turning Luke is even possible to which Vader states "He will join us or die.", meaning if he fails he fully intends to go through with the Emperors plan of killing Luke.
Question: When the Rebels are evacuating from Hoth, Luke says goodbye to Han. Then we don't see him until he's running to his Snowspeeder. In that time, Vader has found out that Ozzel has messed up and promoted Piett, General Rieekan sends the transports out and one gets past. What was Luke doing in all that time?
Chosen answer: It's unknown what Luke was doing because nothing is shown. Any answer is speculation. Also, you are viewing the scene as a linear timeline, with events happening one after the other. In movies, the action often jumps back-and-forth and is unfolding simultaneously. The on-screen timeline can be more compressed than it appears.
Question: If I am correct, this movie takes place three years after "A New Hope." Why does Obi-Wan just now appear to Luke and tell him to begin training with Yoda? Why not send him to Yoda right after the Death Star was destroyed?
Answer: With all the running from and attacking the Empire that Luke has been doing the past three years, near-dying in a snowstorm might be the first time Luke's been alone and at peace enough for Obi-Wan's spirit to reach him.
Question: Is it true that George Lucas will not let any Star Wars books/media reveal Yoda's species, last name, etc.?
Answer: Yes, it's quite true - for reasons that he's never explained, Lucas has always maintained a strict policy of not allowing any information about Yoda's species to be included in any publications. While he has allowed some details of Yoda's personal history to be revealed, details about the species as a whole, what they call themselves, where their homeworld is, their history and so forth, have been kept under wraps.
Question: Why did Obi-wan say to Luke "You will go to the Dagobah system" as opposed to "You must go"? Was he simply giving him an order? Seems strange considering Luke was very close to freezing to death when he said it.
Chosen answer: Obi-wan's one with the Force at this point, so, given that the Force has been shown to grant precognitive visions, he may simply have seen that Luke survives and does go to Dagobah and is telling Luke that he will go there as a statement of fact. Or it could just be a bit poorly worded.
Question: During the Battle of Hoth, why do the AT-AT Walkers have to land so far away? Couldn't a big ship just come right down close and destroy the base?
Question: Why was Darth Vader so intent on finding the Millennium Falcon if Luke wasn't even on it? Not only that, how could he even sense it at all, if it was only Luke's presence he could feel through the Force? Was he actually sensing Leia but mistaking her for Luke?
Answer: There are two options with regard to the Falcon; either Luke's on-board, in which case Vader needs to track it down to capture him, or he isn't, in which case the people who are on-board will be excellent bait to draw Luke into his trap. Either way, he needs to find the ship. Jedi can sense the presence of living beings, not just other Force sensitives, so there's no particular reason why he shouldn't be able to sense the Falcon's crew. There's no particular indication that he's mistaking Leia's force sense for Luke's - if he was, then he'd immediately realise his mistake and, in all likelihood, that she's his daughter when he met up with her later in the film. Which he doesn't.
Question: Why does Boba Fett have a braid of blonde hair on one of his shoulders?
Answer: Those are Wookiee scalps he has collected in his years as a bounty hunter. He wears them as a "badge of honor", to prove that he is capable of taking down even very dangerous opponents in single combat.
Question: Approximately how long does Luke train with Yoda on Dagobah?
Answer: It's never made clear. The only rough indication of time is that, when discussing which system to hide out in, Han comments that Bespin is a long way but that he thinks they can make it, which suggests a flight of considerable duration. Given that we're talking about two different star systems (Anoat and Bespin), even if those stars are unusually close together, without the hyperdrive operational, the flight must be reckoned of the order of some months. This would also tie in with Yoda apparently having taught Luke a considerable amount despite considering him too old and too set in his ways to learn properly.
Question: How come it takes such a long time for the Super Star destroyer to be able to catch the Millennium Falcon in the tractor beam? In episode 4 when Millennium Falcon is captured by the Death Star, it is caught in the tractor beam immediately, and from a much greater distance. I understand the plot requires the Millennium Falcon to escape, but this seems a bit illogical.
Chosen answer: The sheer size of the Death Star and its colossal power generators would allow it to have a much more powerful tractor beam than any capital ship would be capable of supporting, giving it much greater range. The Millenium Falcon was caught quickly because they were unaware of what they were approaching - by the time they realised, they were already captured. With the Star Destroyer, they're aware of its presence and can take steps to avoid a tractor beam lock-on.
Question: Why didn't Luke just stay in the cave and wait until the next morning to contact the Rebel base? Isn't the cave just as adequate a shelter as what Han dug for him?
Chosen answer: There's still a very large and annoyed Wampa in there, and there could easily be others in the depths of the cave. Running out into the cold may not be the most sensible move in the world, but it's reasonably understandable.
Question: When Luke is about to take off in his X-Wing while training on Dagobah to save Leia and Han, Obi-Wan says "That boy was our only hope," but Yoda says "No. There is another." Who is this "other" Yoda is talking about?
Answer: As we find out in Return of the Jedi, Luke's twin sister, Leia.
Question: When Luke ventures into the cave on Dagobah the camera, for whatever reason, holds on a lizard of some kind hissing at him. Anyone know what species it is?
Answer: Kimodo Dragon (Varanus komodensis) The Komodo dragon is the world's largest lizard species. It is found mainly on the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rintja, Padar, and Flores. There are only an estimated 1,000 to 5,000 of these monitor lizards living today. Reaching lengths of up to 3 m or more, and weighing up to 126 kg, these reptiles are swift runners and climbers with great appetites for deer and wild boar. The best website to find about this is at www.isidore-of-seville.com/komodo/.
Answer: I'm sure there will be many interpretations about this, and I can't wait to read them. My take was, Luke's mistake was ignoring Yoda's instructions to leave his weapons behind before entering the cave. Rather than using calm reason and logic, he confronted his fears with force and attacked an enemy that turned out to be something else entirely.
raywest ★