Expert: Master Kenobi - 6/16/2005

Question
In episodes 1 to 3 senator palpatine/the emperor always has a sith apprentice that battle the jedi knights and their apprentices. Are there any more sith lord or apprentices outside of the emperor and lord Vader? I would think the emperor would be training siths in the dark side to enforce his will over the galaxy but in episodes 4 to 6 all you see is the emperor, vader, the military and the imperial stormtoopers but no sith knights to replace the jedi.

i am a little confused about episode 2 where anakin goes home to resuce his mother. He briefly meets the two people who become luke's guardians. Did she have another child besides anakin or is that her stepson (Luke's uncle in episode 4)?

Episodes 3 to 6 revolve around Luke's mastering of the force and becoming a Jedi but how come Leia doesn't do the same? It's obvious she inheirited a lot of anakin's charisma and leadership skills so i would think it would be even more apparent in her. Does she also have the force and is just not aware of it?


Answer
-In episodes 1 to 3 senator palpatine/the emperor always has a sith apprentice that battle the jedi knights and their apprentices. Are there any more sith lord or apprentices outside of the emperor and lord Vader? I would think the emperor would be training siths in the dark side to enforce his will over the galaxy but in episodes 4 to 6 all you see is the emperor, vader, the military and the imperial stormtoopers but no sith knights to replace the jedi.

You see, hundreds of years before episode 1 the sith were a group of warriors but because of their nature they always were looking for betrayal and fighting each other, at the end there was only one sith that defined a new way of training. He defined that to avoid that kind of behavior between siths there would be only a master and an apprentice, always. That's why in episode 1 it was Darth Sidious and Darth Maul, in episode 2 Darth Sidious and Count Dooku, in episode 3 with the death of Count Dooku it was Darth Sidious and Darth Vader until Episode 6 when Anakin finished the circle putting an end to the sith. And even in that way (only one master and one apprentice) you can notice they were always looking for betrayal: in episode 2 Count Dooku ask Obi-Wan to joined him and destroy Sidious, in episode 3 Anakin as Darth Vader ask Padme to join him because he could beat Palpatine, in Episode 5 Darth Vader ask Luke to join him "..and together we can rule the galaxy as father and son.." by killing the Emperor, and finally in Episode 6 Sidious ask Luke to join him "..and take your father's place at my side..". So, you see, they were always looking for betrayal that's why they were always only 2 because if they were a group it would become a war between them.

i am a little confused about episode 2 where anakin goes home to resuce his mother. He briefly meets the two people who become luke's guardians. Did she have another child besides anakin or is that her stepson (Luke's uncle in episode 4)?

The 2 people Anakin met in Episode 2 were Owen and Beru, who eventually married, Owen was Shmi's stepson, that's why Luke called Owen and Beru uncle and aunt.

Episodes 3 to 6 revolve around Luke's mastering of the force and becoming a Jedi but how come Leia doesn't do the same? It's obvious she inheirited a lot of anakin's charisma and leadership skills so i would think it would be even more apparent in her. Does she also have the force and is just not aware of it?

That's interesting, you see, when they were born Luke became and extension of Anakin, and Leia became an extension of Padme. Luke lived in Tatooine as Anakin did, Luke was first trained in the Force by Obi-Wan as Anakid did. Leia grew up in a royal family as Padme did, Leia became a powerful leader as Padme did. And yes, Leia had the potential to become a Jedi Master, but by that time there was no Jedi Academy or anything like it. You can see Leia using the Force when she comunicates with Luke in cloud city to find him. She is not aware of what that power is, she just feel it, use it, that's the nature of the Force.