No this is not a blog about that.....
Geez.....

It's about a scene that has perplexed me for some time now:
It involves Yoda's manner of "greeting" Luke after his arrival on Dagobah. There are many, many moments in the OT that are deepened and clarified by the existence of the PT. Like the Jedi Purge for instance, but there are several others that its presence has made more baffling, and this, for me, has been one of them. There sits the wise and wizened Yoda in his Dagobahic estate, 20 years of exile have passed and finally the second to last possible Jedi crashes in his puddle, and he's wasting his time talking about how Luke is "too old"?!?!?! The first time I saw that scene I practically shouted at the screen "How many options do you think you have, buddy? The other possibility certainly isn't any younger and you know that!" I was amazed that Yoda wasn't a bit more excited to see Luke. It seemed to me that the arrogance that blinded Yoda before was simply continuing to cloud his vision. However, not long ago I began to realize that as baffling as Yoda's behavior may seem at first it actually makes perfect sense. There are a couple of reasons. This first meeting was a great teaching moment, and Yoda put it to good use.

"Judge me by my size do you?"

This line, of course, comes later after Luke's training is already under way. But I think one of the reasons it cuts so deep is because Luke absolutely judged Yoda by his size. He came to Dagobah looking for a "Jedi Master" and a "Great Warrior." There was no way that Luke believed Yoda could be either of those judging by the looks of his new, little, green, nuisance of a friend. This was not the first time Luke made a mistake like this. Back in ANH on Tatooine, R2 was able to continue to carry out his mission to find Obi-Wan because Luke deemed him to be "too small to run away on (him)." Luke, it seems, has a tendency to judge books by their covers, as we all do. Yoda's actions helped him to see this tendency in himself, and later in ROTJ Luke is shown to have learned his lesson. The moment the Ewoks appear he smiles at their cuteness like everyone else, but he doesn't discount them. He's learned that strength can come in small packages.

The above explains for me Yoda's manner of greeting Luke, but it doesn't explain why after being revealed as the Master himself Yoda continues to speak as though Luke will not be trained. The reason for this is mythological. As any teacher will tell you there is great danger in indulging a child - the result is damaging not just to society, but to the person as well. The myth of Phaeton tells us of the dangers of such thoughtless indulgence. Phaeton spent his life looking for his father only to discover that it was none other than Phoebus - the god who drove the solar chariot. When Phaeton approached his father he took Phaeton into his arms and promised to grant him any request. Phaeton's request was a foolish one, to drive his father's chariot across the sky for a day. The results were disastrous. The stars were scorched and knocked around, the clouds evaporated, and the earth itself was set ablaze. In the end Zeus had no choice but to strike him down with a bolt of lightening. All because Phoebus was too quick to grant him any wish, too quick to indulge his desires without Phaeton earning the right first. (Anakin is actually a lot like Phaeton with Palaptine playing the role of indulgent father: "You don't need guidance Anakin.")

Luke may be the "son of a god" but that in no way entitles him to become a Jedi simply because he shows up. He must earn the right. He must understand that a Jedi must have the "deepest commitment, the most serious mind...." Aw, you know the rest.

Whadyathink?

MTFBWY