So I got to thinking about re-visiting places from my childhood. My wife and I live in a different province here in Canada than the one in which I grew up in. And when I do go back to my old home to visit family and friends, I always find it a joy to re-visit the places I would go to as a kid. Just to look around, savour the memories that many of them hold and think back to a time when childhood was innocent and care-free. Nothing to worry about with the future as wide as the sky itself. And sometimes the memories of certain places come back in a rush, with the accompanying feelings that go with them ... some good, some not good, some serene, some peaceful, some happy, some sad, some painful, and some heart-wrenchingly beautiful. The feelings from those places are still present and still alive, as alive as the memories. I like to visit those places. To remember and enjoy, and then move on.

And it gets me thinking about the Star Wars universe and the act of "going home". I find it interesting that both Luke and Anakin returned to their homeworld of Tatooine with a specific goal ... to save someone they care about.

Anakin returned to his childhood place with the sole intention of saving his mother. His thoughts were pure, though in the end his actions and motives were not. I imagine that he had his own feelings to deal with when landing on Tatooine. He went to his old hometown and spoke with the slaver he worked under for so many important years of his childhood. He must have had mixed emotions when talking to Watto ... he had enslaved him for all those years, but also freed him when the time was right, when he was forced to. Anakin didn't seem to have that bad of a relationship with Watto anyway, but it's the thought and the feeling that he was simply a slave that was hardwired into his brain. And visiting that childhood haunt would have definitely re-produced that feeling ... the feeling of being a slave and being tied down when all he wanted to do was explore the stars. Yes, Anakin also had good memories ... such as winning the Boonta Eve Classic and of building Threepio and of spending time with his mother and so on. And those memories and feelings are what really did make him a good-hearted kid, and so hopeful of becoming a Jedi. But it's also those good memories that he missed as he progressed as a padawan, and fearful of losing those memories. Or fearful of losing the things that produced those good memories.
And I imagine that Anakin didn't really want to be back on Tatooine ... much as he didn't want to go back as Vader. He was there because of his dreams, because he thought he could save his mother ... but couldn't. He felt helpless in saving her, much as he felt helpless in saving her from slavery way back when he was freed. The return to his childhood places only served to move him closer to the Darkside.

And Luke also returned to Tatooine to save someone. He was there to free Han from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt, much as Anakin tried to free Shmi from the clutches of his dreams. But Luke had a much different outlook and attitude upon returning to his childhood place. He was confident and sure of his abilities to save his friend and get himself, Han, Leia and the rest out of danger. He knew the risks, but also knew that he had a plan that would see them all to safety. Luke probably also had feelings produced upon returning to Tatooine much as Anakin did. He told Han that this was the world he grew up on ... he almost sounded proud of that fact. He may have been thinking about some of the good times he had with Wedge, with piloting, and with meeting Ben and fulfilling his destiny. Whereas Anakin was consumed with anxiety and then revenge, Luke was consumed with seeing his plan through with full confidence in himself and moving on to the bigger picture. And his return to his childhood home served to move him closer to the Light. The success of his mission allowed him to travel back to Dagobah, to complete his obligation Yoda and move him closer to enlightenment as a Jedi. And the memories Luke had of Tatooine wouldn't have been as harsh as those of Anakin. Yes, Luke also felt enslaved on Tatooine ... enslaved by his aunt and uncle and the way of life as he knew it growing up, wanting to get to the stars much as his father did. But he didn't know actual enslavement as Anakin did. But he sure did know that it was time to leave his homeworld when events unfolded, much as his father did.

So I think both Anakin and Luke had memories and feelings come to the surface from re-visiting their childhood home of Tatooine. They both went with the purpose of saving someone they cared about but both had deeply different outcomes. And both of those outcomes would clash on the Death Star in the hopes that still someone would be saved.

And the next time I travel back to the place I grew up and visit the various haunts I would find myself in, I'll let those familiar feelings and memories wash over me, and enjoy it. Much as Luke and Anakin enjoyed the newfound feelings of their worlds coming together.