Wow, have I really been gone since February? School really is killer... Anyway, here's a new post, finally! It's long, too. Typical wordy me.

The parallels between Anakin and Luke are obvious. They both lose their Tatooine families, have father-figure issues, grapple with the seductive lure of the dark side of the Force, etc., etc. However, what isn't as obvious is that Luke isn't Anakin's only foil: Han Solo's journey also parallels Anakin's.

Start with the first movie of each trilogy. On the surface, Han's and Anakin's introductions seem completely different. What could this a cynical, galaxy-traveled smuggler and an idealistic child have in common?

For starters, they serve a similar function in the beginning. Anakin's piloting skills get a Jedi, his padawan, C3PO and R2D2, and a royal girl off Tatooine so they can get critical information to their leaders and get help fighting oppression. Han's piloting skills get a Jedi, his (brand-new) padawan, and C3PO and R2D2 off Tatooine so they can get critical information to their (rebel) leaders and help fight oppression; he and his piloting skills help get a royal girl off a battle station in the process.

That isn't much, but there's more: Anakin leaving home and Han not wanting to join the rebellion are also parallels. Anakin is comfortable at home, where he has a mother who loves him. Han is comfortable with his smuggling life, where he has a furry friend he trusts. (Add Luke to complete the trio: "I can't get involved; I have work to do... it's such a long way from here." It sounds like he's a bit afraid to leave, even though that's what he dreams of.) Han isn't impressed by the Jedi way, unlike Anakin, but he does join the cause--with some reservations. Like Anakin, Han has something on Tatooine tying him to his old life: for Anakin, it's his mother; for Han, it's his debt to Jabba. (Luke doesn't quite follow that pattern: he has ties, but they're all to new friends.)

The second movie in each trilogy is the movie of the "saving-people thing." Luke gets in trouble when he runs across the galaxy to save people he loves when he senses they're in pain, which is similar to the way Anakin runs off to save his mother when he senses she's in pain, of course. And Han runs off to save Luke from the blizzard on Hoth, and then runs back during the evacuation to save Leia. These are interesting sequences. On one hand, it shows that Han is losing his cynicism and is starting to care about people, which seems like a positive development (and I think it is). On the other hand, it is reckless, and there's that "attachment" issue that gets Jedi in a tizzy. How many times did Obi-Wan tell Anakin to complete his mission rather than risking everything to save him or Padme, again? Han is involved in the "saving-people thing" issue almost as much as Luke and Anakin. (Only for him, it works out much better. Hmm...)

Then, in both cases, those old Tatooine connections cause trouble. In Anakin's case, going back to the old connection leads him toward the dark side, which ends up endangering him and royal girl/love interest Padme. In Han's case, wanting to go back to the old connection causes friction with his friends and threatens to send him back to his old ways; not going back to the old connection earlier leads to that connection endangering him and royal girl/love interest Leia. (And isn't that an interesting reversal.)

In the final movie, Han and Anakin choose sides and settle their relationships with the Jedi Friend and the Royal Girl. Anakin commits to Palpatine and the Republic/Empire against the Jedi, falls out with Obi-Wan, worries about Padme, starts to think she's hiding something from him, and falls out with her over that. Han commits to the Rebellion against the Empire, starts to accept Luke as a mature Jedi rather than a farmboy, worries about Leia, starts to think she's hiding something, and gets into a more stable relationship with her.

Actually, the romance arc has a lot of parallels in all three movies. Again, on the surface their situations seem totally different: Anakin and Padme hit it off right away, while Han and Leia bicker. But there are plenty of similarities. Both guys try to impress the Royal Girl with their piloting skills, for starters. Both guys are impressed by the Royal Girl pretty quickly ("Either I'm going to kill her or I'm beginning to like her" and "Still, she's got a lot of spirit" aren't "Are you an angel?," but they do indicate potential interest). Both couples share far more screentime with the Jedi than with each other in the first movie. There are significant obstacles to both relationships. Anakin and Padme have similar ideals, but they come from very different backgrounds, have or will have different and demanding jobs to do (Jedi vs. politician), and there's a large age gap between them. And they're kids. Han and Leia both have a lot of spirit, but they come from very different backgrounds, have or will have different and demanding jobs to do (smuggling/military vs. politics), and there's a large age gap between them. And they have short tempers and bicker. In both cases, despite these obstacles, the first movie ends with the Royal Girl giving the guy a special smile during an awards ceremony, hinting that there's hope for a relationship someday, even if not then.

The second movie starts with the guy flirting and the Royal Girl rejecting his advances despite her growing feelings for him. There are lots of spoken or unspoken arguments for why they can't be together. After the guy saves or helps save her life, they end up more or less alone together somewhere. He turns on the charm even more, and then kisses her. She tells him to stop or runs away--but is pretty obviously falling in love. The guy's old Tatooine connections lead to danger and someone's ill-conceived rescue attempt, and before a moment of near-certain death, the Royal Girl finally confesses her feelings. There are differences: Han, unlike Anakin, does not confess his feelings in the second movie, isn't obsessed with the Royal Girl, disagrees with her and gets angry with her, and in general doesn't seem ready to commit. His unwillingness to commit or acknowledge his feelings (even to himself?) is bad in some ways, but he is not as blind as Anakin.

Speaking of blindness... In the third movie, the Royal Girl tells her man he is blind, but the situations are very different.

Anakin's blindness leads to his being put in a prison/suit and losing everything in the third movie. Padme says Anakin is metaphorically blinded by love. When Anakin thinks Padme is in danger, his blindness leads him to sell his soul in an attempt to save her, not stopping to think that doing terrible things might make saving her kind of pointless, or might lead to her being in danger in the first place. When he sees that Obi-Wan and Padme were together on the ship, he immediately flips out over the perceived betrayal, strangles Padme, and fights his good friend Obiwan.

Han's blindness is cured in the third movie, which leads to his getting out of the prison/carbonoite and gaining everything. Leia-as-Boussh tells Han he is literally blinded by carbonite sickness--and that his eyes will get better. Han could be said to have been metaphorically blind about some things in the second movie (such as his feelings), and he definitely had some anger and jealousy issues developing which could have blinded him, but all those situations do get better, along with the physical condition. Perhaps literal blindness led him to reflect on metaphorical blindness. Anyway, when Han thinks Leia is in danger (after the speeder bike chase), he is worried, but doesn't do anything crazy that would imperil them all; he keeps his head. Like Anakin, Han also starts thinking his Royal Girl is hiding something from him with a Jedi. When he seesthat Luke and Leia were together on the bridge, he flips out a bit at first.

But Han flips out in a much calmer way. Anakin immediately assumes something is going on--"What have you and she been up to?"--but Han asks, "Hey, what's going on?" He gets mad when Leia tells him "nothing" and that she "can't tell" him--"Could you tell Luke, is that who you could tell?" But then he does something very un-Anakin-like: instead of lashing out, he walks away. Then he stops, turns around, and apologizes. And he means it. Han had never been as out-of-control angry a guy as Anakin, but that took a lot more self-control and understanding than he's shown in the past. Han is learning from his mistakes and trying to change. The woman he loves is obviously distraught, so he comforts her. And judging by his face, he's doing some thinking. The next day, he offers to step aside if Leia really wants to be with Luke.

I don't think Han has attained some Jedi ideal of non-attachment here. He does not look at all happy about the idea of letting Leia go. He looks like he could be hurt, or angry, or frustrated, or all of the above. He is not accepting that oh well, things change and holding on to them only causes pain. He only admits (realizes?) he loves Leia after he has started facing the possibility of losing her, and I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say he still loves her all of--what, fifteen minutes later? A hardcore Jedi would probably say he's still "attached." But he's willing to let her go anyway. I think it's because he's not blinded by his attachment. He loves Leia, but he realizes he can't force her to love him, and that by trying he would only hurt them both. He would rather that the woman he loves be happy.

So the second generation succeeds where their parents failed, and Han figures out how to combine love and a career. You show those Jedi how it's done, Han!

Then Luke gets back from the Dark Side and Daddy Issues part of the parallel, and they all live happily ever after. (Well, except for all that Expanded Universe drama...)