After watching the complete Star Wars saga through a couple times now, I have to say that there is one specific issue with which I am still unsatisfied. This is the issue of the supposed "immortality" that a few Jedi have attained.

In 1983 we saw, as Luke looked into the woods on Endor, the glowing, sparkling spectres that were the spirits of our beloved Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and an aged Anakin Skywalker. We had already seen Obi-Wan struck down by Vader as he vanished into thin air. We watched as Yoda lay under his blanket and disappeared before our eyes. We watched Anakin slump back on the ramp of the shuttle and exhale his last breath. Though it wasn't shown onscreen, Mr. Lucas insists that Anakin too vanished - that it was only the armor, the mechanism of the Sith Lord that Luke burned on a funerary pyre. These three Jedi vanished upon death and reappeared in spirit form. Obi-Wan went a step further and appeared for the purpose of having a discussion with Luke and advise in a disembodied voice, "Use the Force, Luke."

When we first saw this in the original trilogy, these were the only Jedi we knew. We thought that this was what happened when Jedi die. In fact, a book in the expanded universe also thought this and a Twi-lek Jedi, Daeshara'cor, vanished upon her death as well. Only later did we find out in the prequel trilogy that it is not a trait characteristic of all Jedi. The countless questions on the StarWars.com message boards of "why didn't Qui-Gon disappear" were overwhelming. No one could give a sufficient answer. The only reply anyone could give was that it would be explained in the next two films.

Episode II came and went and there was no clue. Not even a hint. We saw Jedi cut down in the Geonosian arena and their bodies remained motionless in the dust. The only other occurence even close to this question we got was Qui-Gon Jinn's voice being heard in Yoda's meditation; "Anakin! Anakin! Nooooo!" But obviously, this only raised more questions than it answered. Then the message board topics appeared once again; "Why do some Jedi disappear and some don't?" And really the only answer that could be given was that it would be cleared up in Episode III.

Before the release of Revenge of the Sith, the original trilogy DVD set was released to the joy of fans. Mr. Lucas had again tweaked some things here and there in his constant effort to "improve" this films. The thing that confused me though was the notion of superimposing a young Anakin's likeness in the place of an aged spirit. Did it have to do with a Jedi taking on the form they held when they were strongest? Did it have to do with when they learned how to do this? Was it a learned skill? The questions poured in. I held faith that Mr. Lucas would explain this in Episode III.

I have to be honest and say that the address of this issue was mediocre at best. It is a very brief exchange that could easily be missed by the average viewer. People like you and I analyze these films. We pick them apart. We come up with theories and ideas that we think work. But the average viewer doesn't dig as deep as we do. A filmmaker should make his/her audience understand what is being put in front of them. I think Mr. Lucas failed on this point. A simple line regarding training for Obi-Wan on Tatooine involving his old master and immortality was not enough. If we could have seen Qui-Gon appear, or at the very least heard him, in his own voice, helping to explain this to Obi-Wan, I think things would have been made more clear. This line doesn't explain at ALL how Anakin could have learned this Jedi skill or why he appears young. It really seems last-minute, spur of the moment, 'oh, I have to address this or they'll kill me'. It seems tacked on rather than written in.

Yes, I know many of you could reply to this with your theories on why this or that happened, but I'm not asking for theories. I'm saying Mr. Lucas failed in explaining this himself. Some things are better left to the viewer to figure out on his or her own. This is not one of those things. On this issue, I am still unsatisfied.