Why didn't Yoda and Obi-Wan do anything?

[DarkAngel]

The Maul vs Vader debate has reminded my of something that has bothered me about the original trilogy. Why didn't Yoda and Obi-Wan make an attempt to overthrow Sidious and Vader?

At the point in time when Anakin defected to the Dark Side and Sidious took over the Republic, Obi-Wan wouldn't have been all that old and Yoda obviously had great force abilities. Wouldn't it have been in the best interest of the galaxy for them to attempt to defeat Sith? They weren't outnumbered in that it would have been two Jedi Masters vs two Sith Lords.

The only reason, in my mind, for not making a move against them would be in deference to others that could make a stronger attempt. But who? Waiting for Luke Skywalker to come of age seems ridiculous, because he'd be just one against two Sith. More than that, as seen in the trilogy, they didn't even seek him out. If the droids hadn't come into Luke's possession, he never would have gone to Kenobi, therefore never would have been trained. Obi-Wan and Yoda would have died similar to what we've seen and the reign of the Sith would have continued. And when Luke did go to Yoda, the Jedi Master refused to train him initially because of his age. That seems to shout out that they weren't waiting for Luke.

So who then? Leia? Again, they never sought her out. So maybe they were just waiting for Sidious and Vader to die? But by that time, Yoda and Kenobi would be dead too and the Jedi would die with them. Plus, Vader would have an apprentice by the time Sidious passed, so the Sith rule would continue.

I just don't get it. I can't think of any justification for Obi-Wan and Yoda's refusal to stand up to the Empire. It's as though they had accepted defeat.

[RockItShipper]

I suspect the next 2 prequels will shed the most light on this issue, but....

1. Trust in the Force. Once Luke came in search of a droid that contained Leia's message, Obi-Wan saw a sign from the way the separated twins' paths had crossed at last. It was this that spurred him to action, and ultimately embracing the power increase by letting Vader strike him down.

2. Wariness. Yoda was accustomed to the old system where a full Jedi was about the age Luke was when he came to Dagobah in 'Empire'. So a Padawan learner in his 20s with the powerful, yet dangerous, Skywalker blood was someone Yoda felt he had to test first. Hence the silly act he greeted Luke with. And it was Obiwan who eventually persuaded Yoda to finish Luke's training.

3. The Sith's power... Better to die fighting to the end, or retreating and gain resources in hiding? At least 2 of those responsible for the end of the Jedi were still around- and with a large army behind them...

I also suspect Vader's respect of Boba Fett was forged by the bounty hunter's involvement in them ("No disintergrations.", anyone?) Fett doesn't have Force powers as far as I know, but I see him as being the SW equivalent of Batman- training hard and buying useful gadgets from his paychecks.

So that makes 3 threats still around, and the elder Jedi are getting on in years- and none of their allies from the old days are around. Enter Luke and Leia, with Han hired to avoid incest. Obiwan's not biased, since the Jedi are modelled after samurai, but Han does end up with the princess- leaving the Jedi lineage secure and Luke free to pursue any avenue he's inclined towards. To hell with the books. We have 4 main heroes still living at the end and 2 of them of them are officially together in the trilogy. Why not tie up the loose ends without introducing excess characters? I like Mara Jade and all, but she muddies things up a bit... I've veered from the topic, haven't I? oh well :o

[DarkAngel]

Originally posted by RockItShipper
I suspect the next 2 prequels will shed the most light on this issue, but....

1. Trust in the Force. Once Luke came in search of a droid that contained Leia's message, Obi-Wan saw a sign from the way the separated twins' paths had crossed at last. It was this that spurred him to action, and ultimately embracing the power increase by letting Vader strike him down.

2. Wariness. Yoda was accustomed to the old system where a full Jedi was about the age Luke was when he came to Dagobah in 'Empire'. So a Padawan learner in his 20s with the powerful, yet dangerous, Skywalker blood was someone Yoda felt he had to test first. Hence the silly act he greeted Luke with. And it was Obiwan who eventually persuaded Yoda to finish Luke's training.

3. The Sith's power... Better to die fighting to the end, or retreating and gain resources in hiding? At least 2 of those responsible for the end of the Jedi were still around- and with a large army behind them...

I also suspect Vader's respect of Boba Fett was forged by the bounty hunter's involvement in them ("No disintergrations.", anyone?) Fett doesn't have Force powers as far as I know, but I see him as being the SW equivalent of Batman- training hard and buying useful gadgets from his paychecks.

So that makes 3 threats still around, and the elder Jedi are getting on in years- and none of their allies from the old days are around. Enter Luke and Leia, with Han hired to avoid incest. Obiwan's not biased, since the Jedi are modelled after samurai, but Han does end up with the princess- leaving the Jedi lineage secure and Luke free to pursue any avenue he's inclined towards. To hell with the books. We have 4 main heroes still living at the end and 2 of them of them are officially together in the trilogy. Why not tie up the loose ends without introducing excess characters? I like Mara Jade and all, but she muddies things up a bit... I've veered from the topic, haven't I? oh well :o

The fact that Obi-Wan did jump into action in ANH was good, but a little late. Specifically, it seemed to be Leia's call for help to Obi-Wan that got him moving, rather than seeing Luke and Leia's path cross. In any case, at that point it seems a little late for him to be making any kind of move.

Yoda being used to the old system is a good point, but I don't see that he had much of an alternative. If he really had faith in the old system, he should have sought out a young Luke and trained him. Then, the Luke that faced Vader in ROTJ would have been much superior as a fighter and a Jedi.

The Sith's power is the best reason for them not doing anything, but it still seems like they were accepting defeat. I'm sure the rebel alliance, in some form, was around at the beginning of the Empire's rule. Yoda and Obi-Wan should have joined them, which would have given them added strength in going after Vader and Sidious.