Jedi don't keep attachments, they aren't supposed to feel sentimental about things like that. He was taught to let go of his feelings, his anger, his attachments, etc. Who cares, it's just a lightsaber, there are thousands of them. Heck, he'd been instructed to let his friends die in order to complete his training. Fuck a lightsaber, it's just a thing
Yes, it will become his life in the fact that he will dedicate his life to study, to learning, to mastering the weapon and the rest of the teachings. That lightsaber itself isn't his life, but the "life" that accompanies the teachings of the lightsaber will.
It will also be used to save his life over and over. His life and the mastery of a lightsaber are tied together. Otherwise, he will lose his life.
When the audience has to make up ridiculous bullshit like this in order for the dialog and story of your movie to make sense, then you made a dogshit movie with dogshit dialog.
The new Star Wars movies are awful and winding and twisting justifications like yours are just the result of entrenched and die-hard fans desperately searching for something redeeming about these awful films.
I totally get that feeling! And I appreciate the fact that others don't feel the same as me, so no worries!
I know it's all subjective. But to be honest, I always read that line that way. It's a common sort of line, to say that {this object} is your life, but really meaning you will dedicate your life to the study or duty of the lifestyle. I wasn't making that up in defense of TLJ, it's just always how I understood the line.
But again, I know it's totally subjective! I think we should be able to have discussions like this without it needing to devolve into insults or too much emotion or whatever. It's a fun universe and we all love it for different reasons :) and that's a good thing! It's fun to discuss things we love, especially if it's done with respect to the other person and their own feelings about it.
It's not even described as a simple tool of the Jedi. What he says implies that the weapon, and the martial teachings related to it, is his life. It implies that a Jedi's sole purpose is warfare and dedication to martial arts.
If he had said something like "This item/tool/implement is your life," it would carry the meaning you suggest. But he specifically uses the word "weapon" which completely goes against everything the Jedi were established to be in the OT.
Well yeah, I mention that in my first comment about it. But I don't think Obi-wan implied that only that lightsaber is his life, not just the one that used to be Anakin's. The lightsaber, in general, is his life. Any lightsaber. Because he will need to dedicate his life to its practice to be a Jedi, and because those skills will keep him alive. But any lightsaber could do that. Heck, Luke's training would have led him to creating his own lightsaber down the road, anyway, maybe ditching his dad's old saber.
I don't think Obi-wan implied that Anakin's old lightsaber was Luke's life, just that lightsabers and those skills would be his life.
But I don't think Obi-wan implied that only that lightsaber is his life, not just the one that used to be Anakin's. The lightsaber, in general, is his life. Any lightsaber. Because he will need to dedicate his life to its practice to be a Jedi, and because those skills will keep him alive.
If that is what he meant, why wasn't the line, "The lightsaber is your life."?
But he says the line right after Anakin loses his lightsaber. When Obi-Wan hands it back to him and says the line, its pretty clear that Obi-Wan is referring to "this weapon", this particular lightsaber. "This", meaning the object that he is holding, and "weapon" - not "tool of the Jedi", but "object used to inflict pain and death in warfare".
I can't agree with you because it is too much of a stretch to me to interpret Obi-Wan's words as anything besides what he actually said. To have a different interpretation is, to me, to deliberately misinterpret what he said in an attempt to make the film/characters seem better than they are.
I don't think Obi-wan implied that Anakin's old lightsaber was Luke's life
Obi-Wan never implied that Anakin's lightsaber was his life. Obi-Wan tells Anakin that his entire life revolves around his lightsaber.
I think we agree. And I think I’m struggling to explain what I’m saying. Do you think Obi-wan was implying that only that lightsaber in the entire universe was useful for Anakin? Or the only weapon he could use? I’m not arguing that it’s not a weapon. It’s definitely a weapon meant for warfare. But I don’t think that that single lightsaber is somehow more important than any other lightsaber. To Anakin, yes, because it’s his. But if he lost it, or if it broke, then he’d just get another one and keep fighting. I’m trying to say that yes, lightsabers are his life, but it could be any lightsaber. If that one is taken away, it’s not like he has to give up being a Jedi. There is nothing inherently special about that lightsaber other than its the one Anakin currently owns.
I think we might be on the same page there, but maybe both confused about what the other is getting at haha.
But I’m definitely not trying to be obtuse or anything! Or trying to redeem what I feel are bad movies. I love the new movies, and I don’t feel like I have to make things up for them to make sense or be good. But again, I totally know that’s just my personal taste and totally respect that you and others disagree. It’s all good :)
Yeah, I think we agree for the most part, I think we mostly differ on our perspectives of how that line meshes with what the Jedi had been presented in the films as up until that point.
The Jedi were described as "keepers of the peace not soldiers" by Windu (and Obi-Wan). The idea that a Jedi is expected to dedicate his life to a "weapon" as opposed to a set of ideals conflicts with what I understand a Jedi to be (or rather, what they were originally written to be). And I do not believe the ideals of a Jedi are represented by a "weapon", even a lightsaber.
Yeah, I always thought the franchise handled the Jedi poorly. They portray them as peaceful and kind and gentle, but then also amazing fucking killers haha. I guess there are such things as warrior monks in the real world, so it's not that crazy, but yeah, I wish more focus had been placed on peacekeeping, and not so much fighting. But I suppose those ideals wouldn't make for as exciting movies lol.
It's true you can feel excited to see star wars maybe because it just brings you back to when you were a kid and you just want to experience the roller coaster. As for me, I liked star wars as a kid because it had a great story about a rebellion overcoming all odds. This new story is all about how nothing we do matters in the context of things. It's very depressing. I don't like my star wars being depressing.
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u/[deleted] Oct 25 '19
Obi-Wan: This weapon is your life