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star wars - Why didn't Yoda or Obi-Wan tell Luke the truth about his father?



Is the reason neither Yoda or Obi-Wan thought it a good idea to inform Luke that



his father and Vader were the same person



ever discussed? Were they hoping that



Vader himself



didn't realize this, and that it wouldn't come up? Or was there an explicit rationale behind hiding this fact from Luke?


Wouldn't it seem risky to send Luke in blind, with the chance of him finding out without their support, considering how emotional attachment can be a door into the Dark Side?




Answer




If either Obi-Wan or Yoda had told Luke the truth, then Luke would likely have sought out Vader at the first opportunity.


In A New Hope, let's suppose the conversation with Obi-Wan on Tatooine went like this instead:


enter image description here



OBI-WAN: This lightsaber belonged to your father, Lord Vader.


LUKE: Wait. Back up. My father is who?


OBI-WAN: Darth Vader.


LUKE: Say what?? That creepy evil guy? You're joking!



OBI-WAN: Nope. Dead serious. The infamous Darth Vader who has captured your holographic princess...he's your dad. For realz.


C3PO: Oh dear...


LUKE: You're wrecking my head. This is insane!


OBI-WAN: Another thing: that princess is your sister. Let's go save her, shall we?



Later, on the Death Star:


enter image description here



LUKE: Dad, why did you kill Obi-Wan?! He was my friend!!


VADER: Ah, my long lost son. Listen, Obi-Wan deserved it. Come, let me tell you a tale about a place called Mustafar...




At that point, either Luke ends up on the Dark Side or dead, depending on how the father-son bonding goes.


The point is, had he known the truth, Luke would have sought Vader out too early, before his training was complete, and this would have only had negative consequences for Luke and the galaxy-at-large.


This is supported by what Yoda says to Luke in Return of the Jedi  just prior to expiring:



YODA: Your father, he is. Told you, did he?


LUKE: Yes.


YODA: Unexpected, this is, and unfortunate.


LUKE: Unfortunate that I know the truth?


YODA: No. Unfortunate that you rushed to face him. That incomplete, was your training. That not ready for the burden, were you.




In other words, they would have told him eventually, but at a suitable time, when they could be more certain that he had the training and maturity to avoid his father's fate.


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