Luke Never Gets Out His Lightsaber

[PadméAmidalaNaberrie]

Why doesn't Luke hardly ever get his lightsaber out whenever someone fires at him.

Like when Boba Fett started shooting at him in The Empire Strikes Back at Cloud City, and Luke, like the idiot and dumb Jedi he is, pulls out his blimmin pistol!!

I thought Luke would be like his really cool father Anakin but Luke must be a bit ding dong in the head.

[Sable]

Well, maybe he's a slow learner. "Oh, I can use my lightsaber to deflect those blaster bolts? Huh, how 'bout that." At least he figures it out in ROTJ.

[RollaFett]

Well, if you look at his early training in ANH, he should've already known that he could deflect blaster bolts, hell he did it with his eyes shielded! That said, I actually do agree with Sable and that he is probably a slow learner. Attend a Jedi academy he did not.

[Blizzard]

I don't think a normal person would whip out their lightsaber if someone was shooting at them? And the last thing he wanted to do was be like his father. *style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif

[Sable]

Yeah, but he's not supposed to be a "normal" person, he's the son of Darth Vader! You'd think, even with the little bit of training he's had, that he'd use his lightsaber more often. But maybe the point is that he still hadn't let go of his old ways completely.

[Handothrawn]

i think Luke in ESB when Boba fires on him is still phsycologically dealing with his failure at the cave, when he was so quick to whip out the saber on the Vader spirit, and see's himself inside the helmet, and was still being wary of his actions.

[nunzio]

Does anyone know what the lesson at the tree cave was supposed to be? A Jedi is SUPPOSED to take his lightsaber wherever he goes. This is emphasized in CLONES.

[Badass Leia]

Yeah. I would believe Luke is slow learner. I mean all this kinda just HAPPENED to him you know? Although it was almost the same way with Anakin, but people knew of his abilities before, like his mother and how he was always fixing things and seeing things before they happened. Luke worked with Owen his whole life. All this put in his lap... Oh well, he is probably a slow learner.

Hey I am not sure about the lightsaber thing. Anyone finds out send me a message! :biggrin:

[nunzio]

The reason Luke does not deflect Fett's laser blasts is clear: The Force was with him, but he was not a Jedi yet.

Being good against remotes is one thing, but good against a person is something else entirely.

[dmertz]

His run in with Boba Fett in Cloud City was his first encounter since leaving his training with Yoda. He's just not very experienced at that point.

[Lando]

I think he did not want everyone to know he was a Jedi

[Tovor]

At the point where Fett and then the Stormtroopers were shooting at him, Luke was still a "regular" soldier in his mind. When he sensed Vader's presence in the carbon freezing room, he holstered his gun and took out his lightsaber, because then he remembered that he was meant to be a Jedi, and the duel with Vader was a Jedi vs. Sith battle and beyond using something as clumsy or as random as a blaster. Throughout the entire duel with Vader Luke still had his gun in its holster, but at that point he was not a regular soldier but a Jedi Padawan. After he holstered his gun upon sensing Vader, that was the last time we ever saw Luke using a gun at any point in the rest of the trilogy.

In TESB Luke was not yet a Jedi in his own mind, and he used his gun for attacking the enemy. But after he encountered Vader he was a Jedi, a warrior who used the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack. Hence his stance in ROTJ, using his lightsaber to deflect energy bolts back to those who fired them, thus using his new knowledge for defense, and killing the aggressors with their own gunshots.

[Justin]

Hey, maybe Lucas and Kasdan didn't think about the laser-deflection thing when they wrote that scene.

[sKyWAlkeR4890]

I think luke thought that he should have just used his blaster on boba fett because there is no use for his lightsaber. I thought he should've used it more.

[lmg1352001]

Nunzio---Luke didn't need to bring his lightsaber. Yoda said that he didn't need to bring that with him. It was a test of what he could become if he was seduced to the darkside. Strike down your father with hate and aggression and anger(RTOTJ Emperor says)..this will complete your turn to the darkside. This was a forwarning of the possible future.

Luke is a little went behind the ears doesn't quite think like a Jedi yet..powerful in the force but he has trained as a soldier for so long. Yoda does say you must unlearn what you know.

Yoda is the great manipulator...

Will meditate on this.....

[WayoftheGungon]

I would have to agree with Lando, I believe its because he was trying to stay undetected. Remember Jedi were hunted down and killed for a reason. And even though Luke is to be all powerful he is not yet all powerful. At this point he senses something bad is to happen to his friends, but he isn't positive its Empire related. If the Empire is involved he does not want to be spoted out. That's just my take.

[lmg1352001]

But Darth found out about five minutes later when the dueled how impressive he was so what was the point of hiding. Vader caputured Han and Leia so he could lure Luke to Cloud City. He would have only done this if he new that Luke had force capability.

[echoseven]

Luke used a blaster in ROTJ before he got dumped in the monster pit. Did anyone notice that he was all dressed in black and choked one of the guards like vader?

[Rogue_0009]

I don't think Luke really entirely trusts the force yet, he can't beleive that anything could be that powerful

"and that is why[he]fails"

(I feel it is necesary to quote Yoda in these situations)

[bodhisattva yoda]

about the lesson in the cave... yoda tells luke that he will not need his weapons, so when he disobeys yoda he's exhibiting fear and distrust, not positive jedi qualities. also, he ignites his lightsaber first which is an aggressive move when the jedi should use the force for 'knowledge and defense, never for attack'... so there you have it, whomever asked.

[Count Dooku]

I think Luke is a slow learner myself, and I believe so was Anakin. Remember when Dooku say's "That was brave of you boy but foolish", then Anakin say's "I'm a slow learner". Anakin was definitely a slow learner because he could never obey his master. He was great with a lightsaber but on the mental side he was slow.

[Sluggo]

Originally posted by echoseven@Jun 7 2002, 07:50 PM
Luke used a blaster in ROTJ before he got dumped in the monster pit. *Did anyone notice that he was all dressed in black and choked one of the guards like vader?
Nice. Lake father like son.

Luke used the blaster in Jabba's palace (at least he tried to...) because his saber was still in R2-D2.

As far as on Bespin goes, we know that he could deflect blasts from a remote with some serious consentration in a quiet room. Luke also received some training with Yoda. The film shows some of Luke's skills, but that's it. Maybe he wasn't ready to block the blaster bolts being blasted by that beeyotch BAD-A Boba.

There was a cut scene with Luke deflecting shots from multiple remotes on Dagobah, but the best I can tell, it was only scripted and never filmed. If it was filmed and then made the final cut, I think the argument would have more force, pardon the expression.

[James]

Wow, haven't seen this thread in a long time style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif

Luke should have used the lightsaber. What did Obi-Wan tell him in ANH? Something about the lightsaber is the Jedi's weapon, not as clumsy as a blaster.

[kngalaric]

It should be completely obvious to everyone.

A lightsaber is a defensive weapon at long distances, not an offensive one.

Luke was not yet a Jedi either (not in his mind anyway) Once Luke learned the power of the Dark Side in the cave, he wasn't ready to face Vader and himself, yet. That is why he loses.

[RollaFett]

Tovor Posted on May 31 2002, 05:06 PM
After he holstered his gun upon sensing Vader, that was the last time we ever saw Luke using a gun at any point in the rest of the trilogy.
As has been pointed out a couple of times already, I'll be the annoyance who points it out a third time. Luke force-grabbed a blaster right before he was dropped into the Rancor pit in ROTJ. The obvious intention was to use it as a weapon. Another example is later, in ROTJ, when Luke and Leia are attempting tto escape Jabba's sail barge. Luke uses a cannon on the barge to help destroy it. Ok, it's a bit of a stretch, I admit, but I'm sticking to it. For now, anyway.

[Edgeomatic]

Originally posted by Count Dooku@Jun 15 2002, 12:50 PM
I think Luke is a slow learner myself, and I believe so was Anakin. Remember when Dooku say's "That was brave of you boy but foolish", then Anakin say's "I'm a slow learner". Anakin was definitely a slow learner because he could never obey his master. He was great with a lightsaber but on the mental side he was slow.
i think anikan said that in a joking voice
style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif

[James]

Oh well, Hayden isn't that great at voices so how could we know style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif

[general grievous]

maybe luke is just a lame jedi

[Darth Link Skywalker]

How can you call Luke a lame jedi when he faced Vader and the Emperor ALONE!

okay, so he didn't actually FIGHT Palpy. (I mean, can u imagine Luke dueling with a 123,456,789,098,765 trillion years old looking Sith Lord?!) but any man would have submitted to Palpy under such lightening showers.

[T-bone]

Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kids.

[Javen]

Tell that to Vader in ESB when Han pulled his blaster out.

[Tovor]

Originally posted by Javen@Apr 11 2004, 01:39 PM
Tell that to Vader in ESB when Han pulled his blaster out.
No matter, Vader dealt with Han's blaster quickly and effortlessly with the power of the Force.

[DarthAnakin]

Originally posted by general grievous@Mar 30 2004, 06:17 PM
maybe luke is just a lame jedi
Well he's not actually a Jedi until ROTJ, so he does not have that many saber skills in ANH and ESB, he spends those two movie mostly focusing on the force.

[Obi-Stu]

Perhaps he lacks confidence at this point.

What if he could'nt succesfully deflect the shots from Fett?

[Chazzy]

Well at this stage he was so worried about the dark side taking over that he felt more feer of that than anything else. He was afraid.

[DarthAnakin]

Not a lame Jedi, just a unconfident Jedi.

[JKRich]

Really nosense in posting since noone has in 2 years but here is my two cents.I think it comes down to Luke was never really trained as a proper Jedi.His training was rushed due to circumstances and he was already way to old as far as the Order was concerned.I dont think he fully trusted or believed in the force as the Jedi once did.Mind you this was not his fault.He was just too old and corrupte(if you will) by a regular life. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/saber.gif

[RollaFett]

JKRich Posted on May 6 2004, 12:20 PM

Really nosense in posting since noone has in 2 years

...or ten days, but whatever....

[Tovor]

Originally posted by GollaFett@Mar 24 2004, 11:22 PM
Tovor* Posted on May 31 2002, 05:06 PM* * *
After he holstered his gun upon sensing Vader, that was the last time we ever saw Luke using a gun at any point in the rest of the trilogy.
As has been pointed out a couple of times already, I'll be the annoyance who points it out a third time. Luke force-grabbed a blaster right before he was dropped into the Rancor pit in ROTJ. The obvious intention was to use it as a weapon. Another example is later, in ROTJ, when Luke and Leia are attempting tto escape Jabba's sail barge. Luke uses a cannon on the barge to help destroy it. Ok, it's a bit of a stretch, I admit, but I'm sticking to it. For now, anyway.
You are correct, my young, hard drinking apprentice. Luke did use the barge cannon, and he had tried to aquire a pistol in Jabba's throne room. That is a different theme from the end of TESB, showing Luke on a different path. TESB showed Luke heading down the path to Jedidom and his resistance to the dark side. The first part of ROTJ showed him vulnerable to the dark side, wearing a Vader-ish black cloak, choking the guards, trying to use a gun (an aggressive move, rather than defensive), and showing off his overconfidence while en route to the sarlaac pit (a confidence that did indeed pay off as planned). Luke's reach for the gun contrasted his holstering of his gun upon sensing Vader in Cloud City, to show how vulnerable he was to turning to the dark side. And that itself was contrasted by his actions at the end of the film when he resisted the dark side and threw away his lightsaber.

[JKRich]

Originally posted by GollaFett@May 6 2004, 09:09 PM


...or ten days, but whatever....


style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/banghead.gif what an idiot i am i was looking at the date on the first post...Doh'.

[Cerebral Jedi]

For whatever reason, the debate can go on forever, Luke was walking around with his blaster out and his saber holstered. Bobba caught him off guard and threw shots at Luke. Jedi or not he didn't have time to activate his saber and deflect the shots. If he had his saber in hand, who knows, maybe he still would've been caught off guard. He still hadn't had much training and remotes are different than real people shooting at you.

[Katsu Ma'roy]

Remember, the last movie is Return of the Jedi. This installment is where Luke has finally come to grips with his destiny.

[thrawnlord]

Ok, first the cave:

He didn't 'fail' by igniting his saber first - that was self defense: Wouldn't you ignite a lightsaber when a menacing figure came at you? The reason why he failed was that he was agressive when he took of 'vader's head.

Next: There is a couple of points I agree with in this post about him not using his saber right away. One is: He didn't want to reveal himself as a Jedi Apprentice yet (though, through conversations with Lord Vader, Boba probably already knew that) and another point is that he came fresh out of training with Yoda style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif He hadn't fought anything in a while, so whipping out his blaster was habit...another point: igniting a saber creates a sound that would be heard...(though R2 already ruined that)...a blaster was silent...

[CharlieBhoy]

Anyone think that the lightsaber in ROTJ looks too chunky??

I would have love to have seen Luke use more of his lightsaber. Even a huge battle with Boba would have been great.

[Sluggo]

That would be cool. Luke vs. Boba out on a landing platform at cloud city. Why does that sound so familiar...

[Obi-Stu]

style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

I think it's not something he's used to yet. that's all.

[Cerebral Jedi]

Originally posted by thrawnlord@May 12 2004, 06:14 PM
Ok, first the cave:

He didn't 'fail' by igniting his saber first - that was self defense: Wouldn't you ignite a lightsaber when a menacing figure came at you? The reason why he failed was that he was agressive when he took of 'vader's head.


Actually he failed the moment he went against what Yoda said and took his weapon(s) with him into the cave.

[JKRich]

^ plus i think because he was filled with fear as well.(fear is the path to the darkside.) style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/evil.gif

[Jim-Jam]

You Wanto KNo the real reason luke never took out his lightsaber much in ANH and ESB, to save money on effects. giv it up with this stuff. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/giveup.gif

[JKRich]

Actually the lightsaber effects were done so poorly back then money shouldnt have been an issue.Unlike the Jedi of old Luke was not raised using the Force or a lightsaber.Therefore his expertise and confidence were still in question.

[Leto Aldriss]

OK, so I know that I'm a little late on this issue, but I have to agree that Luke's failure to use a lightsaber against Bobba's attack in ESB was due to a lack of confidence in the force and out of habit.

However in ROTJ, his lightsaber was inside R2-D2, so he had little choice but to look for a weapon elsewhere, so he takes the guards blaster.

As far as the Barge Cannon, he wanted to take out the sail barge. You don't use a swiss army knife to destroy a Mac Truck, it's just not time efficient.

[Tarkheki JD]

I always thought that Luke's skill with the saber, and confidence in using it, came with his power as it grew. Talkin' about chills down the spine- when watching Luke egnight his saber with so much confidence on the sail barge. It's like "YAH!... Return of the JEDI, man!" style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/duel.gif

[CyHunter]

Originally posted by Jim-Jam@May 14 2004, 11:56 PM
You Wanto KNo the real reason luke never took out his lightsaber much in ANH and ESB, to save money on effects. giv it up with this stuff. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/giveup.gif
I don't think that's the reason. Compared to some of the effects in those movies, animating a little line would've been real easy.


The real reason (IMO) is quite obvious: Unless you had a lot of experience and enough Force-discipline to use it correctly, would you give up a blaster for a sword?

[DarthAnakin]

Originally posted by CharlieBhoy@May 13 2004, 05:39 PM
I would have love to have seen Luke use more of his lightsaber. Even a huge battle with Boba would have been great.
Kinda like Obi-Wan vs Jango Fett?

[brookie]

style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

[DarthAnakin]

^ style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

[ryv-wan vegabi]

I agree that Luke's failure to use his light sabre in cloud city when Boba Fett fires at him is just due to the fact that he was not yet a jedi.

Even though padawans in the prequel trilogy use their light sabres all the time.

While a battle between Luke and Boba in cloud city would be cool, it would kinda detract from the movement of the plot which was at that stage just guiding luke toward the carbon freezer and a confrontation with Vader.

[Jared]

I had thought that it was a special effects restrictions. In the late '70 and early '80 I don't think they had the ability to make a lightsaber deflect blaster bolts all that much. Only in spots where it would be seen very little (small scenes or places where it was overshadowed by other action).

[CyHunter]

Originally posted by Jared@Jul 8 2004, 08:28 AM
I had thought that it was a special effects restrictions. In the late '70 and early '80 I don't think they had the ability to make a lightsaber deflect blaster bolts all that much. Only in spots where it would be seen very little (small scenes or places where it was overshadowed by other action).
Why wouldn't they be able tpo do that? There were lots of equivalent sequences....not like it would bust ILM's back or anything...

[JediBendu]

^ ya agreed
they already had a similar shot with obi-wan in anh deflecting the blast from Ponda Baba

[Jared]

I don't remember actually seeing Obi-Wan deflect Panda Baba's blaster bolt, maybe I need to watch ANH again.

[cj790]

Luke Never Gets Out His Lightsaber

This always sounds like a euphamism to me...

[T-bone]

Ben Kenobi:

"You'll stab your eye out, kid."