alankistler at MonitorDuty intreviews Darth Vader about inconsistencies that ROTS makes for ROTJ. He brings out a question I’ve asked: is Anakin the Chosen one or is Luke?

In ROTS the interpretation of the “balance” prophecy given by the Jedi is that balance means destroying the sith. I’m not totally following alankistler’s argument (who are you saying is the Chosen one or what is your interpretation of balance?), but he seems to be saying that balance means good and evil coexisting, whearas if the Sith are destroyed only the Jedi rule, which apparently isn’t balanced. He also seems to say that Vader killing his master is a feeble and way overdue act (more on this in a bit) that isn’t very “chosen”, so that Vader isn’t the chosen one.

I add: If being chosen means destroying the Sith, Luke isn’t chosen because Vader destroyed the last sith, not Luke.

Here is my argument. At the end of ROTS, Yoda speculates that the Jedi Order’s interpretation of balance to mean the destruction of the Sith could be incorrect. I don’t think Lucas would put that in the script unless the speculation had a lot of weight i.e. we are supposed to conclude that Yoda is correct. This is the only thing that Yoda has ever admitted being possibly wrong about. He bowed to Obi-Wan’s wish to train Luke only as a martyr, unwilling, conlusive of Luke’s unfitness for the task.

Also, if alankistler’s version of balance means evil and good force-wielders coexisting, Vader and/or Luke throw the Force out of balance by eliminating evil force-wielders. I think this reinforces that Yoda’s speculation is right: balance means something else.

Which leaves me to return to my previous speculation on what balance means.

This rebuttal to Vader is hilarious:

I think what you’re telling me is that if the Red Skull killed Hitler when the Russians were crushing down on Berlin, the Skull should’ve been considered a good guy in the end.

The insolvability of Vader’s mass murders is a problem I’ve also thought on, and I explore a possible solution in that same writing that explores the interpretation of balance.

alankistler also goes into Leia’s memory of her mother as not really possible. I’d thought on this. I don’t know, I’ve thought maybe Leia has some Force abilities and is really only seeing a vision of the past through the Force. That’s problematic though and I’d like my rewrite to explain it.

Lastly - alankistler seems to identify Yoda’s description of Qui-Gonn’s “path to immortality” as meaning to know how to be a ghost. I hadn’t thought of that. I was picturing an actual, corporeal Qui-Gonn. We may not know unless Lucas continues to not leave his films alone and inserts scenes with Qui-Gonn into Ep. IV. alankistler says Vader couldn’t be a ghost without contacting Qui-Gonn - I think that Qui-Gonn would have waited to intercept Vader’s soul right at his death, and train him.

I find the concept of having to train to be a ghost troubling - my belief is that everyone is right at death.