George Lucas’ original Star Wars trilogy remains revered among fans even today. However, despite its compelling visual storytelling, the films feature some glaring plot holes. One of the more frequently discussed plot holes in the original trilogy is Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda’s timeline for Luke Skywalker’s training.
In the first film, Obi-Wan briefly trains Luke in the ways of the Force. Later, Luke trained under Yoda before becoming a full-fledged Jedi and fighting against the Empire. However, the urgency of the situation does not compliment the choices Obi-Wan and Yoda made while training Luke to fight against the Jedi, and here is why their decisions still bother us.
Obi-Wan and Yoda’s Training Plan To Train Luke Skywalker in Star Wars Makes No Sense
Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill, was first introduced in 1977’s Star Wars (later retitled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope). After discovering the plans for the Death Star, Luke meets former Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and learns about the Force.
After Obi-Wan’s death, his Force Ghost instructs Luke to seek out Master Yoda on the planet Dagobah. Under Yoda’s tutelage, Luke begins his formal training to become a Jedi. However, three years have passed by the time Luke finds Yoda. As a result, it raises a question over why Obi-Wan waited so long to direct Luke to Yoda.
Furthermore, Yoda insists that the Sith must be defeated swiftly, making Luke’s training as a Jedi, one of the last few left in the galaxy, all the more urgent. However, when Luke abandons his training to save his friends, Yoda does not intervene. Instead, he ascertains there is another Chosen One.
Ultimately, both Obi-Wan and Yoda made some questionable choices during Luke’s training. Their choices do not make narrative sense and instead raise confusion over their competency despite being legendary Jedi. However, the duo’s other oversights fail in comparison to hiding the truth about Darth Vader.
Obi-Wan and Yoda Not Telling Luke about Darth Vader Makes Things Worse
In The Empire Strikes Back, Obi-Wan (Alec Guinness) and Yoda (Frank Oz) make arguably the worst choice regarding Luke’s training by allowing him to leave Dagobah. Luke cutting his training short results in him facing Darth Vader in a lightsaber duel. During the duel, Luke loses an arm and learns that Vader is his father in the most painful fashion.
Due to these events, questions are raised about Obi-Wan and Yoda, who were aware of the truth but chose to hide it from Luke. Obi-Wan even went as far as to say that Luke’s father was dead and had been killed in battle by Darth Vader. Despite the Vader twist being one of the best in the franchise, it only added to questions about Obi-Wan and Yoda’s incoherent plan while training Luke.
Eventually, hiding the truth from Luke does more damage than good to the young Jedi Padawan. Obi-Wan and Yoda allow Luke to challenge Vader underprepared, and also let him become emotionally scarred. As a result, hiding Vader’s true identity could have inevitably driven Luke to the dark side. Hence, Obi-Wan and Yoda’s plan to train Luke was incoherent and could have easily led to another Chosen One’s downfall.
The Star Wars movies and TV shows are streaming on Disney+.
