Foolish Personas
In The Empire Strikes Back and The Acolyte, a master adopts a foolish persona to reveal the true character of a prospective pupil.
In the second act of The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker meets the Jedi master Yoda on the planet Dagobah. However, Yoda does not present himself to Luke as a Jedi master; instead, he acts ridiculous, making a mess of Luke's campsite, stealing his food, and bickering with R2-D2. Luke impatiently demands that Yoda help him find the great Jedi teacher he is searching for and becomes frustrated when Yoda fixates on food instead, forcing him to eat a meal first.
In "Revenge/Justice," the second episode of The Acolyte, Mae Aniseya meets with the Sith master Qimir on the planet Olega. However, Qimir does not present himself to Mae as a Sith master; instead, he acts like a drunken buffoon. Mae impatiently demands that Qimir help her concoct a poison to kill the Jedi master Torbin and becomes frustrated when Qimir fixates on his liquor instead.
Both Jedi and Sith masters test their students' patience by deliberately acting foolish, and this act uncovers aspects of the pupil's character that he or she might otherwise hide. If Luke knew he was speaking to a Jedi master, he would not treat Yoda so arrogantly and dismissively, and if Mae knew Qimir was the Sith master whose favor she was trying to earn, she would hesitate to double-cross him as she does in "Day" (The Acolyte 1.4).
EXPLORE FURTHER…
Characters: Luke Skywalker / Mae Aniseya / Qimir / Yoda
Shows: The Acolyte
GO DEEPER INTO THE ARCHIVES…
Concepts: duality / teachers and students / wisdom and foolishness
READ MORE ABOUT…
Follow The Jedi Archives on…