Sowing Doubts
In the middle films of both the Prequel Trilogy and the Original Trilogy, a Sith Lord tries to tempt a younger man to the Dark Side, in part by sowing doubt about the character of that young man’s late master.
In Attack of the Clones, Count Dooku tells Obi-Wan Kenobi, “You must join me, Obi-Wan, and together we will destroy the Sith!” Just before making this appeal to power and relationship, Dooku lays the groundwork for it by appealing to Obi-Wan’s respect for his dead master, Qui-Gon Jinn, who was struck down in the previous film. “I wish he were still alive,” Dooku says of his former apprentice; “I could use his help right now.” When Obi-Wan retorts, “Qui-Gon Jinn would never join you,” Dooku calmly replies, “Don’t be so sure, my young Jedi… He knew all about the corruption in the Senate, but he would never have gone along with it, if he had learned the truth as I have.” Dooku seeks to unsettle Obi-Wan’s beliefs about Qui-Gon’s character, so that Obi-Wan might move toward the Dark Side while thinking he is doing what his own master would have done.
In The Empire Strikes Back, Darth Vader tells Luke Skywalker, “Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy as father and son!” Just before making this appeal to power and relationship, Vader lays the groundwork for it by targeting Luke’s respect for his dead master, Obi-Wan, who he struck down in the previous film. Whereas Dooku worked with Obi-Wan’s respect for Qui-Gon, Vader works against Luke’s respect for Obi-Wan. Vader tells him that “Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.” Vader implies that Obi-Wan is not trustworthy, so that Luke might move toward the Dark Side to find out what else his mentor may have hidden from him.
In both cases, the young man refuses to take the bait and follow the Sith Lord to the Dark Side. “I’ll never join you,” Luke tells Vader, just as Obi-Wan tells Dooku, “Qui-Gon Jinn would never join you.” Still, the seed of doubt takes root. Later in Attack of the Clones, Obi-Wan asks Yoda and Mace Windu whether Dooku was telling the truth “about Sidious controlling the Senate,” and later in The Empire Strikes Back, Luke asks out loud, “Ben, why didn’t you tell me?” In both cases, the doubt has some legitimate grounds. Obi-Wan did withhold the truth from Luke, and Dooku is right about the Senate, if not about Qui-Gon. Yoda tells Obi-Wan to not take Dooku’s words at face value: “Joined the Dark Side, Dooku has. Lies, deceit, creating mistrust are his ways now.” But though Dooku was indeed creating mistrust in Obi-Wan, it wasn’t all based in lies and deceit.
EXPLORE FURTHER…
Characters: Count Dooku / Darth Vader / Luke Skywalker / Obi-Wan Kenobi / Qui-Gon Jinn
Films: Episode II: Attack of the Clones / Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
GO DEEPER INTO THE ARCHIVES…
Concepts: teachers and students / temptation / truth and falsehood
Interpretive Tools: Ring Theory
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