Was Yoda and Obi-Wan’s decision to hide Luke on Tatooine wise? Luke Skywalker was the hope the galaxy needed in a dark time. His mother, Padmé Amidala, had died after his and Leia’s births, while their father, Anakin Skywalker, had turned to the Dark Side. So the Skywalker twins were separated for their safety, remaining in the dark about each other until they were adults.
Obi-Wan went along with Yoda’s idea that it was much safer for Luke and Leia. Though, it’s likely that Padmé would’ve wanted her children to remain together. If she had survived, they could’ve stayed together.
We’re asking whether Yoda and Obi-Wan’s idea to hide Luke on Tatooine was a good idea. Before we begin, this post may contain some tiny spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Why Tatooine?
This question came about after seeing a Watch Mojo video where Yoda and Obi-Wan’s decision to hide Luke on Tatooine was deemed dumb. Now, they do make a few significant points. While the reason that it is the first planet Vader would look, we argue that it wouldn’t be and here’s why.
Vader hated Tatooine with a burning passion. If he could, he would turn the sand into glass so that it could be smashed into unlimited pieces. Yoda and Obi-Wan’s logic was that since the desert planet held terrible memories for the Sith Lord, he would never set foot there. It makes sense, right?
The Watch Mojo video made the valid point that it was dumb that Luke’s surname wasn’t changed to Lars. How many people in the galaxy had the last name of Skywalker? Only one since Anakin was widely known as the Hero with no Fear. However, we have an argument for that as well.
Vader was lead to believe that his child(ren) died with their mother, so he had no reason to look on Tatooine. Palpatine might’ve said something to him about how the Princess of Alderaan looks eerily like the late Senator Amidala with Leia. We doubt that the Emperor would spend his time gossiping with his apprentice.
How Much Did Yoda Know About Anakin’s Life?
Anakin was possibly the oldest child to ever become a Jedi. Unlike most Jedi Younglings, Skywalker was much 9 or 10 (depending on the source) when Qui-Gon Jinn found him on Tatooine. However, the Jedi High Council said he was too old to be trained as he had an attachment to his mother.
Being the wise sage he is, Yoda knows more than he lets on as he does not get involved with anyone’s personal life. He merely provided counsel if needed and was present Luke and Leia were born so he would know Anakin was their father. If we’re honest here, we think the Grand Master knew more than anyone was aware.
We say this comes down to what he told Anakin when he sought his help with his visions of Padmé’s demise. Yoda had some sage words that he would probably regret, “Learn to let go of everything you fear to lose.”
Now, this is not what Anakin wanted to hear. He wanted Yoda to help him as he was a wise Jedi. However, the last thing he wanted was for the Grand Master to have him expelled from the Order.
As for Skywalker’s life as a slave, yes, that wasn’t a secret to anyone on the Jedi Council. Also, common knowledge was Anakin’s issues with certain aspects of the Clone Wars, such as slavery and dealing with the Hutts. So why else did Yoda and Obi-Wan send Anakin and Ahsoka to rescue Jabba’s son, Rotta? They wanted to see if he could handle the uncomfortable part of his past and how he could deal with his padawan.
The Marriage Question
Did Yoda know about Anakin and Padmé’s marriage? We know he knew something as he would not have told Luke Vader was his father on his deathbed. Also, he knew about Leia, and why wouldn’t he if he weren’t present at their births?
Do we believe Yoda knew about the marriage? Hmm. We’re not sure as there’s no proof for either side. He knew there was a relationship, given children were conceived and born from it. Though it is our belief, this is as far as his knowledge went. If we’re truthful here, we believe that it didn’t matter to the Grand Master. The Jedi were now gone and Skywalker was supposedly dead, and Amidala had just passed.
Going Back To The Tatooine Debacle
We need to address the Tatooine situation one last time to conclude this post. Why didn’t Yoda tell Obi-Wan to change his entire name, not just his first name? Why didn’t he have Kenobi tell the Larses to change their nephew’s last name if the Empire ended up on the planet? That is something we might never know.
