The recently published book ‘Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View’ has spilled out various new takes on the second and third-tier characters from the first Star Wars movie A New Hope as a part of the 40th-anniversary commemorations of this legendary franchise. We came to know about a gay relationship between Stormtroopers and also the supposed personal vendetta held by Greedo against Han Solo whom he held responsible for stealing his girlfriend. These stories are in the realm of great fan fiction, but, one of them is written by a young adult author Meg Cabot, and it is really a very interesting and logical point of view.
Meg Cabot’s case is about Luke’s Aunt Beru being the most pivotal Star Wars character, and once you read her piece, it seems to be logical too. In fact, it is more central to the plot than Greedo’s wish to murder Han Solo. Cabot was at the New York Comic Con as a part of the Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View panel, and she spoke about the reason behind her writing about Aunt Beru and also why she is the most valuable character in Star Wars despite getting almost no screen space.
The premise of Meg Cabot’s story is the fact that Aunt Beru took care of young Luke and she taught him compassion. It is her teachings and death which prepared Luke for the eventuality of becoming the hero who ultimately beat Darth Vader. Had she not been around Luke when he was a child then he could have become another Anakin Skywalker and trod a different path and if you think about it, that’s truly a big impact.
During that panel discussion for Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View, Meg Cabot talked about the book and her story that featured in the anthology. Cabot said that Aunt Beru was her second most favorite character in the Star Wars Universe and her most favorite character was Princess Leia. When the time came to elaborate the importance of Aunt Beru’s character, she spoke as if this second-tier character was the spine of the Star Wars saga. This is what she said:
“Aunt Beru is there for him until she’s not. The fact that she’s not there anymore is what compels him to go with Ben Kenobi and, of course, save the princess and with her destroy the Death Star. She is the most important character.”
As per Meg Cabot, Aunt Beru was the one who taught the virtues of compassion and strength to a young Luke, and these are the building blocks which were missing in Anakin who was groomed to be a warrior from the beginning. Some people might say that Uncle Owen and Ben had also been vital to the kind nature of Luke and that might not be wrong. However, Meg Cabot hasn’t written about them. Further coverage of the Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View panel from the NYCC can be checked via The Hollywood Reporter.
