1. Darth Vader is after those plans, and it's his daughter that has them. One or the other, yes, but both?

2. The ambassadorial ship was obviously heading for Tatooine. Vader never wonders why, with all the history he has with the place. If the course wans't so obvious, Vader likewise never notices what a coincidence it is.

3. It's these same droids that have seen so much of the action that Leia entrusts the plans to.

4. Kenobi doesn't appear to recognise the droids, nor they him, nor does Vader in his limited dealings with them.

5. Of all the farmboys on Tatooine. . .

6. Kenobi was obviously hanging around to keep an eye on Luke. So why didn't Owen do a better job of keeping him out of the way altogether? Or why didn't Kenobi be more insistent in maintaining a proper relationship with the boy?

7. Vader can detect individuals strong in the Force from some distance, yet never detects Kenobi until he's up close & personal. Hmm. . . and he can detect Luke from a distance. Yet while he's having Leia tortured, nothing.

8. Which begs the question: is the Force a guy thing?

2. Vader could be wondering why. It's not like we hear his thoughts or anything.

3. Well, yes...they hang around the family throughout the movies.

4. They're supposed to be common models of droids. There are C-3PO-type ones on the Tantive IV and in Cloud City and several R2-D2-type ones on the Alliance fighters.

5. R2 was apparently aiming the escape pod to near where Kenobi was, which was also near Luke.

6. The radio play goes into this a bit. Kenobi just needed to stay in the general area.

7. I suppose Force skills have to be developed a bit before others can detect them.

8. Not really...

9. How does R2 "know more" than C-3PO?

Now as I go back and review the first "middle" trilogy, there are subtle hints all over "A New Hope" about Vader's relationship to Luke. I believe Lucas knew this from the get go.

My answers:

1) and 5). Coincident Possible. At the time that the Tantive IV was captured the Senate was still a political entity--with a very short lifespan. We know the Alderan Royalty sided with the rebellion. This hints at long time involvement, considering we know some history of last days of the Old Republic. Given that Jedi's can forsee possible futures, they saw their demise and orchestrated the Skywalker Twin Placement, to seperate the twins. This ensures that at least one offspring of Vader will survive to destroy the Empire, or propogate new Jedi ranks. It's a story of prophesy. And actually, both sibilings did their share to fulfill it.
Let's say the Tantive IV did reach Tatooine with no trouble from the Empire. Leia meets with Kenobi, and guess who would have been indoctrinated into the Jedi? She would have been. But as it happened, she was captured, leading to Luke's introduction of the Force and Jedi. Kenobi was pretty determined to persuade Luke to follow the ways.

2). We don't know the events that lead up to the chase in the first place. We don't know the extent of Vader's damage. His memory could have been affected.

3). Pure planning. Since R2 knows both Anikan and Kenobi, and given that he has avoided memory purges, he knows what is going on. This hints at a large and patient conspiracy against the Empire from the days it was known as the Trade Federation (until we see the movies and have better knowledge to prove otherwise.)

4). The droids are common models. Kenobi seems to recognize R2, but we know that Kenobi withholds information from Luke, and tells truths from his perspective. He never owned R2. But we assume he meets the droid in "The Phantom Menace".
I don't recall Vader coming into contact with R2-D2 for him to associate the astromech droid as the one he owned. Aboard the Tantive IV it wasn't known what kind of droids may have ejected to the planet.

6). It's the prophesy thing. Knowing how the future may turn out sometimes requires one to not interfere with fate if they want that certain future to arrive. Trust me on that.

7)and 8). There is some speculation as to whom Vader sensed after the Falcon was pulled into the Death Star. Was it Kenobi, or his son. I had believed it was his son, but recent viewing and analysis of the film suggest if was indeed Kenobi. The Dark Side is more inhibiting. In that I mean the Force does not meet it's full potential as the individual using the Darkness doesn't allow himself to grasp the full embodiment of the Force. They use and feel the Force for their own agenda. Also, it must be noted that students of the Force are more detectable to Jedis both good and evil than non-students. Luke had limited training in the Force and Vader sensed him in the Trench Battle, but only after Luke was instructed by Kenobi's spirit to use it. I also believe that Kenobi's spirit enhanced Luke's Force "aura" making him more detectable to Vader. Leia, never been trained to use it wasn't detectable to Vader. Leia was only "linked" to Luke (Empire's Cloud City scene) because Luke knew that she was his sister and he focased his power toward her. Because Vader was unaware of his relationship to Leia, he didn't try to "read" her. And to think a simple DNA sample would have been enough.

9). R2 is more pivotal in the storyline that 3P0. Since 3P0 is more vocal and pretty clueless, he diverts attention from R2. R2 knows his mission. And that mission is self evident from the movies.

*ducks to avoid all the TIE fighters thrown at him*

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Since R2 knows both Anikan and Kenobi, and given that he has avoided memory purges,

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he reads just about everything to ensure it fits the 'vision'

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If (when ) Star Wars gets redone, expect the line "Don't seem to recall ever owning a droid before" to be cut out. Without it, that scene works fine. Especially "come here, my little friend" (in a non-dirty sense).

"Leia was only "linked" to Luke (Empire's Cloud City scene) because Luke knew that she was his sister and he focased his power toward her."

Luke didn't know that Leia was his sister at the time. He was reaching out to her simply because they were "close" (or because she'd snogged him at the beginning of the film). The fact that she was his sister though is probably why she heard him.

"R2 is more pivotal in the storyline that 3P0. Since 3P0 is more vocal and pretty clueless, he diverts attention from R2. R2 knows his mission. And that mission is self evident from the movies."

Actually, I go for the idea that Threepio lies. He quite openly lies, even if you just take the film itself ("They'll be no escape for the princess this time", "I'm afraid I'm not quite sure sir" when asked who Leia is). Either that, or bad writing. I think 3PO is lying, just so that he can live the quiet life.

"...and the fact that Paramount is afraid to officially recognize books and comics because it doesnt really consider them important to the story as much as a source of money"

Luke:
"Who is she? She's beautiful."

3PO:
"I'm afraid I'm not quite sure, sir." (If by that you mean, "She's your sister and nearly as powerful in the force as you, and we're going to use her as a back-up plan to destroy the emperor if you should fail, you whiny little git.")

Can we really trust 3PO to faithfully translate whatever R2 says?

R2:
"Beep-Bo-Beep-Beep-Beep"

Luke:
"What is it?"

3PO:
"I'm afraid I'm not quite sure, sir. He says 'I found her', and keeps repeating, 'She's here.'" (If by that you mean, "He says your twittering chatter is distracting him, and if you weren't so damned important to our plans he'd castrate you all using his little shocker thing starting with the wookie. To that end he's just devised a clever plan to get you all out of here and simultaneously distract the Imperial forces while he and I work out the schemata for a new and improved death star borrowing the excellent computational resources of this station. He says, 'Send the mammalian morons after the princess, that ought to keep them busy for a while. By the way, I just hacked Vader's neural net. The big goof thinks his special powers are telling him to kill the old man. Kenobi shouldn't be a problem any longer.'")

[ October 30, 2001: Message edited by: Balaam Xumucane ]