When I opened my mouth to protest that view, he held up his hand.  "We've arrived.  Please make yourself comfortable, and Master Skywalker will be with you shortly."  He opened the door and stood aside.  The moment I walked into it, I was struck at how spartan the decorations were.  It took me a moment to realize that this wasn't a separate office, but a part of his cham- apartment- that had a desk added to it.  I turned to study the room in an attempt to slow my racing heart.

A splash of colour here, a piece of art there.  While there was no unifying theme or idea in the decorations they did succeed in passing on a sense of... conclusion.  Of completion.  I noticed a few items that probably held special meaning for the occupants.  A flight helmet.  A gaffi stick.  A framed picture of Yavin rising over the horizon.  And against all expectations, in a place of honour where all could see, was a twisted branch of wood.  It looked well used and smoothed by many years of use, but of what, I couldn't say.  When I turned around and saw the Master standing off to the side and watching me, I jumped nearly a meter!  While the soft smile on his face didn't bloom into a full-blown grin, as I expected it would, his eyes lit up.  It took me a moment to recover, but I was unable to keep the shaking out of my voice.

Q: Ma-ma-ma-master Skywalker?

LS: That's me, yes.  Glad to make your acquaintance (holds out hand).

Q: Tha-thank you for seeing me.

LS: Thank you for coming by and writing your article about us.

I stood there for a few minutes trying, vainly, to steady my breathing and heart rate.  I finally processed the fact that he was still holding his hand out.  I belatedly took it, and then I felt a strange calm come over me.

LS: I would suggest that you calm yourself, (smiles) but I somehow think that would be impossible.

Q: Yes, Master.

But I was already calming down.  Suddenly it felt no different than any other interview I'd ever done

LS: shaking his head I've never gotten over people whom aren't my students calling me "Master".  But I suppose there has to be some title.

Q: It's no different than in the military; we call those superiors "General", so we call you "Master".

I was shocked, even though the words were coming out of my mouth.  What was I thinking?

LS:  True.  But it still takes me by surprise every now and then.

Q: Now I need to ask this, but on the first day I was here I saw some of your students working out in one of the fields.  They were doing some unarmed combat techniques, and Mister Solusar couldn't answer the question of why they were doing that.  He told me to ask you, so I am.  Why were they doing that?

LS: Because they might need to know how to defend themselves.

Q: I thought that's what they had lightsabers for?

LS: Not exactly.  The lightsaber is a tool that does an excellent job when it's used.  But there are times when a lightsaber can't be used, or even shouldn't be used.  Even without her weapon, a Jedi must always be prepared to defend those who cannot defend themselves.

Q: That's interesting.  My first reaction with having a lightsaber would be to use it for everything.

LS: And that opinion is far more common among my students than I would like.  As you saw yesterday, the… well… arrogance that comes with knowing how to use a lightsaber is a constant source of problems here.  Getting the students to understand that there is a time and place to use a lightsaber and a time and place when not to use it is one of the harder lessons.

Q: I can imagine.  I saw how you handled that incident the other day.  I suppose that's one student who's just learned that lesson.

LS: (soft smile) He might've indeed.  And you needn't worry about him losing control like that as a Jedi Knight.  Before anyone's even considered for graduation from this academy, they're put through very rigorous tests and trials.  Not just to ensure they have the physical abilities to control the Force, but whether or no they have the mental toughness to take the tribulations of being a Jedi Knight.

Q: I imagine it's not easy being a Jedi Knight.  What's the hardest part?

LS: (wry smile) What part about it isn't hard?  First there's the awesome responsibility to the people of the galaxy; the responsibility to use our powers and skills in their best interests, not our own.  Then there's the problem of unity.  Right now we have almost a hundred Jedi Knights out there, each with his or her own ideas about just how to administer justice.  And most of all, there's the temptations that all Jedi face, not just the Knights: the temptation of the Dark Side.

Q: There are a fair amount of difficulties there, yes.  But what do you mean by different ideas of justice?  Aren't you the Master they all learned from?

LS: I am.  But that doesn't mean that they all think the same why I do.  I've often likened teaching Jedi to my sister and the way she taught her children: You nurture them the best you can, you teach them all you know, you tell about your mistakes and how you overcame them.  Then you can only wait, hope, and pray that they don't screw up like you did.

Q: Have you ever considered a ruling body, or a formal chain of command to control those Jedi in the galaxy at large?

LS: (pauses) Innovative thought.  It had occurred to me to try to revert to the old style of teaching, one student to a teacher, but a formal chain of command?  That's a new one.  I'll have to seriously think about it.  Thank you for the idea.

I could feel my face warming.  To be thanked by the Jedi Master himself was a different sort of praise that I was used to, a different order of magnitude.  I saw his lips curve into a small smile, and I decided to switch tracks to avoid further embarrassment.

Q: Much has been said by outside sources about the Dark Side of the Force.  But very little information has been given to the common being about it, specifically.  The same thing with the Light Side, to think about it.  Can you please elaborate on what you meant by the temptations of the Dark Side?

LS: (long pause) As long as you understand that the Force is something that cannot be "explained".  It needs to be experienced, and any such explanations I give will be ambiguous at best.

Q: I suppose that will have to do.

LS: The Force is an energy field that surrounds all living things.  Life creates it and makes it grow, in fact.  It surrounds us, it penetrates us, it's what binds the galaxy together.  The Force is what allows Jedi to do what we do.  It can be harnessed and applied by those who have the ability to interface with and feel that energy field.  It can be used to increase healing, to increase the senses, to increase the reflexes or strength for a short period of time.  But those are the basic applications.  There are more advanced applications, such as telekinesis, telepathy, a sixth sense of sorts, and the famous "Jedi Mind Trick" to cloud other people's minds, to name a few.  But there are also some very extreme applications of the Force that only a few Jedi will ever unlock: visions of possible futures, the ability to absorb and dissipate massive amounts of energy, and large-scale telepathy and influence of minds.

Q: That's about the Light Side, yes.  (smiles) But I wouldn't call that an answer.

LS: (another wry smile) I did say that this would be difficult.

Q: What can you tell me about the Dark Side?

LS: (sobers) The Dark Side is just that: darkness.  It's the antithesis of the light in every way.  Where the Light Side heals and creates, the Dark Side damages and destroys.  But it's so much worse than that because of how the Force interacts with its users.  Anger, fear, aggression, and all of those types of negative emotions fuel the Dark Side; whereupon the Light Side is fed by calmness, clarity of thought, piety, and extreme control of one's self.  Those that use the Dark Side abhor calmness, clarity of thought, piety, and they do their best to never control themselves.

Q: With all that power at their command, it's a wonder that any Dark Side users can be stopped.

LS: Oh, they can be stopped.  It's not easy, but it can be done.

Q: How?

LS: With heart.  Determination.  Sheer will to see that the unjust are punished.  And the knowledge that they must be stopped at all costs!  Jedi are fully prepared to lay their lives down if that's what it takes to bring justice to this galaxy.

Q: That must take some strength of character not common in the galaxy.  To be ready to lay your life down for a complete stranger… I don't think that's too common.

LS: I disagree.  In my experience, people will always do the right thing if they have the conviction.  For example, Grand Admiral Pelion from the Empire.  He was the one to make peace overtures with the New Republic, at great personal risk, I might add, because he knew it was the right thing to do, regardless of politics.

I knew that we were straying off-topic, and while it was amazing background information and ideas, I wasn't about to waste the opportunity to talk with Master Skywalker about some of the more… trivial… issues that the common being looks for when dealing with somebody of Luke Skywalker's stature.

Q: If I may be permitted to switch topics, the decoration of your chamb- apartments, excuse me, is quite interesting.  I would've thought that someone who's been from one end of this galaxy to the other would have had the opportunity to pick up a lot of different merchandise.

LS: Yes, and I did have the opportunity to pick them up… I just never had the interest.  Actually, it could be quite counter-productive for a Jedi to do so.

Q: How so?

LS: Well, first is the piety that I mentioned before, which is a major factor in any Jedi's life.  We're not supposed to have any interest in acquiring vast amounts of material goods.  But it goes beyond that.  One of my master's teachings was that the details are everything.  If you can focus on the details and block out extraneous information, then you can get to the core of any issue.  And I've found that that lesson extends to everything in my life.  My family, my wife, my students, the New Republic; everything, and even my apartments are subject to that lesson.

Q: What do you mean?

LS: I find that we as a society are bombarded with too much information from too many sources.  Everything vying for a few precious moments of our time, and we can't focus on the details.  For example, you see that plant and pot over there in the corner?

It was easy to see, as it was the only floor decoration that I'd seen so far.

LS: That plant is the perfect example of what I'm trying to say.  Because there's nothing else in the room, all of your attention is focused onto that plant and pot.  The plant suddenly becomes a bit greener, the pot's earthenware takes on differing shades of brown, the hues of both spring to life.  And that's all because your mind has nothing else to focus on.  If I had many different knick-knacks from every corner of the galaxy, not only would I not have enough room to store them all, but also there would be no room for the details to come through.  It's funny that that was the hardest thing my wife had to adjust to when we were first married.  Mara just couldn't comprehend what I was thinking when I'd decorated the rooms, aside from the firm belief that I was nuts.  But when I explained it to her in those terms, not only did she understand but she's become a staunch supporter of that mindset.  (grins again) And it was the only way I'd let her redecorate the room.

          Despite the conviction of the words, I found myself grinning back at him.  For some reason, the thought of Master Skywalker and his wife going through the simple issues of living a married life was entertaining beyond all rational reason.

Q: Speaking of your wife, I would like to take this moment to apologize to you for angering her.  I know that-

LS: (waving me silent) Don't worry about it.  She's told me all about it and thinks that it's she who crossed the line.  We both knew ahead of time that this interview might be uncomfortable at times and that we might not enjoy parts of it.  And besides, she wasn't angry with you.  Just mildly annoyed.

          I could feel my jaw dropping.

Q: That was just mild annoyance?

          Master Skywalker nodded his head while I took a few moments to reconcile Mara Jade Skywalker's impassioned speech and outburst as "mild annoyance".

Q: If that was "mild annoyance" as you put it, I would hate to see anyone bear the full weight of her wrath.  Has anyone ever had to do that?

LS: (raises his hand) Right here.

For the second time in a row, I could feel my jaw drop.  My eyes must've grown as large as dinner plates and my voice failed me.  I knew my jaw was working up and down, but no sound was coming out.  Master Skywalker smiled as I took a few moments to settle my mind onto one question.  I was eventually able to croak out a coherent thought.

Q: You, Master?

LS: Oh, yes.  When we first met… she wanted me dead.  Had wanted me dead for almost five years, dreaming about the hundreds of ways she'd do it.  The fact that we were forced to rely on each other to escape a large and violent jungle did nothing to improve her feelings for me.  It took many adventures for the two of us to come to an understanding.  More adventures led to friendship.  Friendship became interest, and interest became love.  I won't try to say that it was easy, nor was it swift.  But it was so very much worth it.

Q: You said that everything in this room has a purpose or a reason, right?  What significance does that branch on the wall hold?  What's special about it?  The other items I can guess at, but that's a complete mystery.

LS: (voice soft, wistful) That?  That was my master's walking stick.  He was old when I was first told about him, and positively ancient by the time I'd returned to him to complete my training.  I'd crash-landed my X-wing almost on top of his little hut, in a backwards planet that wasn't even on most star charts.  Landing in a muddy bog, I had no idea what I was doing there or what I expected, aside from a great warrior.  Then this little, two-foot tall green alien hobbled right into my base camp and started making a complete nuisance of himself by taking my glowrod, food, tools, and anything else he could get his hands on.  (smiles suddenly) I don't think Artoo liked him very much and tried to hassle the little frog.  Getting everything sorted out, the alien invited me back to his hut where he promised to take me to Yoda, and if not that, then I'd leave that slimy mud hole.  Unfortunately, his hut was built for someone his size, not mine.  It wasn't until after I'd made a fool out of myself by slamming my head against the roof that I realized the little frog was Yoda, the great warrior I was seeking.

Q: The frog was your master?

LS: Yes.  Of all the lessons I'd ever learned up until then, from Han (editor's note: Han Solo), any of the Alliance courses, to my Uncle Owen and the moisture farm… none of those lessons were as hard as the ones Yoda drilled into me.  And none of those teachers were ever as difficult as he was.  Yoda was a harsh taskmaster, constantly driving me to my limits and then beyond them.  Stressing me to my limits and then pushing me past them.  Of course, his method of teaching was a bit stricter than mine.  When I messed up, my master would crack my knuckles with that walking stick over and over until I got it right.  (shakes his head) However archaic his method was, it worked.  And he had over eight hundred years of teaching experience under his belt.

Q: Eight hundred years?  I thought you said he was an ancient who hobbled!

LS: (small laugh) Let's see how good you look when you're nine hundred years old.  I do miss him, though.  If not for his advice and knowledge, then just for his presence.  He was a very harsh taskmaster, but he had a streak of mischief and a penchant for practical jokes, with a ready laugh.  He seemed to take fantastic delight in my first bumbling attempts at Force control, and always had a witty comment on hand.  (laughs) One example he used was to teach me that fear only controls you if you let it.  He wanted me to walk across a small tree branch that was high up a tree.  I balked and he asked, 'Waiting for an invitation, are you?' and then gave me a good shove with the Force to start me on my way.

Q: He said that to you?

LS: That was his favourite, though he did have others.  He taught me more in that short period than I would ever learn over the next four years.  Heck, I'm only now just grasping some of the reasons behind his teachings.  I find that I'm still learning, and in some cases re-learning, some of his most basic lessons to this very day.

Q: One last question, Master.  This has been the only interview you've ever granted.  Why did you grant this one and not all of the others?

LS: (long pause) I don't know, to be honest.  One of the most basic lessons every Jedi ever learns, the first lesson, in fact, is to stretch out with one's feelings.  Your other senses can deceive you, and you shouldn't trust them.  Trust in the Force to show you what your senses won't.  Not to rely on one the other, mind you.  Just to accept all information in and weigh it appropriately.  And to do that, you need to trust your feelings and instincts.  I imagine something similar in your profession.  The facts may say one thing, but you know that the truth is something else.  For Jedi, it's all that and more.  For us, our hunches and "feelings" could be subconscious messages of the Force.  (holds up a restraining hand) By that, I mean that every now and then, we get this overpowering and massive feeling that we must do this, or we must do that.  Occasionally that feeling doesn't pan out, but they do every now and then.  To answer your question, I don't know why I agreed to this.  I simply know that it was the right choice to make.

Q: I can imagine those hunches leading to some interesting misadventures if the Jedi ever interprets them wrong.

LS: You'd better believe it.  My wife had the hardest time learning to trust those hunches.  Mara is the type of woman who tends to believe what she can see, hear, taste, touch, or smell.  I was trying to tell her to just trust the Force.  (shakes his head ruefully) That was a hard lesson to teach.  Ironically, she's managed to take that lesson and integrate it with her previous teachings to become one of the most observant and perceptive people I've ever known.  It's very hard to sneak a surprise in on her, as she's usually put the puzzle pieces together long before I even make my attempt.

Even now, as I sit in my shuttle and wait for the craft to lift off, I'm still finding my emotions regarding my interview with the Master are quite mixed.  Master Skywalker appears to be a walking contradiction.  He is one of the Rebellion's most famous hero's, but he walks and talks like any citizen of the New Republic.   His wife says that he bears the weight of an entire galaxy on his shoulders, but he doesn't show it.  His body language is relaxed and even casual, but in the depths of his eyes exists a fire that rivals the furnace in stars.  He is polite, courteous, and even humble, yet he has the power to do anything he really wanted to.  He has no outward display of attitude, insolence, or ego.  The most amazing thing is that his physical appears is rather ordinary in that he's of average height, average weight, and appears to have an average build.  It's as if he's showing the galaxy a living example of what the average person can do if he or she can focus their minds on the task.

I felt an odd sensation in my mind.  I turn to look out the small window and I see Master Skywalker and his wife standing on the stone platform, surrounded by every single child, apprentice, and Knight of the Jedi Order.  Master Skywalker raised his hand to bid me goodbye and I returned the gesture.  I found myself wishing that I didn't have to leave, that there was so much I could learn there.  "Don't worry.  You'll be back soon enough… student" I heard in my mind. I jerked as the words registered, the Master's voice echoing strangely in my brain as the shuttle lifted off of the stone platform. Pressing my face against the glass, I could see the Master smiling up at me.

It is this reporter's opinion that the Jedi Order, with Master Luke Skywalker at the head, will only bring order and stability to this turbulent galaxy.