Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace - Watch Your Footing Maul
When the Duel of the Fates Music begins and the jedi and Darth Maul go on that circular shaped thind.... the jedi corner Darth Maul on it and hee begins to back up.. (the area right before he does a backfip onto another platform)....and almost slips off of the platform.
Waat, if that last one about falls was true, wouldn't Kenobi die a few minutes from the mentioned "slip-up" when he gets knocked over the edge? And Maul and Qui-Gon as well at the same time?
As you can see in The Empire Strikes Back and countless Star Wars books, a Jedi can use the force in the same way that he moves objects or levitates to soften a heavy impact if he sees it coming.
If what you say about falls it true, then Obi-wan had nothing to fear when he was hanging above the shaft after Maul knocked him down there. My guess is that Jedi can protect themselves SOMEWHAT during falls. Meaning that the fall Obi-wan suffered earlier was short enough to save him from dying, but the shaft was far too deep for the force to save him.
(Before anyone offers a counterpoint, please do not use novels for proof. I enjoy the novels but do not consider them 'gospel'. I figure that if you accept the novels as being 'true' lineage, then you must also except the comics, the Ewok movies, the Droids/Ewoks cartoons and *shutter* the Star Wars Holiday Special!) :P
i do hold the books as actual lineage.. without the books you wouldn't have the knowledge of many of the characters that are played in the movie and series... they go into depth of feeling and emotions that help to understand how and why they did what they did.. if you don't hold them in the lineage.. then you are missing a major part in the Star Wars universe... need to learn that it is a necessary part to understand how things work out there...
Jedi can use the Force to help them from somewhat long falls. So if you want to argue with that fight, look back at the beginning of the movie when they jump out of that shaft down to the floor where the battle droids are being loaded onto the ships.
Cygnus, I don't know if you realized this or not when you made your comment, but the books were made BEFORE the movies... Maybe you should check yourself on that one. Also, Jedi can use the Force to anticipate falls and leaps to make the landings softer. Sometimes, however, when they don't see the falls coming, they fall hard.
So jedi's have good enough reactions to deflect laser blasts, but sometimes get caught off guard by a fall. I don't think so. Most likely it wasn't the fall obi-wan was worried about, but rather the fact that:
a) It was vital for the safety of naboo that he defeated darth maul
b) There was probably something nasty at the bottom (eg. a huge fan, engine turbines, a force field etc.). It wouldn't make much sense just to put a huge, empty hole in the middle of that place, would it?
c) The movie would have a really naff ending if he just let go and used the force to survive the fall. (OK, obi-wan himself wouldn't be too bothered about this, but I'm sure you get my point).
As for the slip-up it was probably intended to show the peril maul was in, although things like this have happened before in star wars films (remember the stormtrooper who banged his head on the door frame?)
My $0.02 (american):
Wasn't Luke told to let the Force flow through him? That the Force has designs of it's own. If this is so, maybe the Force would be tougher to manipulate at some times than others; say when someone was *supposed* to fall for some reason or other? (Like, say, plot advancement? :)
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