The Darkside cave on Dagobah

I will have to ask my friend who is a big EU reader, but I do remember him telling me it was explained in one of the EU books. Yoda killed a Dark Jedi there, and that is why the cave was so strong with the darkside. There was more to it, but I don't remember the specifics. And I do believe this was from an EU book BEFORE the PT came out, so there was no rule of 2 sith yet.

 

If I remember correctly dagobah was mentioned in a EU book, not sure if it was in the Bane trilogy or in Darth Plageuis.
It said that a powerful sith died in that cave and you can still feel his strong presence in there. Yoda chose Dagobah for exile,
because he cannot be tracked there. The Cave is used as a shield.

P.S: I think Bane found a holocron in that cave too...

 

Found this on wookiepedia:
During the Great Jedi Purge, Yoda realized that proximity to the Dark Side Cave could help neutralize his strong light side Force signature—thus preventing his detection by the Sith—and took up residence near the cave, living there for the next two decades, through the reign of the Galactic Empire.

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Dark_Side_Cave

 

Haven't seen this movie in ages, I always assumed that the cave was a "testing area" of sorts under Yoda's control.

 

@Skaro Yeah, sometimes we tend to read too much into the context of the scene. I'd say the obvious choices, like a vision or a test seem the most interesting, to me at least.

 

See, this is why I'm really looking forward to all the games being released becoming canon, because they are able to take their time more with things and explore concepts to a far greater and more in-depth sense. For example, here's the scene from The Force Unleashed II where Galen goes into the cave:

 

As a kid, the whole part of the movie left a great impression on me and I interpreted is as one of Yoda's tests, in which Luke grew stronger in the force and received a glimpse of his future, as someone said in this thread.

I also see it as possible, that there are spots in the galaxy with strong influence by the sides of the force, same as in real life, there are dark grimm places, ot beatyful places where you feel amazing - if you ad a spiritual context with ghosts, positive or negative in which some people belive, you will get this.
Force is an in-universe SW life spiritual thing.

 

i believe it was a Force projection by Yoda for Luke on his path to becoming a jedi.
check out this page from wookieepedia it will explain all.
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Jedi_Trials

 

@Master Raze Golladio The one characteristic about modern Hollywood films I dislike (remakes in particular) is the overabundance of detail and explanations. What is left unsaid or unseen only enhances a strong plot. It leaves room for imagination to explore and make a viewing exp. your own.

I'm an avid gamer and when it comes to SW future, I'd like to see new heroes and villains, new ways to tell a story. Seeing "angles" on already familiar characters and events, eh...

 

I'm not sure if this is pertinent, but the image of the meditating student in the cave has historically been interpreted as a metaphor for being inside one's own mind. Being in the cave, some commentators assert, mirrors the brain (mind) being in the skull. Luke's descent into the cave therefore becomes a dramatisation of his turning inward to face his deepest fears; fears he would have discerned intuitively ("known to be true") due to his force sensitivity. That he's shown doing this on Dagobah illustrates how far he's come as an individual, a water-logged swamp planet being about as far you could get from his dusty, dry desert home.

I may be stretching this to breaking point (and why not), but one of the first things Luke does as he descends is to distastefully move a snake from his path. The snake (serpent) is, according to some traditions, emblematic of the selfish, bestial side of our nature. Egyptian Pharaohs often had serpents riding from the centre of their headdresses; this to symbolise that they had driven out their impure, selfish thoughts. History and myth abound with stories of vanquished dragons, each in some way a story about overcoming ignorance in oneself or in others.

You're probably wondering what the hell I'm talking about? Thing is, for me, recognising these symbols is enough. This is what Lucas refers to as "poetry", although really all he's doing (cleverly, don't get me wrong) is riffing on ancient symbolism and giving it a Sci-Fi veneer. I neither want nor need to know anything more about the cave because I know the symbol and what it infers in the story.

But that's just me. I'm not suggesting everyone should go study mythology, symbolism or literary critique (it's really not for everybody) but sometimes opening yourself to your intuitive understanding of an experience is enough. I think maybe that was exactly the lesson Yoda was trying to teach Luke, too....

 

i like the way this Wayne guy thinks. in my my high school English lit class we actually got to study star wars and cross referenced them to Greek mythology. We compared Luke to Odysseus for example. It was a lesson in archetypes mainly. It is by far my favorite lesson in school. It’s one of my favorite scenes in any movie because it shows that the hero isn’t perfect. He’s capable of making mistakes and possibly turning to evil. When Luke exits the cave he makes a hasty decision to face Vader head on before he’s ready, against master Yoda’s advice. And in doing so, he enters a trap. After watching a recent episode of Rebels its not a force projection by Yoda but in fact a highly force sensitive area due to metacholrians or some bunkus. Side note. It’s really hard not to curse here. Lol. We gotta fight to get that rule amended.

 

I believe Yoda went to Dagobah in exile because he faced a great trial himself there in The Clone Wars. If he ever needed to give a make-shift Jedi Trial, it could be used. I don't think Luke failed or passed it. One way I sometimes still believe is that Luke faced a great trial, but never truly faced it and learnt from it like Yoda did. All it did was to confuse him. Perhaps Yoda didn't know, but Luke's trial may have simply been being different, and to lead the Jedi a whole new path, and in his case, redeem his father.

 

Well Luke did visit the cave again in 9 aby to recover a beacon left by Jorj Car'das he also had a vision of Mara Jade that had she been at the sarlacc pit she would have succeeded in preventing his escape, Anakin Solo also had a nightmare in 14 aby about coming Darth Vader, it's strange what this cave could do.

 

I think this is interesting. I watched TESB yesterday and reacted to the non cavelike walls and edges. There must be a though about what was when they build the set. Bu it is clear everything is not on the internet...
I actually think this is more interesting then the force mystery of the cave.

 

Is it canon that it's The Dark Side ?

 

While I totally concur that the confrontation with Vader is a metaphor, the place itself is very real, i.e. an unknown undergground complex.

This is rather self-evident, IMHO, that the outside or anteroom of that structure is covered with vegetation while Vader emerges from an interior part with no vegetation whatsoever covering the walls (an unseen door must have opened). As a metaphor such a distinction of the structure would be redundant.

I also concur with the EU explanation that it used to be a Sith place (the architecture fits) whose dark presence provided a neutralizing effect for Yoda, thus he remained concealed and couldn't be tracked by the Sith.

The other question is whether Yoda's presence also concealed the existence of that place that might have some relevance for the Sith. With his death the neutralizing effect would have gone, yet he tells Luke that he eventually will have to face the Emperor (presumably with the help of Leia). Of course, Yoda would have probably hidden or destroyed any relevant Sith artefacts, but still...