Idiot of the Day/Week/Month

Being a die-hard Star Wars fan, this type of "fan" has been bothering me for a while. He seems to think that he's soooo smart and clever because he found an inconsitency in Star Wars, when in reality, he only found a detail that isn't expressly spelled-out in the movies because 1) it would be boring to launch into a half-hour speech in the middle of the movie to explain that droids have their memory wiped, and 2) Lucas expects you to have half a brain and figure these things out for yourself.

Claimed inconsitency #1: Obi-Wan doesn't know of the existence of Leia in Episode V, yet knows of her birth in Episode III.

Rebuttal: This is a stretch. It's based enitrely on Obi-Wan's line "that boy is our only hope" as Luke is taking off from Degobah. But never does Obi-Wan say, or even imply that Luke is Vader's only child. To say that line implies he did not know of Leia's existence would be like saying that if I say "my car is my only way to get home from work" means I don't know of the existence of any other cars. It's just ridiculous. Of course Obi-Wan knew about Leia. He just also believed that she wasn't likely to overthrow Vader and the Emperor. Maybe he's sexist and thinks it's a man's job. Who knows.

Claimed inconsitency #2: C-3PO does not recognize Vader as his maker in Episode V, or Luke as his maker's son.
Claimed inconsitency #3: C-3PO does not seem to remember Obi-Wan Kenobi in Episode IV.

Rebuttal: If you go to the Expanded Universe, memory-wipes are a frequent procedure in droids. There's no reason one couldn't have been performed between Episodes III and IV, and in fact it seems quite likely. Anyone who's dealt with computers knows the importance of a reformat and re-install every so often to combat "OS rot".

But EU and memory wipes aside, can you point to a specific line or moment in Episodes IV-VI where it is stated or implied that C-3PO doesn't recognize Vader? Even still, I haven't seen Episode III yet, so I don't know for a fact that C-3PO even knows Vader is Anakin. Concerning C-3PO not recognizing Luke as his maker's son, I presume this is in reference to the fact they're both named "Skywalker". But if you buy your house from someone named Smith, then years later, you sell your house to another person named Smith, is your assumption "Oh my gosh, you must be his son!" And they do re-use last names in Star Wars. So far in the movies, there have been at least 3 unrelated people with the last name "Antilles".

Some of you might point out the scene in Episode IV, where Obi-Wan explains how Vader murdered Anakin and hunted down and killed the Jedi. Technically, C-3PO is present, but if you remember, he's already turned off.

Concerning C-3PO not remembering Obi-Wan Kenobi, point out to me where in Episode I or II the two of them meet.

Claimed inconsitency #4: In Episode IV, Owen and Beru Lars don't remember C-3PO, despite the fact that they owned him in Episode II.

Rebuttal: This one is really lame. Okay, suppose Honda has a good year and sells approximately 6 trillion Honda Civics this year, and you are one of the lucky owners of a silver one. Now, twenty years down the line, you're looking for a car and you come across a used gold Honda Civic. Is your reaction "Hey, that's my old Civic! I know that, despite the fact that they're all virtually identical and this one is a different color!" Or is it more likely "Oh yeah, I owned one of these once. Silver if I recall." That's what I thought. Remember C-3PO isn't unique. We see no fewer than two identical models in Episodes IV-VI (one right behind him on the Tantive IV at the beginning of Episode IV, and another in Cloud City in Episode V).

Claimed inconsitency #5: (This one comes from a pre-review I read of Episode III) Leia remembers Padme, but Luke doesn't, despite the fact they were seperated from her at the same time.

Rebuttal: Take two adults and ask them how much they remember from when they were 6 months old. I'd be amazed if either of them remembered anything. In this case, I think it's more likely that neither Luke nor Leia would remember Padme, rather than both of them. Just because two people were infants in the same place doesn't mean that they'll both remember the same thing when they're grown up.