matril

I recall having seen other comments nudging at the "political" content of this scene, and I know you've pointed out before the officer's mood after being released. (With a copy of "The Annotated Screenplays" ready to hand, I know the officer's supposed to be "Admiral Motti," although I also know this just amounts to one more entry in a trivia contest...) I once saw an essay by Fernwithy proposing that Vader's demonstration of the Force "aligns him with the beliefs of the heroes" and begins hinting he could be something more than an Imperial enforcer; unfortunately, I couldn't easily find the essay in the "Internet Archive Wayback Machine." Having seen some arm-waving attempts to make a big deal of "surely these Imperials are old enough to remember the Jedi demonstrating their powers in the Clone Wars," though, I'm a bit more tempted myself to propose they don't so much deny the existence of the Force as suppose it amounted to nothing significant in the end. This might make Vader's demonstration pettier, but I do seem fine with that myself.