A-ha moments!

When I was a kid, I was always confused by one part of Return of the Jedi, that the Bounty Hunter who captured Chewbacca threatened Jabba with a "thermal detonator". Even the various guides published reacted as if the "thermal detonator" was a known explosive device, like our "fragmentation grenade". Didn't add up to me, as a "detonator" triggers an explosion but gives no concept of yield and what did "thermal" refer to? Thermonuclear? I suppose that's possible considering the advanced tech, but it didn't feel right. Also, it seemed rather dangerous to trigger the device's countdown there in Jabba's lair, sure it puts them all under danger to press the point, but Jabba's laughing didn't seem hurried, which I suppose works for his unflappable crime boss image. Called the Bounty Hunter "fearless and inventive", which suggested the thermal detonator was some significant piece of tech - like "where did they get their hands on that thing?"

Wasn't until years later I realized just what it was. The "thermal detonator" aspect didn't refer to the explosive, but to the arming mechanism - it's a Dead Man's Switch! Take out the bounty hunter, hand releases the grenade which removes the holder's body heat from the sensor, everyone dies. There was no time component to the activation switch, just on and off.

Another, for me, was when Kenobi referred to Vader as being "more machine than man". When I first saw it, I took it literally - that he had more machine components and breathing apparatus than organic components, seemingly confirmed by the moment when Luke chopped off his hand and we saw the circuitry. Didn't realize until much later Kenobi was speaking metaphorically, that Vader was merely following the Emperor's orders rather than making his own decisions, lashing out from habit than because he specifically wanted to.

*shrug* That's how things go. I've been stopped dead in the street 20 years after reading something going "oh, THAT'S what that meant!"


Any one else got any moments that didn't make sense until much later?