Did Luke kill the guards in RotJ?

[Alcuin]

The repeating pattern of Jedi and Sith activities is a series of plots inside plots inside plots. Look briefly at the scheme in Jabba’s palace.

Lando enters service in the palace guard. That gives the group an understanding of the layout of the palace (actually a still-active monastery of Tatooine mystics), its defenses, who the personages are, what kinds of traps await, and so forth. We should be certain that if Lando had been able to escape with Han during this early phase, he would have done so.

Then the two droids are sent into the palace. R2D2 has the light saber hidden inside, of course; but the usefulness of C-3PO should not be disregarded. C-3PO is an accomplished liar, and part of the reason for sending him there might have been misdirection; in addition, as Jabba’s translator, he was privy to most of the conversations and meetings in which the gangster participated, no doubt gathering intelligence useful to Luke and his fellow conspirators.

Next, Leia enters the complex in disguise with Chewie as her “prisoner.” Having established her bona fides as a ruthless character with the thermal detonator, she actually makes the first attempt to free Han; something, however, has alerted Jabba to the operation, and he captures Leia. Nevertheless, we should not doubt that this was the first layer of a plan to retrieve Han. At this stage, Han has been removed from the carbonite, and his body has time to recover somewhat and reacclimate to a normal environment.

Now Luke himself enters the arena. We are never told that Luke has entered the building before, but we can suspect that he had been there on a scouting mission, whether in company with Lando or by himself. Regardless, Luke confronts Jabba and attempts to convince him to release Han, offering bribes and threatening him. Jabba recognizes the family resemblance Luke bears to his father, whom Jabba knew, and Anakin’s career as a Jedi was no secret to the Hutts or anyone else on Tatooine. Interestingly, the mind trick fails on Jabba just as it did on Watto; but again, this is still a legitimate attempt to free Han – and Leia and Chewie – from Jabba’s clutches.

The final attack on Jabba at the Sarlacc’s Pit of Carkoon is well-known. What is not often considered is that this was the fourth layer of an intricate plan to obtain Han’s freedom: first was Lando’s espionage, then Leia’s attempt, Luke’s first attempt, and finally the battle at Carkoon.

Similarly layered attacks take place when Obi Wan and Anakin attack the Invisible Hand; when Darth Maul attacks Padme and the Jedi in the palace hanger complex on Naboo; Darth Sidious’ entire career, including his seduction of Anakin Skywalker; and the intricate trap Vader laid to capture Luke in Cloud City. Both Jedi and Sith were using the Force for knowledge of future events, and laying plans to meet every eventuality before any of these events took place.