Obi-Wan Kenobi is one of the most iconic characters in the Star Wars universe. But
who knew he owes his origins to a certain late night talk show host?
Keep watching to discover the untold truth of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Fans are often divided by George Lucas's late-career contributions to the Star
Wars franchise. In some ways, it can feel like he's both the best
and worst thing to ever happen to the saga, and, for a long time, at least,
whatever Lucas said about his universe would quickly become law — even if he was joking.
At the Star Wars Celebration V in 2010, Lucas was being interviewed by Jon Stewart,
who observed that, while we know about the home worlds of most of the saga's main characters,
Obi-Wan Kenobi's is a mystery. So he posed the question: just where does Obi-Wan hail from?
At this point, Lucas paused to think, spurring Stewart to insist that he not just make up his
answer. Lucas sarcastically shot back that he'd never make something like this up, then proclaimed
that Obi-Wan's home world is the planet of Stewjon — an obvious amalgamation of Jon Stewart's name.
While this was obviously an off-hand joke for Lucas, the nature of Lucas' influence on Star Wars
means it's now enshrined in canon. If you visit Obi-Wan's page on the official Star Wars site,
you'll even find that Stewjon is listed as his homeworld on his databank profile.
In the Star Wars universe, there's something to be said about the bond between a padawan and a
master. As Jedi are instructed to forsake their emotional ties and relationships,
a padawan's closest familial bond becomes the one who instructs them
in the ways of the force. As a result, there's a kind of lineage that can be
spoken of in the ranks of the Jedi — one that transcends genetic relationships.
"Why do I get the feeling you're going to be the death of me?"
"Don't say that, Master. You're the closest thing I have to a father."
Obi-Wan Kenobi is, perhaps, the most pivotal and influential Jedi Master in Star Wars.
Not only did he train the greatest Sith Lord in the galaxy, his own skills and training
can be traced back to the ancient era of the High Republic. During this time, the thriving Republic
was expanding to the outer territories within the galaxy and the Jedi were at their very peak.
How does this work? Well, in The Empire Strikes Back, it's implied that Yoda trained Obi-Wan. But
the prequel trilogy makes it quite clear that the bulk of his training came from Qui-Gon Jinn. It's
later revealed, however, that Jinn was trained by Count Dooku , who was, in turn, trained by Yoda.
So no matter how you spin it, Obi-Wan's skills are derived from Yoda's, and Yoda learned his
powers as a padawan nearly a millennium prior, during the High Republic era. It's one heck of
a long line — and one that stretches not just into the past, but far into the future, too.
Obi-Wan's journey from the Galactic Republic to the Galactic Empire is driven by his incessant
need to do the right thing and live by the Jedi code. In the prequel films,
he often appears to harp on Anakin for acting outside the tenets of the Jedi,
and he rarely wavers in his loyalties to the Jedi Council.
There is, however, one notable exception to this. Sadly, only one film in the saga
portrays the relationship between Obi-Wan and his master Qui-Gon Jinn, but it's a fascinating one
nonetheless. Throughout The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan objects to his master's decision
to bring Anakin Skywalker into the Jedi fold — but he supports Qui-Gon regardless.
Qui-Gon, meanwhile, constantly challenges the council and is clearly unwilling to fall
in line behind their agenda, especially when they deny his request to have Anakin trained.
Sticking to his convictions, Qui-Gon commits to teaching Anakin. In his dying breath,
Qui-Gon asks Obi-Wan to train Anakin, insisting he is the chosen one. Risking his standing among
the Jedi Council, Obi-Wan remains loyal to his dying master's request and assumes mentorship
over the young padawan. Despite his own feelings and the Council's original decision,
Obi-Wan's loyalty to Qui-Gon Jinn clearly runs far deeper than his own commitment to the Jedi.
At one point, he even tells Yoda that he'll go against the council's wishes
if he doesn't have their support — just like Qui-Gon. It's a stirring testament
to the incredibly close relationship between Obi-Wan and his former master.
Jedi Knights are known for their prowess in the use of the Force,
and Obi-Wan Kenobi became a legend among them by defeating Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace.
Of course, Darth Maul would return to skulk in the shadows for years to come,
but as far as the prequels go, their battle is as important as it is dramatic.
At the time of their duel, a Sith Lord had not been seen in nearly a thousand years.
Defeating — and seemingly killing — one solidified Obi-Wan's position among the
top ranks of the Jedi, and he was granted the rank of Jedi Knight for accomplishing this feat.
The Sith are capable and dangerous foes to a Jedi for a reason, as they're less constrained
by the moral platitudes of the Jedi Order. Simply put, defeating a Sith Lord is no mean
feat even for a Jedi Master. Obi-Wan's victory over Darth Maul, given his relative youth and
inexperience, is one of his greatest and most under-appreciated accomplishments.
While the duel between Obi-Wan and Darth Maul marks the climax of The Phantom Menace,
the two would be destined for many more rounds via the franchise's animated shows.
On at least three occasions in The Clone Wars and Rebels, Obi-Wan and Darth Maul have
been reunited in combat. It's soon revealed that Darth Maul's connection with the Force,
as well as his intense hatred for Obi-Wan, kept him alive after being severed in two; eventually,
he obtained robotic legs that enabled him to once again operate like normal. However, he grew
resentful towards the Jedi for taking away his future at Palpatine's side. Maul's brother Savage
Opress soon located him, and the two set off on their own path toward building a criminal empire.
Ultimately, just prior to the events of A New Hope, Darth Maul discovers that Obi-Wan
is hiding on Tatooine and deduces that he must be serving a purpose there — or protecting somebody.
He hunts down his old enemy, but, after a brief clash, Obi-Wan delivers him a fatal wound. In
Maul's dying breath, he asks Obi-Wan if the one he protects is the chosen one. Obi-Wan confirms this,
and Maul dies believing that this chosen one will avenge them both.
Clearly, Maul always knew the Sith were his true enemies, having stolen him as a child
and indoctrinated him in the ways of the dark side. And while Luke Skywalker didn't
avenge Maul in quite the way he might have thought, Obi-Wan's mission to protect and
train the young Jedi nevertheless delivered justice for the embittered ex-Sith Lord.
The Jedi Ahsoka is known for many things, one being that she was the only Jedi apprentice of
Anakin Skywalker prior to his turn to the dark side of the Force. Her quest to becoming a Jedi
begins in The Clone Wars animated series, as Anakin trains the young padawan into becoming
a fully-fledged Jedi Knight. Most of the time, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka operate together
on missions, and Obi-Wan is typically on-hand to aid Anakin in his efforts to train his apprentice.
Likewise, Ahsoka recognizes Obi-Wan's status in the Jedi Order, often going directly to
him to seek guidance, and the two forge a unique bond. Tragically, following Order 66,
Ahsoka and Obi-Wan never make contact again, as they're both forced into hiding from the Empire.
It's quite likely that he never even knew that she survived the purging of the Jedi .
While Obi-Wan may be a legendary Jedi Knight, he isn't infallible. Most of his shortcomings
are due to the rigid traditions of the Jedi Order that Obi-Wan adheres to with precision. Indeed,
perhaps his most destructive flaw is his aversion to matters of the heart.
The Jedi have always denied their emotions and romantic attachments to others,
but this makes them more susceptible to volatility and instability. The result? This.
Obi-Wan is particularly adherent to this rule, and it even prevents him from discussing his
padawan's obvious attraction to Padme. Had this been an open topic for discussion,
perhaps Obi-Wan could have circumvented Palpatine's efforts and reasoned with
Anakin before tragedy struck. Likewise, his fear of impacting the fate of the galaxy
by bringing up family drama prevents him from telling Luke the identity of his real father.
In Return of the Jedi, Obi-Wan counsels Luke to kill his father — a task Luke
doesn't think he can perform. Obi-Wan then laments a failure that hadn't even occurred.
Of course, Luke's love for his father later brings about the downfall of the Empire,
proving that the Jedi, and Obi-Wan himself, were very much in the wrong.
In a 2015 run of Star Wars comics published by Marvel, Luke discovers Obi-Wan's old journals.
Issue #7, written by Jason Aaron, details an adventure in which he rescued Luke from
Jabba's enforcers as a young boy. At the time, Luke had become angered by Jabba's
henchmen collecting "water" tax from the moisture farms. After attempting to steal the water back,
Luke was caught, and came very close to being sold into slavery.
Luckily for the intrepid little do-gooder, old Ben Kenobi had been watching his back
from the shadows. Obi-Wan leapt into action, using the Force to dispatch Luke's captors.
The next morning, Luke awakened to Aunt Beru asking him what had happened;
he stated that he simply could not remember.
This would seem to imply that Ben Kenobi used the Force to wipe Luke's memory of the event.
True to his word and purpose, this wasn't the only time that Obi-Wan has demonstrated
his watchful eye and protective actions over Luke. The most famous of these, of course,
occurs in live action when he scares away the Tusken Raiders in A New Hope — and there can be
little doubt that he'll get the chance again when Obi-Wan Kenobi airs on Disney+ in 2022.
Building an evolving story that grows both backwards and forward can be extremely
difficult work. For George Lucas, modernizing old plot points eventually became a tug of war
with simply telling solid stories — leading to some substantial plot holes in his franchise.
One such trouble spot comes from Obi-Wan apparently having forgotten R2-D2 and C-3PO
from his days as a young Jedi Knight, despite all the adventures they shared together.
When Alec Guinness sees the droids in A New Hope, he barely even acknowledges them.
"Well then, the droid does belong to you."
"I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid."
One fan theory argues that Obi-Wan may have voluntarily erased any memory that connected
him with dissidents of the Empire in order to protect himself and Luke.
It's a nice idea, but nothing exists in canon to support it, and, for now,
fans will have to assume that, in A New Hope, old Ben Kenobi is simply showing his age.
At first pass, it might seem odd that Han and Leia named their son
after the name Obi-Wan took in exile. After all, Han barely knew Ben Kenobi. Sure,
the old man had tagged along with Luke aboard the Millennium Falcon, but he died at the hands of
Darth Vader mere hours later, after the crew was pulled aboard the Death Star. Obi-Wan engages in
few notable interactions with Solo, and even Leia knew him primarily from his reputation.
That said, both of them were aboard the Death Star, and if not for Obi-Wan's diversion and
sacrifice, the whole group might have been killed. Most likely, as the years went by,
Luke shared Obi-Wan's stories with his sister and brother-in-law, perhaps suggesting that
Ben Kenobi had helped bring the two of them together. Suddenly the name "Ben" makes a
little more sense for the child of Han and Leia. It's just a shame what happened next.
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus,
even more Looper videos about your favorite movies are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.