Oh yes my little Padawans! Obi-Wan season is almost upon us! The Disney+ series is releasing soon (May 27, 2022) and that means it’s time to get primed for the new Star Wars series. And in case ya’ll need a refresher, let’s break down some Kenobi facts (like how old he is) and try to tackle some perplexing questions about his lore.
Who is Obi-Wan Kenobi?
This may feel like a no brainer, but just in case you’ve been living in under a rock in the furthest deserts of Tatooine, or have just never cared about Star Wars (how dare you) until now, here is a quick rundown:
Obi-Wan Kenobi is a Jedi master most famous for the following things: He, and his Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), were accidentally part of the catalyst for the Clone Wars, which is what put Emperor Palpatine and the Empire in charge of the galaxy. He also trained Anakin Skywalker (after promising a dying Qui-Gon that he would). Skywalker would later turn to the Dark Side, kill a bunch of children in training at the Jedi Temple, and then face off against Obi-Wan in a duel where Obi-Wan was forced to dismember him. However, Palpatine scooped him up and with a little bit of robotics, transformed Skywalker into Darth Vader.
Feeling a bit ashamed of failing so miserably and accidentally being part of the destruction of the Republic, Obi-Wan flees into self-imposed exile on the planet Tatooine, where he decides to keep an eye on Skywalker’s son Luke from a distance. Luke grows up only knowing of him as “Old Ben Kenobi.” When Luke is older, Obi-Wan trains him in the ways of the force. Unfortunately, he is forced to confront his former padawan Darth Vader in a duel, and ultimately sacrifices himself to save Luke and the rebellion.
The new series coming imminently to Disney+ will cover the missing years between Rise of the Sith (Episode III) and A New Hope (Episode IV), following Obi-Wan’s dangerous journey to Tatooine and his time trying to remain hidden from the Empire.
So why did Luke call him Ben in the Original Trilogy?
A question that has plagued Star Wars fans for almost fifty years! While on Tatooine, Obi-Wan is known to Luke and the nearby townsfolk as “Old Ben” Kenobi. However, no real answer has ever been given about why he changed his first name but not his last. It seems a bit foolish to go into hiding but not change a recognizable surname. So why just “Ben?”
There was a tiny crumb of a clue given by Lucasfilms in a season 4 episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The Jedi uncover a plot to kidnap Chancellor Palpatine, so Kenobi fakes his own death to go undercover and try to stop it. But he doesn’t use the name Ben, he uses the name Rako Hardeen. It isn’t until he finds a hidden transmitter during the mission that he reports back to Yoda and Mace Windu saying “This is Ben. I’ve found the transmitter.”
This means that Ben, at least in this instance, was his secret codename. And that he was using it long before A New Hope. Unfortunately, there’s no canon explanation given as to why it is Ben. In the Star Wars Legends novel Kenobi, it is revealed that he chose that codename because that was the nickname given to him by his unrequited love, the Duchess Satine Kryze, when he was tasked with guarding her. However, Legends stories are no longer canon so the official reason is still up in the air!
And fans being fans, they are still coming up with their own theories. Perhaps Ben was his childhood nickname? Or perhaps it was his birth name and Obi-Wan was the name given to him when he began his Jedi training. Some just think that “Old Ben” and “Obi-Wan” sounded similar when Lucas was writing A New Hope and that Disney and Lucasfilm are now scrambling to come up with more of a reason.
We can only hope that it is one of the many Kenobi-related secrets revealed when Obi-Wan Kenobi releases on Disney+.
(Image: Disney/Lucasfilms)
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