The stories of Obi-Wan, Anakin, Padmé and Palpatine, setting up a major element of the “Obi-Wan Kenobi” series, were thought up as early as 1981 by George Lucas. Back to the facts.
Warning, spoilers! The following article reveals important information about “Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi”.
A major element of Ben Kenobi’s story in the new Disney+ series was revealed by George Lucas himself as early as 1981. Screenrant reveals that, while working on Return of the Jedi, the director had started thinking about stories of Obi-Wan, Anakin, Padmé, and Emperor Palpatine, stories he would later describe in detail in the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
While George Lucas’ first draft doesn’t line up perfectly with the plots of Return of the Jedi and Revenge of the Sith, it does inform Ben’s state of mind and his internal conflict portrayed in the series.
And it was during a 1981 production meeting for Return of the Jedi that George Lucas detailed his thoughts on Anakin’s downfall, his corrupt relationship with Palpatine, and the eventual death of Padmé, which left Luke and Leia in the care of the Lars family, for one, and of the Royal House of Alderaan, for the other.
While most of George Lucas’ plans came to fruition in Revenge of the Sith, some key details were changed, such as Anakin’s corruption to the dark side (which happened much less gradually in the film), his severe wounds on Mustafar and the respective ages of Luke and Leia at Padmé’s death.
Yet George Lucas’ plan also made clear Obi-Wan’s extreme guilt over his failure to train Anakin and his sense of responsibility for the nightmarish fascist regime oppressing the galaxy.
This is now an essential part of his characterization in the series which depicts the once-legendary Jedi as having fallen into despair due to his guilt, weakening his bond with the Force. A feeling reinforced when he learns that his corrupt former apprentice is still alive and forces him to confront Darth Vader twice.
But at the end of Obi-Wan Kenobi the series, the character played by Ewan McGregor comes to terms with his “mistakes” and accepts his share of “responsibility” in the horrors committed in the galaxy by Darth Vader, but above all that man good he once knew is dead – figuratively – allowing him to resume his mission on Tatooine with renewed confidence.
THE SERIES PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE VISION OF GEORGE LUCAS
In the continuity of the Star Wars universe, Obi-Wan never faced Darth Vader between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, but he learned that his former apprentice had survived their duel after becoming a hermit on Tatooine.
For some viewers, the version presented in the series is more interesting because it allows Obi-Wan to work through his guilt and accept that Anakin (Hayden Christensen) is no more in a spectacular way: with the conversation of Kenobi and Darth Vader in the finale of the show, consolidating the state of mind of the first in The Return of the Jedi.
Ultimately, both iterations of Obi-Wan’s story align with George Lucas’ vision but in different ways. One allows the character to stay true to his mission to protect Luke and accept his guilt on his own, while the other makes his desperation manifest enough to interfere with his ultimate mission.
The filmmaker’s 1981 vision also highlighted the strong friendship between Obi-Wan and Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits). Although these two have few adventures together outside of Revenge of the Sith, the Obi-Wan Kenobi series follows the director’s original plan and shows a deep level of trust between the two characters who share a same objective: overthrow the Empire and protect the children of Anakin and Padmé.
Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi is to be discovered or re-discovered on Disney+.