Star Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi - 10 Ways It Changes Star Wars
Disney+'s Obi-Wan Kenobi is in the books. So, how has it changed the galaxy far, far away forever?
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00:00It cannot be understated how tough a task it must have been to forge an exciting new
00:04chapter within this precious galaxy far, far away, without completely overlooking and rewriting
00:09the events fans know and love heading their way in the years to come.
00:13But the always excellent director of Disney Plus' latest Star Wars adventure, Deborah
00:17Chao, not only pulled it off, she also managed to give new meaning to seemingly throwaway
00:21exchanges, change what you thought you knew about certain iconic figures, and even justify
00:26some of the most bizarre beats to have ever reared their head in this legendary franchise.
00:30Gareth here from WhatCulture Star Wars and here are 10 ways Obi-Wan Kenobi changes Star
00:35Wars.
00:3610.
00:37Vader's head scars may have been caused in that rematch of the century
00:41Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy promised a rematch of the century heading into Obi-Wan
00:46Kenobi.
00:47And boy did Deborah Chao and co deliver.
00:49While the second coming together of these former allies within the series, if you're
00:53not counting flashbacks that is, very much caught the eye due to its all-round force-wielding
00:57brilliance and emotional gut-punches, said highly anticipated apparent last round before
01:02episode four actually seemed to give fans an answer to a question many thought had already
01:06been answered.
01:07Let me explain.
01:08With Luke Skywalker eventually unmasking his pops in Return of the Jedi and revealing a
01:13gnarly scar on the left side of his skull, many had understandably attributed this scorch
01:17mark to his initial burning on Mustafar.
01:19However, with Kenobi well and truly smashing his one-time brother in the face with countless
01:24force-propelled rocks, and even slashing the left side of his iconic face covering open
01:28with his blue blade in part six, it appears as though old Ben may have actually caused
01:32those eye-catching head wounds in this moment.
01:35And while some are still adamant said scar had been present since episode three, whatever
01:39way you slice it, couldn't resist.
01:41Obi-Wan is still very much responsible for that particularly painful reminder.
01:469.
01:47Obi-Wan Temporarily Turned His Back on the Jedi and Force
01:51Instead of the cheeky and reliable Jedi Master who could regularly be called upon for aid
01:55and guidance in a protagonist's time of need, Ewan McGregor masterfully brought to
02:00life a portion of the legendary character's life that saw him very much shunning everything
02:04to do with the Jedi and Force as a whole in Obi-Wan Kenobi.
02:08This turning his back on the Order was admittedly understandable, after feeling incredibly guilty
02:12over his part in the fall of Anakin Skywalker and the rest of the Jedi in Revenge of the
02:17Sith.
02:18But this decision to shine a detailed light on his disenchantment with, and disconnecting
02:21from the Force for a time, also adds some new depth to the Alec Guinness version of
02:26the character.
02:27With it now being clear that he had to overcome some serious mental and emotional barriers
02:31before being in a place to become the master who could eventually guide young Luke down
02:35the Jedi path.
02:368.
02:38More Survive The Great Jedi Temple Purge
02:41For the longest time, it was pretty much assumed that just about nobody got out of Anakin Skywalker's
02:46wrecking of the Jedi Temple alive.
02:47However, it's now become increasingly clear that a few lucky Force wielders managed to
02:52wriggle out of the devastating siege with their lives still remarkably intact.
02:56And now joining the likes of the Mandalorian's Grogu is Obi-Wan Kenobi's Reva.
03:00Instead of somehow being whisked away from the action and remaining hidden in the years
03:04following Order 66, Reva would opt to head down the path of the dark side, and join the
03:09Inquisitorius in her quest to get revenge on Vader.
03:12So along with adding another combustible element to the Inquisitor squad that had already
03:16ruthlessly made a name for themselves in the likes of the Rebels animated series, the arrival
03:20of Reva also provided another reminder of just how ruthless the fallen Skywalker was
03:25during the infamous attack, and how resilient some of these seemingly helpless younglings
03:29actually were when faced with a truly frightening slaughter.
03:33She hid amongst the corpses of her dead pals, for crying out loud.
03:377.
03:38Obi-Wan's Certain Point of View Tale Makes A Bit More Sense Now
03:42Ben Kenobi's initial reveal to young Luke Skywalker that his father Anakin was actually
03:46betrayed and killed by Darth Vader, only to explain this all away as being true from a
03:51certain point of view in the wake of the Jedi in training discovering the Sith to actually
03:55be his pops was one of the more jarring and obvious rewrites George Lucas made to his
03:59ever-growing epic.
04:01However, in what acted as Obi-Wan Kenobi's emotional climax in Part 6, Deborah Chow was
04:05actually able to successfully justify Ben's A New Hope revelation to the next generation
04:10of Skywalker.
04:11With the now-revitalised Jedi Master dramatically apologising to Anakin for all of it, Vader
04:16confesses with a chilling amount of menace that Obi-Wan was not responsible for killing
04:20the one-time Jedi Knight.
04:22He was.
04:23And just like that, Kenobi is forced to face the fact that what remained of his former
04:27pupil and brother was very much killed all those years ago, paving the way for another
04:32rather satisfying justification for a once-infamously odd line.
04:39Obi-Wan Kenobi's charming and unquestionably sweet small-screen relationship with the young
04:48Princess Leia Organa came stuffed with more emotional haymakers than anybody was truly
04:53ready for.
04:54But away from the likes of the thoroughly weathered Jedi's revealing of the Princess
04:57reminding him of her fearless and stubborn mother, Kenobi also let loose the bombshell
05:03of him remembering having a brother for the first time on the live-action stage.
05:08This actually isn't the first instance of Kenobi having a long-lost sibling being potentially
05:12introduced to the series, with the original screenplay for Return of the Jedi stating
05:16that Owen Lars of all people was actually Ben's bro.
05:19Owen being Kenobi's sibling would pop up a few more times in various Legends material,
05:23before Attack of the Clones reintroduced Owen as Anakin's step-brother, with no clear
05:27link between him and Kenobi being made known within current canon.
05:31But this still leaves the door open for a potential Kenobi family reunion with his unknown
05:35bro, should Disney decide to tell more pre-New Hope streaming service stories in the coming
05:39years.
05:405.
05:41Darth is much more than a weird one-off
05:45The iconic Jedi Master's rather specific farewell to Vader during Part VI, in the wake
05:50of thoroughly ripping up a rocky locale, instantly transported fans back to the pair's last
05:55exchange before Anakin fell to the dark side in Revenge of the Sith, with Kenobi's goodbye
05:59old friend this time being replaced by goodbye...Darth.
06:04Going with this callback, Kenobi's bitter use of the title Darth also helps Alec Guinness'
06:08long-time bizarre use of the moniker in A New Hope make a little more sense in the overall
06:13narrative.
06:14While it's clear that Darth was seen more as a first name than a title by George Lucas
06:18upon penning A New Hope's script, that would obviously change in the years that would follow,
06:22and leave the utterance of You're only a master of evil, Darth, sticking out like a scorched
06:26thumb.
06:27Obi-Wan Kenobi's handling of the pair's final showdown before A New Hope, however,
06:31now suggests that Kenobi's use of the term Darth is his way of separating his beloved
06:35fallen friend Anakin from the relentless Sith who now stands before him.
06:44Faced with the reality of once again having to face down the youngster's father if the
06:48rest of the path were to survive, Kenobi is forced to leave Leia with Roken and Haja in
06:52Part VI, as the pair look to return her safely home to the Organas.
06:56But before he sends a reluctant Leia on her way, a gift is handed over to the eventual
07:01General in the form of Tala's holster.
07:03Far from just being a sweet exchange between the pair, this handing over of the fallen
07:07freedom fighter's holster would act as a symbolic passing of the torch to the next
07:11generation of rebels, and it likely informs Leia's decision to equip herself with a similar
07:15or perhaps the same holster, this time actually boasting a blaster during her later years
07:20as a military leader.
07:22The overall connection explored between Kenobi and Leia throughout the show also adds much
07:26more emotional weight to Leia's decision to call upon Kenobi as her only hope in Episode
07:31IV, and Kenobi's eventual sacrifice to ensure both Skywalker children escape the Death Star
07:36unscathed.
07:373.
07:38Obi-Wan and Vader are more powerful than you can possibly imagine
07:43Largely due to the fact the original trilogy came about during a time when it wasn't exactly
07:47easy to commit ridiculous feats of force wizardry to film as it is today, the likes of Darth
07:52Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi's impressive commanding of the force was largely restricted to the
07:56odd mind trick and choking of an unsuspecting officer.
07:59Yet with the introduction of the always-evolving tool of CGI, both figures have increasingly
08:04had their true potential exposed in various prequel and video game entries.
08:08But arguably the pair's most jaw-dropping displays of force prowess on the live-action
08:12stage to date was save for Deborah Chow's small-screen saga.
08:16In the show, Vader can be spotted literally yanking a ship out of the air mid-takeoff
08:20before making a mockery of Reva in the pair's duel.
08:23Vader's former master would also finally get a chance to show off what he was truly
08:26capable of, taking levitating rocks to new heights as he hurled countless boulders at
08:31the Dark Lord in their rematch of the century.
08:33That being said, the pair's freakishly powerful Obi-Wan Kenobi displays do make their eventual
08:38final showdown on the Death Star now feel a tad underwhelming in comparison.
08:432.
08:44Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru were packing some firepower but still got scorched
08:49The sight of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru's charred remains outside of their Tatooine
08:53homestead post-Stormtrooper raid told the story of a couple who simply did not stand
08:58a chance when faced with the might of the ruthless Empire in A New Hope.
09:01However, with the pair's re-emergence in Disney Plus' Obi-Wan Kenobi tale came the
09:05revelation that these two humble Tatooine residents were packing much more firepower
09:09and resilience than fans initially thought.
09:12Upon discovering that Reva was on her way to kill their precious Luke, Beru informs
09:16her husband we both knew this day might come, before revealing a secret stash of blasters
09:21to fight off the former Grand Inquisitor.
09:24Very much risking their lives to ensure the safety and secrecy of one of the most important
09:28beings in the galaxy, the show successfully alters fans' perceptions of a pair who
09:32once seemed like little more than bit-part players.
09:35In truth, Owen and Beru were brave as all hell, and even managed to keep a powerful
09:38Force user at bay for a spell.
09:40It's just a shame their aim wasn't quite as sharp all those years later.
09:451.
09:47Qui-Gon did actually find a way to become a Force Ghost
09:49The live-action return of Liam Neeson's Qui-Gon Jinn left fans the world over, fist-pumping
09:54with glee during the show's finale.
09:56However, his Force Ghost comeback did actually bring with it a rather intriguing development.
10:01Up to this point in time, it was believed by most that Qui-Gon hadn't actually been
10:04able to fully physically manifest himself in the way Yoda, Obi-Wan and Luke eventually
10:09would in later appearances, because he simply hadn't been able to complete his training
10:12before his untimely death.
10:14Clearly, though, in the time after his Clone Wars appearances in a vocal and vision capacity,
10:19and as corroborated by canon short story collection from a certain point of view, Jinn was able
10:23to finally complete his training and take his place as the first-ever Force Ghost in
10:27Star Wars canon.
10:29So perhaps a potential season two will ultimately give us some long-awaited answers as to how
10:33the unorthodox Jedi Master was able to pull off this game-changing feat.
10:38In short, we want season two, give it to us now, baby.
10:41And that's our list!
10:42Know of any other ways Obi-Wan Kenobi changes Star Wars?
10:45Let us know all about them in the comments section right down below, and do not forget
10:48to like, share and click on that subscribe button while you're at it!
10:51I've been Gareth from What Culture's Star Wars, thank you as always for clicking on
10:55this video today.
10:56May the Force be with you, and hopefully I will see your faces very, very soon.
10:59Bye bye!