Obi-Wan Kenobi writer Joby Harold recently discussed the latest Disney+ Star Wars show and appeared to reveal that he had no idea that Kenobi knew that Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader.
Speaking with TheWrap, Harold revealed he didn’t originally pitch Kenobi not knowing that Darth Vader survived their battle.
He said, “That was actually not something I pitched originally. That was something I discovered along the way, and sort of had to confirm with Pablo [Hidalgo] and really think, ‘Hold on a second, what does he actually know?'”
From there, Harold listed off a string of questions with one of them implying he and the team at Lucasfilm working on this show do not realize that Obi-Wan Kenobi knows that Anakin Skywalker is Darth Vader.
He questioned, “‘Does he know the moniker Vader? What would that mean? Can he associate the two? What was he cognizant of? How isolated is he? Where’s Vader at that time? Where’s his reputation and how well known is he?’ and all those pieces of the puzzle.”
However, anyone who has watched Revenge of the Sith should know that Kenobi does indeed know that Anakin Skywalker is Darth Vader as YouTuber Open-Airlock Policy points out.
After recalibrating the code to warn Jedi to stay away from Coruscant, Kenobi views a security recording of Anakin killing Jedi and younglings in temple. It then cuts to Skywalker kneeling before Darth Sidious.
Sidious tells him, “You have done well, my new apprentice. Now, Lord Vader, go and bring peace to the Empire.
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After viewing the security footage, Yoda tells Obi-Wan, “Twisted by the dark side young Skywalker has become. The boy you trained, gone he is. Consumed by Darth Vader.”
Obi-Wan is then tasked with killing Darth Vader by Yoda as he sets out to face off against Darth Sidious.
Nevertheless, Harold would go on to explain why he wanted Kenobi to discover that Vader was still alive.
“The great piece of storytelling you can use is getting to Ewan play the moment of realization that that which haunts him is still alive. And what does that mean for him? There were many avenues that I could take him down, all of which hopefully are good opportunities to tease out story as we continue. But it all comes down to, is it viable within canon to play that card? Which it was.”
“Which is great, because that allows you, at the end of Episode 2 and the beginning of Episode 3, it gets you so much that feels essential to the fundamental story, which is Obi Wan, Vader, that which haunts you, facing the past, everything that comes to fruition in 3 and beyond,” he continued.
“It was a good day when we realized we could use it and do it. It made the story active, especially for the viewer that isn’t as familiar with canon as we all are,” he added.
Even this suggestion that Kenobi didn’t know Vader was alive is wrong. In Return of the Jedi, Kenobi makes it abundantly clear to Luke that he knew Vader was alive when Luke questions him about the other that Yoda spoke of.
Kenobi tells Luke, “The other he spoke of is your twin sister.” Luke retorts, “But I have no sister.” Kenobi then explains, “To protect you both from the emperor, you were hidden from your father when you were born.”
“The emperor knew as I did, if Anakin were to have any offspring, they would be a threat to him. That is the reason why your sister remains safely anonymous.”
Ironically, Harold would also praise the idea of Star Wars canon being locked down despite throwing it out the window in every single episode of his Obi-Wan Kenobi show to date.
He stated, “The spectacular thing about ‘Star Wars’ versus some of the other big franchise-y IP stuff I’ve been lucky enough to work on is everything’s so buttoned up .In regards to canon and the things you can do and the things you can’t do, very, very quickly you find out what’s on the table and what isn’t. Everything’s an email or a phone call away.”
“You sort of have a big idea and you say, ‘Hey, can I do this?’ And someone goes, ‘No’ and you go, ‘Okay fine’ (laughs). Or they say, ‘Yeah, you’re allowed to do that,’ and then we canoodle and see if it bears fruit,” it explained.
“Pablo is this sort of mad genius, and he was incredibly helpful, and always available. And I’ll be forever grateful for his help because you can hunt any idea if he can say, ‘Yeah, if you want. You’re OK there,’” he concluded.
Just a handful of the canon breaking aspects to the show are the fact that Bail Organa has a direct line to Obi-Wan Kenobi on Tatooine. This completely makes Princess Leia placing the Death Star plans into R2-D2 and tasking him with finding Obi-Wan Kenobi and getting them to the Rebel Alliance null and void.
In the show’s second episode, Kenobi actually rescues Princess Leia and meets her face to face. Something that was heavily implied not to have happened in the original Star Wars film when Leia sends her message to Kenobi.
If you recall she tells him, “General Kenobi, years ago you served my father in the Clone Wars. Now he begs you to help him in his struggle against the Empire. I regret that I am unable to present my father’s request to you in person. But my ship has fallen under attack and I’m afraid my mission to bring you to Alderaan has failed.”
“I have placed information vital to the survival of the Rebellion into the memory systems of this R2 unit. My father will know how to retrieve it. You must see this droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan. This is our most desperate hour. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope,” the message concludes.
Again, if interplanetary communications existed Leia could have beamed the Death Star plans to Alderaan as Bail Organa communicates with Kenobi. But on top of that, her message makes it clear she was not rescued by him or has not personally met him. Her knowledge of him comes from her father.
The show also sees Inquisitor Reva killing the Grand Inquisitor. The Grand Inquisitor does not die until years later when he is defeated by Kanan Jarrus during the events documented in Star Wars Rebels.
After being defeated by Kanaan, the Grand Inquisitor falls off a ledge into a fiery explosion below.
What do you make of Harold’s claims about Kenobi not knowing that Anakin is Darth Vader? What about his explanation for including Kenobi discovering Darth Vader is still alive in the show?
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