Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was once the most-anticipated prequel ever, and was therefore tasked with answering a few burning questions. Chief among the fandom’s curiosities was the origins of Obi-Wan Kenobi, who serves as an enigmatic mentor to Luke Skywalker in A New Hope and is clearly keeping some secrets from the aspiring Jedi. What would a younger version of the character be like, and what would the adventures of his youth reveal about the galaxy?
Fans got their answers with The Phantom Menace and its sequels, which revealed how close Obi-Wan was to the man who would become Darth Vader. Obi-Wan’s failure to keep his padawan, Anakin Skywalker, on the straight and narrow explained his aloofness in A New Hope. He was ashamed, trapped in a self-imposed exile, and determined to put his past behind him. It’s no wonder he feigns ignorance about his own name, choosing to go by Ben instead of Obi-Wan to Luke and others on Tatooine.
