Bail Organa is the gold standard of Star Wars politicians. Though he may not have Force powers, he’s got another equally important ability — diplomacy. Throughout the prequels and even in A New Hope, Senator Organa navigates the rise of the Empire and the start of the Rebellion. But in Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 5, everyone’s favorite Star Wars statesman embarrassingly forgets the first rule of military action.
At the end of Episode 5, Luke Skywalker’s existence and secret location are revealed to an injured (but apparently still alive) after Reva discovers a hologram message sent to Obi-Wan by Bail Organa — a message which begins with the words: “I know we said no communication...”
He then proceeds to give up every detail of their mission, including Owen’s in relation to “the boy.” This message could be catastrophic if it ends up in the wrong hands, which, of course, it does.
Bail Organa’s big mistake
Regardless of how Reva got her hands on it, the mere fact that Organa sent the message to Kenobi at all was a huge blunder. He essentially broke OPSEC (operation security), a schoolboy error for such a seasoned politician. It’s paramount to leaking emails — it just shouldn’t happen. Are these holograms even encrypted?
To be fair, this isn’t entirely Bail’s fault. Sure, he put the classified secrets into the document, but it was Obi-Wan who didn’t failed to keep it classified. In the Episode’s final moments he says, “I’m sure it’s fine,” but when it comes to mission secrets, you can never be sure.
A rough start for the Rebellion
While Bail and Obi-Wan’s secret mission may not be formally part of a rebellion just yet, they still need to look out for their information security, as something as simple as one dropped message may compromise their entire plan. Of course, we know that Luke survives to become a whiny teenager on Tatooine, but Obi-Wan doesn’t know that.
OPSEC has always been an issue in every military in our universe. Your plan is only as good as the secrecy around the plan. Especially in WWII, “Loose Lips Sink Ships” became a motto for keeping classified information under wraps. Even now in the age of social media, military members and their families are discouraged from posting any recognizable landmarks or even putting identifying decals on their cars.
It’s a pretty basic part of being a rebel. Hopefully, Bail will learn his lesson here and carry it with him into his fight with the Empire. In fact, it’s possible that this blunder taught him the importance of OPSEC, a value he later taught to a young Princess Leia and one she relied on throughout the original Star Wars trilogy.
Obi-Wan Kenobi may inadvertently explain why, by the time we get to A New Hope, Leia is smart enough to only send her vague messages hidden in R2 units. If only Bail Organa was as wise as his adopted daughter.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is now streaming on Disney+.
