I absolutely lovedObi-Wan Kenobi, but even I can’t deny it made one key scene inA New Hope(that already bothered me) so much worse.Obi-Wan Kenobiwas a fascinating and surprising addition toStar Warsmovies and TV shows. Not only did it see Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor return to their roles as Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi—two ofStar Wars’best characters—for the first time since the prequels, but it also provided so much more insight into Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa’s upbringings.
In fact, the trailers, interviews, and promotional materials leading up to the release ofObi-Wan Kenobiall indicated that young Luke would be a major part of the plot. That proved somewhat true, as Luke did appear in multiple episodes. What shocked everyone, though, was the revelation that this show was significantly more focused on Leia than it was on Luke. Personally, I was delighted to see little Leia and learn about her connection to Obi-Wan, butthis story made my least favorite scene inA New Hopeeven worse for one key reason.
Leia Comforting Luke After Obi-Wan Died Was Always Absurd
This Plot Point Was Confusing From The Very Beginning
From the very first time I watchedStar Wars, I found it absurd thatLeia comforts Luke after Obi-Wan Kenobi dies inA New Hope, even though she has just lost her entire planet and her parents. This is ridiculous for a number of reasons, one of which is simply the significantly different magnitude of the tragedies they experienced. For Leia’s part, she had just watched her planet blown up right in front of her, killing essentially everyone she knew and loved.
She also bore the guilt of that, as she’d theoretically had the opportunity to sell out the Rebellion and save her loved ones. This is quite a bit different from Luke watching a man he very recently developed a relationship with die (and, even in this case, “die” is a bit of a stretch, given he really just became one with the Force before Darth Vader could actually strike him). Despite the enormity of Leia’s loss and the significantly less traumatic experience Luke had, it is Leia who comforts Luke inA New Hope.
Despite the enormity of Leia’s loss and the significantly less traumatic experience Luke had, it is Leia who comforts Luke inA New Hope.
This has always bothered me, and I’m far from the only person who has thought this made no sense.Princess Leia actress Carrie Fisher also spoke about how this plot point frustrated her.
Clearly, this plotline was already perplexing and frustrating enough, buttheObi-Wan Kenobishow made this so much worse with the storyline about Obi-Wan and 10-year-old Leia Organa.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Revealed Leia And Obi-Wan’s History
This Star Wars Show Proved Just How Much Obi-Wan Meant To Leia
The absurdity of Leia comforting Luke after Obi-Wan’s death inA New Hopehas only become more punctuated astheStar Warstimelinehas been further developed. This was true even just following the prequels, which put a face to Leia’s adoptive father, Bail Organa, who died when Alderaan was blown up.Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sithalso confirmed that Bail and Breha immediately accepted Leia as their daughter and truly loved her, which made the reality of how they died significantly more painful.
That pales in comparison to the effectObi-Wan Kenobihad on this scene inA New Hope, though.Not only didObi-Wan Kenobishow how much Leia loved her parents, but it also revealed that Leia was even closer to Obi-Wan than Luke was. This means that, not only was Leia comforting Luke after experiencing the greatest loss of her life, but also, she was arguably the person who was most distraught over Obi-Wan’s death at that moment.
Star Wars: Alderaan’s Destruction Was Tragic, But the Movies Did Not Reveal Its Saddest Moment
The destruction of Alderaan was a pivotal moment for Princess Leia Organa. But the Star Wars movies left out the saddest part of the aftermath.
Leia Wasn’t Just Mourning Alderaan… She Was Mourning Obi-Wan Too
It Makes No Sense That Leia Would Be Comforting Luke In This Scene
Obi-Wan Kenobirevealed that Leia and Obi-Wan had met one another well beforeA New Hope. In the show, Obi-Wan abandoned his life of exile on Tatooine to rescue Leia when she was kidnapped, and he ended up saving her life multiple times throughout the events that unfolded. In addition to him repeatedly saving her as they made their way back to Alderaan, Obi-Wan and Leia grew to have a genuine bond. This actually helped to explain the odd revelation from theStar Warssequels that Leia had named her son Ben, after Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan and Leia grew to have a genuine bond.
While this storyline improved that aspect ofStar Wars, though, it made this scene between Luke and Leia inA New Hopeso much more bizarre and frustrating. The truth is,based onObi-Wan Kenobi, Leia was likely grieving Obi-Wan even more than Luke was. Again, Luke had really only just begun to develop a relationship with Obi-Wan after years of Obi-Wan giving Luke, Uncle Owen, and Aunt Beru their space. He was no doubt genuinely heartbroken over this loss, but Leia had a much longer and more significant history with Obi-Wan at that point.
It really is a shame, because I thinkObi-Wan Kenobiwas a brilliantStar Warsshow. This is true even within this very storyline. I personally found it touching to see Leia Organa at this point in time and learn that she had actually come to know and love Obi-Wan. Even so, thisObi-Wan Kenobiplot unfortunately made one of the most bewildering scenes inA New Hopeeven worse by showing that, realistically, Leia Organa was much closer to Obi-Wan Kenobi than Luke ever was.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Cast
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Set during the reign of the Galactic Empire, the narrative follows former Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi as he undertakes a pivotal mission to reconcile with former allies turned adversaries while confronting the formidable forces of the Empire.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
Star Wars is a seminal science fiction film released in 1977 that follows the quest of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo to rescue Princess Leia from the oppressive Imperial forces. They are aided by the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, as they strive to restore peace to the galaxy.
