Summary The Obi-Wan Kenobi TV show added greatly to A New Hope, enhancing the legacy of the first Star Wars movie.
From changes in Obi-Wan’s character to his relationships with other characters, many of the seeds for A New Hope were planted in the show.
Iconic events such as Obi-Wan’s tragic death now carry more meaning because of the Disney+ TV show.
When the Obi-Wan Kenobi television series was released on Disney+ in 2022, it added a great deal to the story that Star Wars was telling about Obi-Wan’s character. Not only did it expand on this story, but it retroactively added to the story that A New Hope was telling back at the dawn of the franchise. This has not only changed the movie for the better in small but noticeable ways, but the character as well.
This is not the first time that Obi-Wan’s life has been expanded upon in canon. Though it is well known that Obi-Wan was one of the main characters in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, he was also heavily featured in the canon animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and later returned in Star Wars Rebels. These series set the precedent for Obi-Wan’s return, adding context and emotional flavor to his original appearances and filling out the Star Wars timeline, something that the show Obi-Wan Kenobi takes plenty of notes from.
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10 Obi-Wan Kenobi Added to Tatooine’s History
Tatooine’s Story Grew With Obi-Wan & Filled In Timeline Gaps
One of the most interesting gaps in the entire Star Wars timeline is the one located between the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy. While The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels have both started to fill in the gaps, little has covered Obi-Wan’s decades-long time on Tatooine, save for the Obi-Wan Kenobi show. This show helped to flesh out Obi-Wan’s time on the planet, making it feel more like a reluctant home than someplace he happened to be in A New Hope.
9 The Show Established An Earlier Relationship Between Obi-Wan And Luke’s Family
Obi-Wan Spent More Time With Luke’s Uncle Owen And Aunt Beru
Beginning with the Lars family’s appearance in the prequel trilogy, Obi-Wan Kenobi establishes Obi-Wan’s relationship with Owen as strained and chaotic. Though Obi-Wan is on Tatooine to keep Luke safe, Owen sees him as a constant threat to Luke’s wellbeing because of the fact he was a Jedi, and the Jedi are now being hunted down by the Empire. This adds to his appearance in A New Hope by giving a reason for Obi-Wan to be so distant, not being around much while Luke is growing up.
8 A Different Side Of Obi-Wan’s Morality Was Featured
Obi-Wan Was Not Necessarily Morally Good
Before Obi-Wan Kenobi, without question, Obi-Wan could be considered a wholly morally good character. He was one of the brightest of the Jedi, but this television show paints him in a much different light. Now that the Jedi are on the run, Obi-Wan Kenobi sees Obi-Wan initially refusing to help another Jedi hide and wanting nothing more than to fly under the Empire’s radar, showing that after Order 66 was executed he became a changed man.
7 It Shows Obi-Wan Was Never Safe Hiding On Tatooine
Not Even Tatooine Was Safe In The Outer Rim
At the beginning of the show, there is a tense confrontation where a group of Darth Vader’s Imperial Inquisitors arrive on Tatooine, looking for a Jedi. They even drag Owen out from the crowd and threaten his family in the process in order to potentially find the culprit they seek. By showing the Empire’s presence on Tatooine, this series succeeds in making them feel dangerous even so far out of the Empire’s way, something that wasn’t felt as strongly in A New Hope.
6 Obi-Wan Kenobi Recontextualizes Obi-Wan’s Lie To Luke
In A Way, Darth Vader Killed Anakin Skywalker
When Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back initially hit theaters and revealed that Darth Vader was Luke’s father, it also revealed that Obi-Wan lied when he said that Darth Vader killed Anakin Skywalker. However, this was recontextualized in Obi-Wan Kenobi during Obi-Wan’s final fight with Darth Vader. The two of them have a conversation in which Darth Vader says he has killed Anakin, at least that lighter part of himself, later leading Obi-Wan to say this to Luke.
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5 It Emphasizes The Importance Of Jedi Remaining Secret
Discovery Was A Death Sentence For Jedi
Order 66 may be integral to Star Wars lore in the modern day, but back when A New Hope was released there was no real concept of the Great Jedi Purge. Obi-Wan was simply living in exile on Tatooine, with no real explanation as to how or why he was there. There was no danger to him simply existing, or even leaving Tatooine. Obi-Wan Kenobi changed this in drastic form, showing firsthand the deadly consequences that come with being a Jedi.
4 Obi-Wan Is Now On Another Mission To Save Leia In A New Hope
A New Hope Is Not The First Time He Saved Her Life
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A New Hope kicks off the Star Wars franchise with one of the most recognizable goals in all cinema history, saving Princess Leia from the Death Star. Obi-Wan assists Luke and Han Solo with this task, but Obi-Wan Kenobi has confirmed that this was not the first time he assisted with retrieving Leia from the Empire. Knowing that Obi-Wan has saved her before, it makes his assistance in A New Hope feel even more driven, like there is genuine care behind the act of accompanying Luke to the Death Star.
3 The Obi-Wan Kenobi Show Makes His Death Even More Impactful
The Heartbreaking Loss Of Obi-Wan Becomes Even Sadder
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Obi-Wan Kenobi’s death is one of the biggest moments in all of A New Hope, second to none except for perhaps the destruction of the Death Star. With the knowledge that this mission mirrors the one taken to save Leia in Obi-Wan Kenobi, his death becomes even more impactful. Obi-Wan spent the majority of his life caring for the Skywalker family, and he did so with his death as well, protecting Luke, Leia, and in some ways, Anakin as well.
With the knowledge that this mission mirrors the one taken to save Leia in Obi-Wan Kenobi , his death becomes even more impactful.
2 The Destruction Of Alderaan Becomes Even More Upsetting
Obi-Wan Kenobi Visits The Doomed Planet
Alderaan is not a planet shown often in Star Wars, likely due to its famous destruction in A New Hope. However, the planet is explored in various scenes during Obi-Wan Kenobi, many of which follow Leia through the woods as she explores the wider grounds of her home. With that personal connection tied to the planet of Alderaan, it makes the planet’s destruction even more brutal, because now viewers have something to associate Alderaan with aside from the simple view of the planet from space.
1 Obi-Wan Kenobi Shows The Skywalker Twins’ Safety Has Always Been His Priority
Both Luke Skywalker And Leia Organa Had A Guardian In Obi-Wan
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After Obi-Wan assisted with the twins’ birth in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, it was clear that Obi-Wan was going to follow Luke to Tatooine in order to keep him safe. However, the movies and shows never really showed this in action. With the Obi-Wan Kenobi show, Star Wars has now made it incredibly clear that Luke and Leia were always Obi-Wan’s priority, shown whether he is actively saving Leia or simply buying a toy for Luke.
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