Since I spend an inordinate amount of time staring at Obi-Wan, I cannot help but noticed that he wears his robe differently from other Jedi. Granted, the Jedi's outfit are not identical but they has similar design. Obi-Wan, even though is wearing pretty much the same as Mace, has his inner robe collar higher and more tightly wrapped. This is remarkably different from when he was a Padawan/Knight, now that he is a Master. What do you think? As a writer, do you have any headcanon or theories?
Ah, my dear Anon, you have touched a nerve here!! Yes, I have noticed it. AND IT DRIVES ME INSANE. Prepare yourself for a ridiculously long reply (forgive me!!!).
(I feel the need to drop a disclaimer here, right at the beginning. I am a history nerd… like… it’s a driving passion. So please excuse any excessive shouting that takes place during this post.)
WHAT ARE JEDI ROBES BASED ON?
I think to begin we need to at least put into context what the Jedi costumes are modeled after. There are 2 major historical reference points for Jedi robes.
1. Tunics and Tabards worn by knights:
Tunics are worn under the tabard, and sometimes there’s even an under-tunic that goes, you guessed it, under the main tunic. The tabard went over the tunic and was often split between the legs so the warrior could walk, fight, and ride a horse more easily.
Holy crap, do you have any idea how hard it is to find a picture of a proper men’s kimono that isn’t a bathrobe???? The pic I ended up finding isn’t exactly what I wanted but I think you get the general idea. Fun side fact: the large belt worn around a kimono is called an obi :) How interesting…
So, as you can see, the Jedi wear something that is a mix of these two historical vestments:
WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OBI-WAN KENOBI’S ROBES??
You’re right, Anon, in The Phantom Menace Kenobi’s attire is really quite open and loose. Anyone else remember seeing Obi-Wan’s chest, because I certainly do… and I would like to see even more of it!
Well… I guess you kind of see his throat… but I’ll take whatever I can get.
Side note: Do you also remember how we got to see Kenobi covered in sweat?? Please don’t tell me I was the only person who enjoyed that :)
Both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon have loose fitting tunics and tabards that are open at the neck.
Can I take a moment to point our how utterly RIDICULOUS the size of their sleeves are??? It is COMPLETELY impractical from a fighting point of view. This is why vambraces and bracers exist!!! Please use them, Star Wars!!!
See, Dave Filoni gets it!!! They gave Kenobi some pretty sweet vambraces in The Clone Wars… because NO JEDI WANTS TO MAKE A FOOL OF HIMSELF BY GETTING CAUGHT UP IN HIS OWN MASSIVE BELL SLEEVES WHILE TRYING TO PERFORM ACTS OF HEROISM!!!!!!
For god’s sake, the sleeves are so fucking massive they actually billow in the breeze!!!!
In Attack of the Clones Obi-Wan is suddenly super uptight and sporting a godforsaken mullet, which I can almost forgive in this scene because he is still beautiful…
And in Revenge of the Sith Kenobi is practically swallowed up and choking on an INSANE amount of fabric…
None of this is PRACTICAL!! WHY WOULD YOU GO TO WAR DRESSED LIKE THIS?!?!?!?!?! I mean, look at Ewan trying to get his sleeve on. He needs a bloody assistant to help him!!!
IS THIS SYMBOLIC OR IS THIS PURE STUPIDITY?
You know what? I’m still not sure if this costume is brilliant or laughable.
Symbolically you can say that Obi-Wan became more set in his ways as he transitioned from TPM to ROTS, that he became more constricted by his beliefs and less able to stray from the Jedi Code. His costume develops more layers and thicker fabric and it’s bound very tightly around his throat. It looks rather heavy and stifling and suffocating.
However, if you take CW Kenobi into account, it kind of makes that transition from AOTC to ROTS a little harder to understand. He’s less fanatical in The Clone Wars; you can see little moments of Obi-Wan’s conflict – there’s a lot of “do as I say, not as I do” in CW Kenobi.
As a writer I guess I see his costume in 2 different ways. In ROTS Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master in his prime, wearing all the symbolic pieces of a powerful uniform. It’s bigger and more imposing because he is bigger and more powerful than ever. However, he has been through incredibly painful experiences. And though he has remained true to the Jedi Code, the harder he clings to his ideals, the more suffocating and toxic they become. The very fact that his tunic creeps higher and higher up his neck makes me feel almost as if it were going to choke him.
WAS THE JEDI COSTUME AN ACCIDENT?
Do you want to know why I think this costume might just be stupidity? The Jedi robes were an accident. Technically, Luke is wearing Jedi clothes in Return of the Jedi. He has a tunic and tabard, but his clothes are close-fitting and more practical for movement and dexterity:
I’ve read that at the end of Return of the Jedi, when Anakin appears with Obi-Wan and Yoda as Force ghosts, that was a last minute decision by the filmmakers and they did not have a costume planned. So they grabbed whatever fit the actor – a massive robe from a character that had lived on Tatooine. The massive robes that Obi-Wan wears in A New Hope were not necessarily meant to be his Jedi robes but rather meant as desert-appropriate-attire. Look who else is wearing them:
I’m fairly certain his robe is actually a terrycloth bathrobe ^^^ LOL!!
Even baby Luke is wearing a Jedi-like tunic in A New Hope.
Honestly, though, either way, whether it was a mistake or it was deliberate, costumes in films are always supposed to tell you something about the character. So if you’ve noticed that Obi-Wan is wearing his costume in a way that makes him different, that’s done on purpose by the filmmaker and it’s brilliant that you picked up on it. Well done, Anon!!!
This is the longest post in all of history… goodbye for now. Sorry I rambled on for so long :)
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