Waddle Dee

Luke “so much like his father” Skywalker is far from the characterization described above!

“Oh, how so? Luke is too dumb—”

Let’s start from the beginning:

Luke grew up on Tatooine, a place that the entire Star Wars fandom agrees is a nightmare to live in. Unlike Padmé and Anakin, who in their time were public figures and in the middle of a WAR, Luke growing up on Tatooine had one single purpose: protection. Protecting Luke from the Empire, and especially from Vader and Palpatine — keeping him hidden until the time came for him to face Vader and by extension destroy the Empire.

Luke spends 19 years hidden, living a relatively “normal” life. He is not trained in the Force, nor is he raised as a prince/politician like Leia. He was a moisture farmer, growing up with poor uncles in a hostile environment, yet protected and loved — Owen and Beru made sure to give Luke a good childhood, and Obi-Wan, even from a distance, protected him as best as he could.

But you might ask: why is this relevant to the topic I’m trying to dismantle? Simple: because due to this simple, quiet upbringing, Luke felt restless with his life — it is made explicitly clear, several times, that he wanted to leave Tatooine. In A New Hope, Luke had plans to join the Imperial Academy to become a pilot but had to give them up to help with the farm. Even after everything that happens in ANH, and the hesitation to leave his uncles — and then the trauma of finding his home and family murdered — Luke decides to join Obi-Wan. He even says: “I want to learn the ways of the Force and be a Jedi like my father.”

Luke, who leaves his life behind on Tatooine to help a princess in danger, to learn the ways of the Force and later (though it is already implied) avenge his father who was murdered by Darth Vader.

Throughout ANH, Luke doesn’t shed a single tear for the death of his uncles, even though it affected him deeply. In the cantina with Han and Obi-Wan he’s an arrogant little brat — saying he could fly the ship and later insulting the Falcon. Contrary to popular belief, the rescue on the Death Star goes wrong because of Han Solo’s mistake, and it is Luke (and also Leia) who rush to fix the situation. Even under the stress the three of them are under, Luke remains firm and determined, and he watches his newly found mentor murdered before his eyes. But Luke doesn’t cry — he screams out of rage and grief, which only fuels his resentment against Vader.

And so, there goes Luke Skywalker, blowing up the Death Star and becoming a hero of the Rebellion.

And then there is Luke Skywalker, squad leader and one of the commander of the Rebellion, on countless missions while also trying to learn more about the Force — going to Dagobah where, as Yoda points out SO MANY TIMES:

“Luke: [suspicious] Oh, come on! How can you know my father? You don’t even know who I am. Oh, I don’t even know what I’m doing here! We’re wasting our time!

Yoda: [looking away from Luke] I cannot teach him. The boy has no patience.

Obi-Wan (voice-over): He will learn patience.

Yoda: Much anger in him… like his father.

Luke Skywalker, who is constantly compared to his father, who makes both Obi-Wan and Yoda fear that he will fall to the dark side, that he will fail: impatient, angry, arrogant — just like Anakin.

Luke, who already has a temptation toward the dark side, an inclination — who, when he discovers his friends are in danger, abandons his training and impatiently runs straight into a trap. Luke, who fights with all his grit and strength, Luke being the cheeky, petulant brat that he is (because Luke “then my father is truly dead” Clockwalker, the BRAT of the Rebellion and a smartass just like his master Obi-Wan Kenobi), has the courage to look Darth Vader in the face and say: “You’ll find I’m full of surprises.” Even while he’s being utterly beaten down, he still has the audacity to be a sassy little punk!

Luke, who in this exact scene just moments later has his bravery completely shattered when confronted with a horrifying truth: Darth Vader — the man who hurt so many, who killed Obi-Wan, who terrorized Leia and his friends and committed countless crimes — is his father, the father he always loved and admired, whose legacy he tried to honor and make proud… the father who has just cut off his hand, brutalized him — who now wants him to join him, to join the Empire — a means for his father to become Emperor.

Luke, who is broken in body and soul, wounded and deceived in so many ways, Luke Skywalker who at that moment does not feel at all courageous or feel like answering back, who instead chooses to throw himself — chooses death rather than join this man… his terrifying father.

Luke, whose world is completely destroyed and reset — who, although it isn’t fully shown in the films but appears often in other media — suffers dissociation, who is utterly lost and miserable with this devastating revelation… who, even though he has called Vader “father,” still denies and denies, because a part of him simply cannot believe it.

Luke, who becomes more reclusive and withdrawn, who worries his friends and grows unhappier each day — until one day he leaves, to learn more about the Force.

Luke, who undergoes a long and arduous journey, who is still traumatized but chooses, instead of anger and fear, patience and faith — faith that there is something good in his father. Luke, who dresses in black and demonstrates greater mastery of the Force, who, when in Jabba’s palace, uses the Force (just like Vader) and chokes the guards. Luke, who now carries himself so differently: calm yet confident, powerful yet not arrogant, bold yet discreet.

Luke, who later, upon discovering the truth, decides not to kill his father (even though he is afraid) and chooses instead to surrender willingly — Luke, who speaks painful truths to Anakin even as he refuses to listen.

Luke, who looks Palpatine in the eye and does not fear him, who answers and confronts him directly: “Your overconfidence is your weakness.”

Luke, who when battling his father and hearing his sister threatened, LOSES HIS SHIT (just as Anakin had done countless times), who attacks his father brutally, injures him and severs his hand, who taps into the dark side — unleashing all that anger he had kept leashed for months.

Luke, who — as tempting as it may be — chooses another way. He abandons his lightsaber and reaffirms himself as a Jedi.

Luke Skywalker, who makes a better choice than his father — even while carrying so much of Anakin within himself — walks a different path.

Luke, who becomes a Jedi Knight, stumbling and succeeding, but who loves his family, who has his fears and struggles, a trauma never fully explored, and a temptation toward the dark side, but who always chooses to do better. Who, instead of apologizing, chooses to be better — to do better.

So, look at this boy, this man, and tell me: do you see a cinnamon roll? Because the only thing I see is a traumatized kid who is always trying his best — even when he himself doesn’t feel like he’s giving his best!

Luke Skywalker, who grew up with a quiet childhood, who became a hero and later a commander in the middle of a war, a Jedi Knight and a phenomenal pilot — who can be a cheeky little brat, a bit traumatized and have his bad days, who carries the weight of the galaxy on his shoulders and who, even though he believes in second chances and redemption, does not blindly trust, nor is he lenient or naïve.

We need to learn and understand that naïveté and kindness are two completely opposite and different things — and Luke choosing kindness instead of anger is a hard choice, even in a fictional world, because it takes strength and courage to face such a cruel world and choose kindness.

More specifically, the Fanon Obi-Wan problem.

(Alright, my tiktok buddies convinced me to get tumblr just to share this here. I caved, because I do think this is much more fit for tumblr. So, hello everyone).

It goes without saying (if you know me) that I am a fan of Obi-Wan Kenobi. I could sit here and talk about how much he’s influenced who I am, and how my experience is just one of many lives that Obi-Wan has touched, but unfortunately that is not my purpose in this rant. Despite occasional exceptions, Obi-Wan is generally beloved in the Star Wars fandom, to such a scale that he is known for being beloved.

Among this, of which will be found in every fandom, one contrived of millions of people no less, issues and mischaracterizations will arise. Even in all my years of loving and studying this character, I am still trying to wrap my head around how deeply these fallacies run when it comes to Obi-Wan Kenobi, still trying to untangle the fabrication from canon.

I will make a few things abundantly clear before I lay my discussion. In no way do I claim to understand or love Obi-Wan Kenobi “the most”. Such a claim cannot be made by anyone, nor does it matter, when millions of voices so frequently join to celebrate this character. I am not here with a possessive mindset, nor am I trying to exert moral superiority. However, animosity for the fanon version of a character who has captured my heart so fiercely has been building for as long as I’ve been a Star Wars fan, and I am finally making an effort to properly give my voice and hopefully debunk popular fanons of Obi-Wan built on false foundations.

The Perfect Jedi, The Unfortunate Candidate

Many Star Wars fans are familiar with the glaring issues in the dynamic between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, no matter how much love the two characters had for each other. Obi-Wan concluded that the best way to guide Anakin in the Jedi way was to emulate a so called “perfect Jedi”, while Anakin took this as Obi-Wan being such a model Jedi, that he could never relate to Anakin’s struggles, thus Anakin tried to hide his true emotions from Obi-Wan. This misunderstanding is the eventual downfall of their relationship after years of harboring resentment. None of this is new to us as fans.

Even while knowing this, several in the fandom, whether consciously or subconsciously, have fallen for Anakin’s misjudgment of his master. It is laced in the language they use for Obi-Wan, in their view of Anakin’s fall to the Dark Side. How can this be?

As Far As Your Wisdom Goes, You’re No Qui-Gon Jinn.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is a vessel utilized by the Force directly many times. Obi-Wan’s entire life is dictated by the will of the Force. Even if he is not the Chosen One, he directly mentors both Chosen Ones. He was responsible for Anakin Skywalker for a decade. Playing such a crucial role in the fate of the galaxy, so integral that some of been moved to say “there is no Star Wars without Obi-Wan Kenobi,” criticism of his behavior will arise, as of course it should. The beauty of fiction can often be highlighted most in character flaws.

Natural, too, is the comparison to Qui-Gon Jinn. Especially when considering the individual role’s Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan play in the will of the Force.

“After all, if Obi-Wan had been the one to die on Naboo, wouldn’t the rise of Darth Vader and the downfall of the Republic never happened? Isn’t that why it’s called Duel of the Fates? Obi-Wan was overly critical, and held Anakin back from being a master, which harbored Anakin’s resentment for the Order, ergo Vader.”

I will give flowers where flowers are due, there are true elements to such a viewpoint. And in simple terms, yes, Obi-Wan needed to live for Darth Vader to be born. But he is not the origin of Darth Vader, nor is Darth Vader a direct design of Obi-Wan Kenobi, as some fans like to claim.

Am I in any way going to imply that Obi-Wan was a perfect teacher? Not at all. Is he above criticism? Of course he isn’t. However, I do believe such popular fan conclusions do not depict an accurate image of Obi-Wan’s role in creation of Darth Vader.

In the claim that Obi-Wan was presenting as the perfect Jedi, many take this to believe that he was harsh, dismissive, and unfeeling. In such assumptions, it is obvious that they do not understand the Jedi Order at all. Nor do they understand Obi-Wan’s failure in his perfect Jedi mask.

There is a recurring impression that Obi-Wan left Anakin alone to flail in a sea of unfamiliar Jedi tenets, and expected Anakin to fall in line with a foreign Order without exceptional difficulty. This couldn’t be farther from the truth, and is a basis that relies on a weak foundation of if it wasn’t shown on screen, it didn’t happen.

Obi-Wan is shown both critiquing and praising Anakin throughout Attack of the Clones. In The Clone Wars Season 4 Episode 11, Kidnapped, Obi-Wan talks with Ahsoka about making sure to look out for Anakin, considering his past as a slave, as they had been sent on a mission to free Togruta colonists from the Zygerrian Slave Empire (the argument that Anakin should not have been on such a mission in the first place will undoubtedly arise, which of course is true, although not something Obi-Wan can control. And if Anakin himself is being brazen and headstrong about the mission, restless to barge in “guns o’blazing”—how much less can Obi-Wan dictate where he goes and what he does? He is no longer responsible for Anakin.)

In Season 6, Episode 5 of The Clone Wars, The Rise of Clovis, Obi-Wan takes the initiative and privately talks with Anakin, to offer a listening ear and hopefully some comfort to Anakin after Obi-Wan noticed Anakin’s troubled state. In the scene, he approaches Anakin not as a Master, but as a friend, eager to ease Anakin’s discomfort. Obi-Wan encourages Anakin to open up about the true nature of his feelings for Padmé, gently promoted Anakin to reason aloud that it was jealousy that had him perturbed. This scene has always struck me, because Obi-Wan himself goes as far as to open up about his feelings for Satine Kryze, even though this couldn’t have been more than a few months after her death, very likely less than that. Obi-Wan’s demeanor and voice are gentle, non-threatening, not accusatory, not judgmental. He talks to Anakin with a perspective of understanding. It is Anakin who brushes him off and refuses to confront his feelings for Padmé out loud to Obi-Wan.

In fact, Anakin is shown lashing out far more than he opens up. In most cases, while Obi-Wan tries to level with him, Anakin is far more inclined to point fingers. Again, this is not to say all the time. In Revenge of the Sith, Anakin sincerely apologizes to Obi-Wan for his bad attitude, and Obi-Wan reinforces his admiration of Anakin. I am not trying to paint Anakin as the root of every issue, but I am saying he was responsible for his own decisions.

The creation of Darth Vader should not be attributed to a single moment. But I am of the firm belief that fans give Anakin too much credit on this front. It is shown as well as stated in The Phantom Menace that Anakin always had the Dark Side of the Force in him, in a way that would result as an unbalanced, unstable Jedi. This is not something I am trying to blame Anakin for, at the time he was a child. In fact, having Anakin trained at all doomed both him and his Master. I believe making sweeping claims of finality about either’s attitude completely misunderstands the point of Star Wars. The situation was greatly complicated, and I have no intention to oversimplify it. Both master and apprentice had their strong moments and their incredibly low ones, but I also believe that Darth Vader will always boil down to Anakin’s inability to accept his own failure, Anakin’s arrogance, and Palpatine’s years of manipulation, not Obi-Wan’s conduct as a master.

You’ll forgive me, I have scoured the internet, but I cannot find the source of this comic panel. If anyone does know, please inform me. However, there is a lovely post by @thesecondbatgirl that I think drives my point home.

The suggestion that Obi-Wan is insensitive, harsh, cold, or anything of the sort, are all ideas given to us from Anakin’s point of view—Anakin, who is known to be arrogant, and unable to face criticism.

Knowing all of this, it is logical to conclude that Anakin’s judgement of Obi-Wan’s performance as a master cannot be a fair one, with this hubris and tendency to blame Obi-Wan for things that are not Obi-Wan’s fault so painfully obvious. Even so, many fans have adopted his attitude towards Obi-Wan, whether consciously or subconsciously.

I am not saying Obi-Wan never misjudged Anakin, or that he always reacted well when Anakin made an understandable, youthful blunder—but that’s exactly my point, sometimes is incredibly different from always. Just because it exists doesn’t mean it exists all the time. Obi-Wan is the farthest from perfect, he is shown making terrible mistakes, especially in The Clone Wars, like in the Deception arc, where Obi-Wan did not take into account just how deeply his actions would hurt his loved ones and severely broke trust

However, the notion that Obi-Wan was an unfair master who expected too much of Anakin is one that must be stopped. In reality, Obi-Wan was just as desperate to please Anakin as Anakin was to please him, if not more so. After feeling cast aside by Qui-Gon, then bearing the undeserved responsibility of training the Chosen One, it is ridiculous to assume that Obi-Wan could fit well into the ideal Jedi mold. Or at least, what people perceive to be the “ideal Jedi mold”.

Does the Prequel Trilogy clearly explain the causes of Darth Vader in a way that is sound and cohesive? In my opinion, no. There is vital context added in The Clone Wars, such as Anakin’s Padawan leaving the Order. So too, are his actions explained more soundly in the Revenge of the Sith novelization by Matthew Stover. Therefore, I cannot completely blame those who attribute more blame to Obi-Wan than is necessary, especially if they are a more casual fan, given the poor framing of the movies.

My point is, Obi-Wan (and by extension, the Jedi Order) is commonly used as a scapegoat, discounting any and all good he does especially towards Anakin, typically to bolster Anakin if they favor his character. Therein lies a refusal to see things from Obi-Wan’s point of view, and in doing this strip Anakin’s agency from him by blaming Anakin’s actions on others. This also suggests a muddled view of Anakin’s intentions. At the very least, there has been a failure to offer a little more grace to Obi-Wan, who always gave his all to everything he did.

Now that I have laid my case about Obi-Wan and the creation of Vader , the rest of my discussion will delve into a far more widespread fanon. And one that in my opinion, paints Obi-Wan in a far more detrimental light than any unfair ridicule he might face.

Fandom’s Chosen One

If you consider yourself in a Fandom, then you very likely have some experience with fanfiction—whether having occasionally skimmed websites, to your fic being the main project in your life. From fanfiction, essentially anything can blossom. Many times, perceived versions of characters stem from fanfiction, and bleed into our perceptions of canon. This can be great fun, and a great tool. Sadly, it is all too easy for such perceptions to be misguided, to an extent that does a disservice to the original story rather than showing honor and appreciation for it.

Before we get into the fanfic contents, we should at least consider what these fanfiction writers are basing their works off of.

George Lucas has never been subtle in his storytelling. Much of his writing in the Prequel Trilogy relies heavily on exposition. Lucas has also been very transparent about taking inspiration from real-world events, which is evident especially when considering the timing of writing. Despite this, unfortunately, a large number of fans have missed the clear messaging from Lucas, and Obi-Wan is by no means an exception.

George Lucas wrote Obi-Wan Kenobi with heavy East Asian coding, as he did with the Jedi Order as a whole. In the Original Trilogy, Obi-Wan was meant to be Lucas’ version of the wise, Samurai mentor stereotype. Lucas’ initial idea in writing Obi-Wan was for Toshiro Mifune, a Japanese actor, to portray him. Mifune turned down the role, however, and Alec Guinness was cast. Asian influence is perhaps most obvious in Obi-Wan’s name, which follows similar consonant-vowel patterns found in Chinese and Japanese.

But what does any of this mean for Fandom, our perception (or misperception) of Obi-Wan, and our patterns in portraying him?

“Space Scotland”

The name Stewjon is the only specific thing we know about Obi-Wan’s home planet, because the Jedi Order are meant to be perceived as his culture and family—his adopted heritage.

Ewan Mcgregor is a Scottish actor. Because of this, many fans have decided that Obi-Wan’s home planet should be based off of Scotland, and this has turned into relatively popular fanon. Fans quickly latched onto the playful remark made by Lucas as an homage to Jon Stewart in calling Obi-Wan’s home planet Stewjon, and such, a relatively consistent culture of Stewjon has remained prevalent in fanfic. This is hardly questioned by those interested in exploring what has been written of Stewjon. I was in a similar boat, I had seen jokes of Obi-Wan being Scottish by birth, never thought about it one way or another, because I knew what little information we had about his origins. As far as my personal projects as of yet, Stewjon was not relevant to me or my portrayal of Obi-Wan

Mcgregor brings none of his Scottish heritage into his portrayal of Obi-Wan, not even using his natural accent. So then, why? Why must Obi-Wan be Scottish? It seemed random to me, the more I thought about it. There is no inspiration taken from Alec Guinness’ background to comprise Obi-Wan’s birth culture. Moreover, the concept of “Space Scotland” goes against what we do know about Obi-Wan’s culture in canon. That being his name.

Below, I have linked two essays from Archive of Our Own that expertly provide answers to such questions of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s heritage and the fanon that has been built around it. The first linked is written by tellinowritesmeta (tellino), a Scottish Star Wars fan, giving a full explanation of why Obi-Wan Kenobi is quite clearly not Scottish, and never has been.

Stewjon Isn't Gaelic: Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Problem with "Space Scotland"

The second, an essay that came before tellino’s and inspired it, is by an Asian American Star Wars fanfiction writer, detailing the East Asian influence in Star Wars, and the coding around Obi-Wan specifically.

Obi-Wan, Ben, and the AU

I cannot fit every essential point surrounding Stewjon specifically here, my intention is to connect such issues to a larger misinterpretation of Obi-Wan, which is why I implore you to read both essays linked if you can. They both give far more in-depth, relevant information regarding how Fandom treats Obi-Wan’s mysterious Stewjoni heritage, and lead to points of my larger critiques of how fans choose to view Obi-Wan himself. If you are a Star Wars fan who loves Obi-Wan, both are worth your time.

But what is the issue here? Isn’t “Space Scotland” still technically treated as a Fandom inside joke? Or, relatively harmless fan-speculation utilized by fancreators?

As tellinowritesmeta’s essay throughly explains, “Stewjon” is commonly presented as a lazy mockery of what non-Scottish, people unwilling to do research perceive Scottish culture to be. In everything I have read detailing Stewjon, it has been a mock-up of Gaelic cultures, mixed and matched, based off of stereotypes, with some aspects of Scottish culture being completely thrown out, presumably because it didn’t fit the “aesthetic”. But beyond the ignorance prevalent in such fanon, “Space Scotland” tosses the culture Obi-Wan was written around aside completely.

George Lucas wrote the Jedi with heavy East Asian coding, basing their tenets off of Buddhism, basing their style off of samurai warriors. With the Force, he echoes Chinese concepts such as Qi.

So, we have his adopted culture, the inspiration for his character, and the name Obi-Wan Kenobi.

All of which have been almost completely disregarded by Fandom.

In a refusal to embrace what we are given from canon, in a refusal to understand the Jedi, they do not understand Obi-Wan. They cannot reflect him accurately in their portrayals. They look at him, how loyal and devoted he is to an Order that seems so mystical and foreign. Perhaps this stems from a misguided view of the Jedi, because of Anakin, or some internal bias. And they refuse to acknowledge how these ideals, this culture, these beliefs influence, Obi-Wan. It’s not comfortable. So, they strip all of that away, they don’t take into account the heavy coding around East Asian culture Obi-Wan was written with.

“Space Scotland” is a concept just foreign enough to still intrigue them, to make Obi-Wan “exotic” while still fitting him into their mold, making him more palatable. There is even a trend to rename him Ben—as a given name—not to acknowledge someone who has been torn from their home and is now isolated (as is what Ben means to him in canon, the whole point being that it’s not the true him) as reflects the lives of many diaspora—they use it because it’s familiar in western culture. And then, they make a ridiculous pastiche of Scotland, one full of stereotypes and a blatant lack of research. There is absolutely no basis for it whatsoever. It’s for the aesthetic, it’s convenient for them. It’s nothing short of erasure.

There are headcanons, patterns, memes, that I have seen from fans that have for years led me to the realization (though I had not truly comprehended how large the scope of it was until recently).

So many fans do not want Obi-Wan Kenobi. They want an attractive white man who they shape to become more relatable, more familiar, so they can mold him into something that never aligned with his character, while keeping just enough of the “exoticism” by having him based off a foreign culture. Because how could they possibly relate to him without all those pesky Jedi teachings in the way! Well maybe, just maybe, he doesn’t live a lifestyle like yours.

(Note: this is not me saying that exploring Obi-Wan as a non-Jedi or bringing him into a modern AU is at all wrong in itself, but it is all about how it’s presented and the attitude towards him and his coding as a whole.)

Now that we’ve identified the all-too-common Obi-Wan caricature, we will consider another area in which he has been completely divorced from his canon portrayal.

The Negotiator

Obi-Wan Kenobi is portrayed by Ewan Mcgregor in the the prequel trilogy. Ewan Mcgregor is a conventionally attractive man. Obi-Wan is canonically described as charismatic, and dubbed “The Negotiator” for his diplomatic skills. Obi-Wan is appealing to Fandom. Of course, how could he not be? He’s kind, his sarcasm and wit entertains us for hours, and he never loses his integrity, no matter what he faces. Fandom has been enchanted by him for years, and will certainly continue to be.

He’s a stylish man, flashy to an extent, obviously gives a damn about looking neat, and isn’t afraid to utilize his charms.

However, aspects of him have been cherry-picked, and specific traits have snowballed. Specifically, the idea of Obi-Wan using his body, for business and for pleasure, is taken as canon. Frankly, I would be surprised if you had not heard the term “Slut Obi-Wan. It’s played for memes, it’s expressed in fanfiction, in casual mentions of his character. Frankly, it is everywhere.

What aspects of his personality allude to this? Well, the first and foremost thing has nothing to do with his personality at all, because it’s simply: people are physically attracted to him. In itself, there is nothing wrong with this. However, this, paired with his charisma, projection onto the character himself has been blown ridiculously out of proportion. But what does the text say? What would happen if we really looked at these interactions? But, of course, most of Fandom will not do this, and I do not expect them to. Why examine any further, after all, when it’s so easy and comfortable here?

But don’t take my word for it. Let’s examine Obi-Wan’s mindset from the canon.

I’m sure no one is surprised that the first interactions we are going to examine are those between Obi-Wan and Asajj Ventress. In almost every duel they have, playful banter that often crosses into flirtatiousness is played for comedy.

In the canon (as of now) novel Dark Disciple by Christie Golden, this is addressed directly.

However, it is stated to be purely tactical in nature. (Note: this discussion will not be me dictating who you can and cannot ship him with. merely, when we refer to canon Obi-Wan, and how he has processed romance and intimacy).

Nothing about this is for physical pleasure, merely a mental challenge, a way to hopefully catch the other off guard. It’s not difficult to understand that Obi-Wan Kenobi and Asajj Ventress have no genuine interest in each other, aside from the possibility of an amusing challenge from an intellectual equal, hence the mind games. Adding to this, too, they both have different canon love interests, and both characters are shown to be devoted only to their canon love interests, as far as romance goes.

In The Clone Wars season 2 episode 17, Bounty Hunters, Obi-Wan and a bounty hunter named Sugi are somewhat depicted to be fraternizing, with playful banter that wouldn’t be a stretch to label as flirting. However, if you’ll notice, the second she turns away, Obi-Wan’s demeanor completely changes, with his face immediately hardening into something devoid of playfulness or anything resembling desire. It is clear his only purpose in entertaining such a dynamic with the bounty hunter is to keep her as an ally and soften her view towards the Jedi’s involvement.

In The Clone Wars episode Innocnets of Ryloth, a droid states that General Kenobi is “known for his deceptive maneuvers.”

Obi-Wan is also shown using his charisma in ways that don’t involve anything flirtatious or remotely romantic. He is simply charming, puts people at ease, a balance of non-threatening calm with the confidence of a leader. He is shown staging fake surrenders, and speaks calmly to his enemies far more than he raises his voice.

So, in the canon, is Obi-Wan seeking physical pleasure, or does he merely act out of tactical necessity?

The Real Voyage of Temptation

Among the many things Fandom will happily graze over to stuff Obi-Wan into their caricatured version of him, how he processes sex and romance is one of the most prevalent misinterpretations. In the novel Padawan by Kirseten White, Obi-Wan explains that sexual intercourse always seemed “more like an obstacle, rather than a temptation.”

Because of what is in canon, I will now mention his relationship with Satine Kryze through his eyes. However, I will reference his EU love interest, Siri Tachi from the Jedi Apprentice series, because the same points apply.

We don’t have much about Obi-Wan and Satine during the blossom of their romance. We know that they were between the ages 15 to 18, that they had a year’s worth of time in proximity, and that they were constantly in life-or-death circumstances. Mirroring his relationship with Siri, he and Satine would often bicker. The root of the tumultuous bickering with Satine is typically their differing political views, but as with Siri, it is meant to depict their begrudging romantic attraction. However, both overcome their difference with Obi-Wan. The basis for romance had a foundation of trust and compromise. And in both cases, Obi-Wan chooses duty over love.

Despite fanon speculation (such as the theory that Korkie Kryze is the illegitimate son of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Satine Kryze, one Obi-Wan does not know about) in Obi-Wan’s relationship with Satine, it is implied that they do not acknowledge their feelings aloud until long into after they have built lives in which the other had no involvement. The first time they confess to each other’s faces is during a famous confrontation in The Clone Wars episode, Voyage of Temptation.

When Obi-Wan says his famous line “had you said the word, I would have left the Jedi Order,” what struck me upon first hearing the line is his use of past tense. He is admitting to Satine that he loved her enough to leave the Order as a teenager, but now he has so much more responsibility and such a different life, it is obvious that he would not leave the Order for her now. This is proven when later this same episode we see the two sharing a bittersweet goodbye. This situation mirrors Obi-Wan’s Legends romance with Siri Tachi. The two Padawans planned to leave the Jedi Order to be together whilst forced into proximity on a mission. However, upon their return to the Temple, they cancelled this plan and vowed to never speak of their feelings for each other again.

Siri Tachi and Satine Kryze both die in Obi-Wan’s arms during the Clone Wars, and they both reaffirm their love for him as they do so. Obi-Wan lets them both go.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is only ever shown having romantic interest for someone he trusts deeply, and has a strong emotional bond and sense of camaraderie with. And in both cases, he chose to stay in the Jedi Order.

In Padawan, after being away from the Temple for some time Obi-Wan identifies a desire for attachment—but not necessarily a romantic one. He describes having a best friend, a true one, a confidant, an equal, someone he can share emotional intimacy with.

“Obi-Wan was hit with a sudden pang of longing. Not for any of them, specifically, but for that intimacy with anyone, generally. To clasp fingers, sneak off into the dark, have the weight of secrets, and affection and… connection. Attachment.”

However, immediately after identifying this, he rebukes himself, saying it bordered too close to attachment. This is obviously sometime he had to fight all his life. And, of course, the fight was hard-won, but won nonetheless.

Obi-Wan Kenobi was loyal to the Jedi Order, whether he wanted it or not. In both timelines where he has romantic feelings for someone, he never forgets them, nor does he let his attachment overcome his life.

On another extreme, there is a tendency to undermine Obi-Wan’s love for such characters in a way that infantilizes him (again, this is not to say not shipping him with these canon love interests, I do not ship him with these characters. This is something else entirely). Among his choosing to stay in the Jedi Order, I have picked up a mild trend among fanfiction, that show characters such as Satine Kryze, or perhaps whomever the author would prefer to pair Obi-Wan with, emotionally or even physically “preying” on Obi-Wan. There is a delicate balance between how much he desires romance, how much he desires sex, and his dedication to the Jedi Order, all of which are blown far out of proportion by fanon. Once again—the issue lies when such things are taken as canon. His sexual desires are extremely low, as is obvious in many Star Wars novels, and yet he is objectified heavily. He can recognize his romantic feelings for both of the love interests he has had through Star Wars, while also deciding the Order is where he belongs.

These are his desires, and his priorities. Obi-Wan Kenobi’s actions speak of someone who is fiercely loyal, who loves deeply, and who is certainly not self-indulgent. Nothing about him says that he would share himself in such a way with a stranger, especially not if he harbored romantic feelings for someone else. Especially not when it took so much for him to fall in love in the first place.

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Why This Matters)

“Millie, why does any of this matter? Fandoms have been mischaracterizing & embellishing canon since the dawn of time. Why do you care so much?”

Well, I could state the obvious that anyone who loves storytelling in some capacity will have to be familiar with, fiction reflects reality. So, yes, it does and always will matter how we chose to portray our world and the people in it.

Years ago, I finally made the decision that I would stop kicking around what little information I had with the core nine movies and finally watch The Clone Wars. And since then, I have loved Obi-Wan so deeply it has uprooted and changed my life. I have studied him as best I can. I’ve made wrong assumptions, I’ve concluded things about him that were false. But every single time, I have done all I could to research what was given to me from canon. There are trials in this, Obi-Wan has been portrayed by a myriad of different authors and writers over the years, and I have identified discrepancies between portrayals, especially if one considers canon vs. the EU. But beyond that, I just want to try and know him. And because of that, I am angry at what this Fandom does to him, and will no doubt continue to do to appease their idea of what he should be.

If you genuinely don’t care about him—if you enjoy your, fetishized, simplified, empty version of him after reading everything just covered, then there is likely nothing I can say to give canon Obi-Wan a modicum of merit in your eyes.

And also some pizza for Riley

Because yes, at no point is Palpatine ever making Anakin SO essential to his plans that he couldn't succeed without him. If Anakin somehow got himself killed or just didn't get manipulated quite enough by Palpatine or something, Palpatine is not ever planning on that being an issue.

But that doesn't automatically mean that Palpatine WOULD'VE succeeded regardless of Anakin's involvement.

Because here's the thing. If Anakin's choices don't matter to the narrative, if his choice in that office wouldn't have changed if Palpatine won or not, if he could literally have been written out of the story or killed off early and had nothing really change all that much, then why is this the story we're being told?

The whole POINT of seeing Anakin's story play out and having Anakin be the center of it is to tell us that his choices DO matter, that his existence DOES change things and that the decision he makes at that moment between Mace and Palpatine, Jedi and Sith, is a TURNING POINT that everything has been leading to. There would not be a story if Anakin and his choices didn't matter at all to the outcome. It would be someone else's story, like Padme or Obi-Wan or Palpatine. But it's not. It's Anakin's. And that automatically tells us that yes, Anakin's choices MATTER because that's the entire fucking point of the whole thing existing in the first place.

And looking beyond that, the worldbuilding of Star Wars is that everyone has a "destiny" but you only get to ACHIEVE said destiny if you CHOOSE it. And Anakin's destiny is told to us, very clearly, that he is a Chosen One capable of destroying the darkness and bringing balance back to the Force. It's what he ultimately DOES DO later when he finally chooses that path at the very end of his life. Which means that Anakin COULD'VE chosen that destiny in Palpatine's office and it WOULD'VE MATTERED because his entire destiny is to destroy Palpatine and the Sith along with him the moment he decides to walk that path. It's basically guaranteed to him once he makes that choice. The only reason it DOESN'T happen in that moment and Mace dies and Palpatine lives is because Anakin DOESN'T CHOOSE THAT PATH. He defies his own destiny.

So, yes, Anakin is entirely irrelevant to Palpatine's plan. But also, simultaneously, Anakin is the reason Palpatine succeeds because he chose to defy his own destiny which was to defeat Palpatine. Palpatine's plan and Anakin's destiny are entirely mutually exclusive things. Anakin is both completely irrelevant and the most relevant thing in the galaxy at the exact same time.

This is why I blame Anakin for literally everything the Empire ever does, regardless of his personal involvement in it. Anakin's choice allowed the Empire to exist and he had the opportunity to prevent it and chose to enforce it instead, so everything it does from then on is HIS FAULT more than almost anybody else.

Palpatine's plan for the destruction of the Jedi and the creation of the Empire is pretty much set by the end of The Phantom Menace. From here, without much intervention, Palpatine is in the position of power that lets him accumulate more to the point of becoming Emperor by Revenge of the Sith.

But the main story of the prequels centers on Anakin Skywalker, the one piece of the puzzle that Palpatine had no plan for by the time he got elected to chancellorship in The Phantom Menace. Anakin, who's origins are reminiscent of classic tales of evil forces overlooking what will eventually become their downfall, should be the perfect countermeasure to Palpatine's and the Sith's plans. This is essentially the Chosen One prophesy, where Anakin is uniquely in a position where he can both challenge the Sith and is powerful enough to effectively do so. Except Palpatine doesn't overlook Anakin. Instead, he tempts Anakin away from this destiny to the point of Anakin refusing to consider hurting Palpatine's plans.

Without Anakin present, Palpatine would have won anyway because anyone who could challenge him by the time Revenge of the Sith comes around is not able to do so.

(I know it is contested whether Mace could have beaten Palpatine on his own, but I disagree. By the time the Jedi Masters arrive in the Chancellor's Office, Palpatine already has his board set with pieces moving, specifically his knowledge that Anakin is rapidly approaching. He kills Saesee, Agen, and Kit very easily, continuing to duel with Mace to the point that Mace considers them to be at an impasse. Mace tries to gain the upper hand by using the fear that he assumes is from Palpatine against him, only for Palpatine to reveal the fear is from Anakin. The later half of the duel is heavily implied to be a situation specifically designed by Palpatine to place Anakin in a position to side with Palpatine, which he does. What makes this difficult is discerning whether Mace could have beaten Palpatine if he was actually fighting to his fullest. We don't know because it never plays out like that, but given the Chosen One prophecy tied with the ease in Palpatine's fighting, I'm going to guess that Mace would have lost the fight anyway.)

Anakin's presence in the story, while both interesting to see his descent play out over the course of decades, shows us a character who could have stopped Palpatine and chose not to.

Part of what makes the showdown on Coruscant so heartbreaking is the audience wanting Anakin to fulfill his destiny here, while knowing this will not happen until way later in Return of the Jedi. We know, as the audience, that Anakin had the power to stop Palpatine but chose not to for personal interests.

It can't even be argued that Anakin disarming Mace was just a poorly thought-out decision that put Anakin in a bad position because he doubles down by continuing to refuse to stop Palpatine after the duel's end. He choses over and over again to not stop him because he weighed the lives of the entirety of the Jedi against himself and his loved ones, and decided to help the doom of the galaxy.

For me, the prophecy is REAL, Anakin CAN destroy Palpatine if he chooses to do so, but he can also DEFY said prophecy forever if he truly wanted to. The prophecy is a guarantee of success for Anakin, but only if he actually goes for it, and that's ALL it is. It doesn't mean no one else CAN succeed, just that no one else has a GUARANTEE of success if they try it.

So I believe that Mace could've succeeded, this was absolutely possible and given that Palpatine does clearly get very injured for the rest of his life as a result of that fight, I think he was well on his way to succeeding before Anakin stepped in. I am firmly of the believe that Mace WOULD'VE won if Anakin hadn't showed up. Would this have meant that Anakin never fulfilled the prophecy? Yes. Does this mean there's now no balance in the Force? No. Anakin was one way for that to happen and one of the EASIEST ways for it to happen, but I refuse to believe it's the ONLY way.

The other reason I kinda believe this is because of how TCW treats the Force ghosts in its arc about them in season 6. The Force priestesses appear to be explicitly giving a few chosen Jedi the ability to ghost when they die BECAUSE ANAKIN'S SUCCESS IS NOT A GUARANTEE and they're coming up with alternatives for how to manage the situation if Anakin fails. Which means there can BE alternatives to find balance in the Force even without his help.

So, again, the idea that Mace COULD'VE killed Palpatine and sort-of subverted the prophecy if Anakin didn't show up in time seems extremely possible to me.

And for me, that's a large part of the tragedy. Because while it's all about Anakin, it's also... NOT all about Anakin. It's also about the Republic and the Senate and the regular citizens of the galaxy. Anakin's choices absolutely matter and are central to this story, everyone else's choices matter, too. The Senate was just as capable of choosing better as Anakin was, given the chance. The possibility that there COULD'VE been a happy ending here, even without Anakin getting involved, is a MASSIVE part of the tragedy to me. They could've won. They were THIS CLOSE to winning. And not JUST because Anakin had a choice in that room, but because Mace was ALSO making a choice in that moment, because Agen and Kit and Saesee made their own choices when they walked into that office.

THEY WOULD'VE WON, the Jedi had outwitted Palpatine despite all of the effort he put in to take them down. He had to spend DECADES building up a political career and making connections with the Trade Federation to get himself into a position of power so he could start a galactic civil war so he could hobble the Jedi enough to eliminate them as his enemies, and they nearly upended ALL OF THAT EFFORT within a few days of deciding he was too powerful to be allowed to stay in power. That's how strong they were, that's how powerful they were, THAT'S why Palpatine wanted them dead and gone because they were so absolutely capable of beating him and HE KNOWS THAT. He would not have put that much effort into getting rid of them otherwise. The Jedi would've won, and the only reason they didn't was because Anakin made a selfish decision.

I dunno, I think the tragedy hits better for me to realize that they absolutely would've won in there, that they were THIS CLOSE and literally if Anakin had just like tripped and fallen on his way to the Senate building or something, they WOULD'VE won. For me, Anakin is important because he guarantees that they lose, not because he's the single guarantee that they win.

Wait, I had more thoughts.

Okay, so here's the thing that may bridge the gap between us a little. It IS still ultimately Anakin's choice that determines everything, but the choice does not have to equate to ACTION.

Because remember, Anakin is making choices ALL THE WAY THROUGH, not just at the last moment, AND THEY ALL MATTER. So he's not JUST making a choice when he lops off Mace's hand, he's ALSO making a choice when he decides to leave the Temple and come to Palpatine's office in the first place (explicitly against Mace's orders to stay away from this fight). They intentionally juxtapose that shot of Anakin looking out the window in the Council chamber with a shot of Padme looking out the window of her apartment FOR A REASON, and the reason is that this choice he makes in this moment is equally as important (if not more so) than the one he makes in Palpatine's office.

By the time he arrives in Palpatine's office, while he can still obviously choose to change his mind and side with Mace if he wanted to, he has arguably already MADE the choice to side with Palpatine no matter what that will mean. He HOPES he can talk Mace down from killing Palpatine, but he's prepared to do whatever it takes to keep Palpatine alive.

BUT HE DIDN'T HAVE TO COME TO PALPATINE'S OFFICE AT ALL. Anakin COULD'VE chosen to stay at the Temple, he could've chosen to trust that Mace and the other Jedi had it handled, he could've chosen to accept the possibility of Palpatine's death. And I think the emphasis on Anakin making the choice to leave the Temple in the first place tells us that that choice is equally as defining IF NOT MORE SO than the one he makes to chop Mace's hand off. And if we accept that as true, then it means that Anakin could've chosen INACTION and that this would've counted as a choice that saved the galaxy.

Because think about it, nothing we know of the prophecy (which, canonically, is EXTREMELY little) specifies that Chosen One kills the Sith Lord. Yoda himself mentions that prophecies can often be misunderstood and misread. People are ASSUMING how that story might play out based on what's in the prophecy, sure, but that doesn't necessarily have to mean that that's RIGHT. It doesn't even mean that there's only ONE WAY for the story to end. Canonically, as per word of god, Anakin could've ended things in Palpatine's office that day if he'd wanted to. He doesn't, but then he DOES end things later on the Death Star 2.0. This already tells us that there can be multiple options to fulfilling a prophecy.

And Anakin canonically struggles a LOT with letting go, with trusting in the will of the Force, so if he'd chosen to stay in the Temple in that moment, he'd have been doing both. He'd have been finding a balance IN HIMSELF that he's never truly had before, and, in doing so, allowing balance to be restored in the galaxy as Mace is left to finish off Palpatine. Anakin's state of being typically follows the state of the galaxy. When he is at his most unbalanced in ROTS, the galaxy is at war and suffering under corruption. When he finds a modicum of balance again in ROTJ, it is after the galaxy has come together through the Rebellion to fight against corruption and greed. So it follows, thematically, that if Anakin had somehow miraculously found balance in that moment in the Council chambers and chosen to let go of his need to control the outcome of the story, the fate of the galaxy would have followed suit.

Anakin's belief in the prophecy, at least partially, pushes him to involve himself to the point of disregarding the prophecy and heavily impacting the galaxy, which is a bit of a mindbender. This belief from him is shown to be based off his own feelings of powerlessness, relating to his worries about Padmé, the war, and his own experiences with powerlessness in the past. But his belief contradicts with his reality where he does have the power to influence, to the point of deciding the fate of the galaxy.

I liked your point about him struggling with trusting the will of the Force being integral to his struggle with finding balance in himself which impacts the balance of the galaxy. The balance of the galaxy does seem to shift based on Anakin's balance, with the Revenge of the Sith novelization showing Anakin's explicit tipping of the scales between "himself" and "Vader" when accepting to be Palpatine's apprentice, coinciding with the fall of the Republic.

Anakin's belief in the prophecy, based partially in his own feelings of powerlessness, combined with his heavily unbalanced nature and lack of trust in the Force at the time of the showdown push him to try to take matters into his own hands. The power of the Chosen One seems to be a bit of a mix between simple power in the Force as well as power in influencing outcomes that have an effect on the entire galaxy. So much of Anakin/Vader's power when it comes to being the Chosen One is based on being the one who is put in the place to make the decision that effects the galaxy. The prophecy, based in a potential future, sees Anakin as a major decision maker in the fate of the galaxy. Him putting himself into that position to make that decision can be seen as causing him to be the Chosen One retroactively.

If this is the case, then he didn't need to be there at all. If he goes to the Senate because of the pressure of being the Chosen One, then he is the Chosen One. But if he doesn't, then he isn't. But to Anakin, to not be the Chosen One means to not have the means of power that is yearns for. So he goes to the Senate because he knows he can influence the fight and change the fate of the galaxy.

It's his decision, but it didn't have to be. He could have let it be.

Because yes, at no point is Palpatine ever making Anakin SO essential to his plans that he couldn't succeed without him. If Anakin somehow got himself killed or just didn't get manipulated quite enough by Palpatine or something, Palpatine is not ever planning on that being an issue.

But that doesn't automatically mean that Palpatine WOULD'VE succeeded regardless of Anakin's involvement.

Because here's the thing. If Anakin's choices don't matter to the narrative, if his choice in that office wouldn't have changed if Palpatine won or not, if he could literally have been written out of the story or killed off early and had nothing really change all that much, then why is this the story we're being told?

The whole POINT of seeing Anakin's story play out and having Anakin be the center of it is to tell us that his choices DO matter, that his existence DOES change things and that the decision he makes at that moment between Mace and Palpatine, Jedi and Sith, is a TURNING POINT that everything has been leading to. There would not be a story if Anakin and his choices didn't matter at all to the outcome. It would be someone else's story, like Padme or Obi-Wan or Palpatine. But it's not. It's Anakin's. And that automatically tells us that yes, Anakin's choices MATTER because that's the entire fucking point of the whole thing existing in the first place.

And looking beyond that, the worldbuilding of Star Wars is that everyone has a "destiny" but you only get to ACHIEVE said destiny if you CHOOSE it. And Anakin's destiny is told to us, very clearly, that he is a Chosen One capable of destroying the darkness and bringing balance back to the Force. It's what he ultimately DOES DO later when he finally chooses that path at the very end of his life. Which means that Anakin COULD'VE chosen that destiny in Palpatine's office and it WOULD'VE MATTERED because his entire destiny is to destroy Palpatine and the Sith along with him the moment he decides to walk that path. It's basically guaranteed to him once he makes that choice. The only reason it DOESN'T happen in that moment and Mace dies and Palpatine lives is because Anakin DOESN'T CHOOSE THAT PATH. He defies his own destiny.

So, yes, Anakin is entirely irrelevant to Palpatine's plan. But also, simultaneously, Anakin is the reason Palpatine succeeds because he chose to defy his own destiny which was to defeat Palpatine. Palpatine's plan and Anakin's destiny are entirely mutually exclusive things. Anakin is both completely irrelevant and the most relevant thing in the galaxy at the exact same time.

This is why I blame Anakin for literally everything the Empire ever does, regardless of his personal involvement in it. Anakin's choice allowed the Empire to exist and he had the opportunity to prevent it and chose to enforce it instead, so everything it does from then on is HIS FAULT more than almost anybody else.

Palpatine's plan for the destruction of the Jedi and the creation of the Empire is pretty much set by the end of The Phantom Menace. From here, without much intervention, Palpatine is in the position of power that lets him accumulate more to the point of becoming Emperor by Revenge of the Sith.

But the main story of the prequels centers on Anakin Skywalker, the one piece of the puzzle that Palpatine had no plan for by the time he got elected to chancellorship in The Phantom Menace. Anakin, who's origins are reminiscent of classic tales of evil forces overlooking what will eventually become their downfall, should be the perfect countermeasure to Palpatine's and the Sith's plans. This is essentially the Chosen One prophesy, where Anakin is uniquely in a position where he can both challenge the Sith and is powerful enough to effectively do so. Except Palpatine doesn't overlook Anakin. Instead, he tempts Anakin away from this destiny to the point of Anakin refusing to consider hurting Palpatine's plans.

Without Anakin present, Palpatine would have won anyway because anyone who could challenge him by the time Revenge of the Sith comes around is not able to do so.

(I know it is contested whether Mace could have beaten Palpatine on his own, but I disagree. By the time the Jedi Masters arrive in the Chancellor's Office, Palpatine already has his board set with pieces moving, specifically his knowledge that Anakin is rapidly approaching. He kills Saesee, Agen, and Kit very easily, continuing to duel with Mace to the point that Mace considers them to be at an impasse. Mace tries to gain the upper hand by using the fear that he assumes is from Palpatine against him, only for Palpatine to reveal the fear is from Anakin. The later half of the duel is heavily implied to be a situation specifically designed by Palpatine to place Anakin in a position to side with Palpatine, which he does. What makes this difficult is discerning whether Mace could have beaten Palpatine if he was actually fighting to his fullest. We don't know because it never plays out like that, but given the Chosen One prophecy tied with the ease in Palpatine's fighting, I'm going to guess that Mace would have lost the fight anyway.)

Anakin's presence in the story, while both interesting to see his descent play out over the course of decades, shows us a character who could have stopped Palpatine and chose not to.

Part of what makes the showdown on Coruscant so heartbreaking is the audience wanting Anakin to fulfill his destiny here, while knowing this will not happen until way later in Return of the Jedi. We know, as the audience, that Anakin had the power to stop Palpatine but chose not to for personal interests.

It can't even be argued that Anakin disarming Mace was just a poorly thought-out decision that put Anakin in a bad position because he doubles down by continuing to refuse to stop Palpatine after the duel's end. He choses over and over again to not stop him because he weighed the lives of the entirety of the Jedi against himself and his loved ones, and decided to help the doom of the galaxy.