Star Wars Jedi Icon Never Got Proper Recognition
Later in life, Star Wars icon Obi-Wan Kenobi became a hermit on Tattooine, a decision that helped him to both avoid the Imperial Jedi purge and to keep an eye on young Luke Skywalker. However, before Order 66, it’s kind of shocking in retrospect that the other Jedi don’t really treat this particular warrior as a respected celebrity. After all, Obi-Wan Kenobi was only a Padawan when he killed the first Sith that the Jedi had seen in nearly a thousand years, one who had already proven powerful enough to kill Qui-Gon Jinn.
Duel Of The Fates
Even the biggest prequel haters have to admit that the “Duel of the Fates” in The Phantom Menace is one of the coolest battles in Star Wars history. Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi had a fierce battle with the Sith Darth Maul, with the fate of the planet Naboo at stake.
Sadly, Maul managed to kill the Jedi Master, but through a combination of skill and luck (or maybe just the will of the Force), Obi-Wan was able to defeat this powerful enemy.
Attack Of The Clones
Now, the time-jumping of the prequels is jarring for many reasons, including the fact that we don’t see much of what happens right after Obi-Wan cuts his Sith foe into two pieces.
At the end of The Phantom Menace, Yoda grouses at the young Jedi about training Anakin before reluctantly allowing this newly minted Knight to take on a Padawan of his own. Later, Attack of the Clones presented Obi-Wan and Anakin more as bickering brothers, and none of the Jedi really treated Kenobi like he was a big deal.
Sith Lords Are Our Specialty
However, by definition, Obi-Wan Kenobi should have instantly become a celebrity: he defeated the first Sith warrior that the Jedi had encountered in nearly a millennia, and he did it on his own.
Darth Maul had already killed Qui-Gon Jinn, which helped prove just how powerful this new enemy really was. It really shouldn’t have been possible for a padawan to take out a deadly warrior trained by Palpatine himself, but Obi-Wan managed to pull off the impossible, which is why he later smugly insists that “Sith Lords are our specialty.”
Just Another Day Swinging Sabers
Judging by how the rest of the Jedi treat Obi-Wan, though, defeating a Sith like Darth Maul was just another day at the office. It’s possible, of course, that all of them subscribe to Yoda’s beliefs that “wars not make one great” and that “adventure” and “excitement” just aren’t things that true Jedi are supposed to crave.
However, we know that, at minimum, Obi-Wan and Anakin like swapping war stories with each other, so you would think that at least some of the Jedi would love to celebrate the story of a young Padawan taking out an ancient evil that the Council thought long dead.
Next Time, Give Him A Thumbs Up
Obviously, there are bigger problems with the Star Wars prequels than the Jedi being unimpressed with Obi-Wan’s ability to fight and kill a Sith warrior, but little details like this are enough to break our suspension of disbelief.
Had many Jedi wanted to slap Kenobi’s back and buy him some blue milk in congratulations, it would have gone a long way toward humanizing their creepy space cult. Sadly, they chose to lift rocks rather than lift each other up, which is just one more reason to cheer for the Jedi getting what they deserve in The Acolyte.
