Obi-Wan Kenobi Show May Already Have A Good Star Wars Retcon
The Obi-Wan Kenobi series may have already revealed a good Star Wars retcon from the original trilogy. After The Book of Boba Fett, Lucasfilm is gearing for the release of its next Disney+ show which will see the return of Ewan McGregor as the fan-favorite Jedi Master. With that, marketing for the project has begun with the release of several promo stills. While it's of course not confirmed, one photo hints that a particular aspect of Obi-Wan's story while staying in Tatooine may be changed, which could make the narrative even better.
Understandably, Disney and Lucasfilm are running a measured marketing campaign for the Obi-Wan Kenobi show, knowing full well that the whole Star Wars fandom is already invested in it. Along with the first trailer, but a series of stills have been rolled out, offering everyone their first look at the titular character, as well as other familiar and new faces. One specific image reveals Obi-Wan's home, which is described as his "sparse dwelling on Tatooine" where he "set up shop to watch over young Luke Skywalker." This effectively contradicts the character's abode that was previously revealed in the 2015 comic book, Star Wars #5-6, where Luke and Boba Fett fought.
In the comic book, Obi-Wan's house looked more like a typical Tatooine hut, not dissimilar to the Lars homestead. This tracks with what Old Ben Kenobi's hut looked like in A New Hope, where Obi-Wan (Sir Alec Guinness) handed Luke (Mark Hamill) his dad's lightsaber. Now, however, the Obi-Wan Kenobi show will see the titular Jedi Master living in a dark cave instead. But this is actually more thematically fitting with regard to where the character is at this point is in his life. As McGregor has explained in previous interviews, the Jedi Master is in a desperate and depressed state when the show picks up. His state of mind is reflected in his living situation in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. As seen in the newly-released image, Obi-Wan has settled in an empty cave. It's a fitting visual representation of how depleted and lost he feels as he continues struggling to survive following the fall of the Jedi Order, the betrayal of his pupil, Anakin Skywalker, and the rise of the Sith. It also emphasizes how alone he is, with no ally left after Emperor Palpatine’s (Ian McDiarmid) Order 66.
Not much has been revealed about Obi-Wan's life after the prequels, and with the upcoming show set 10 years following Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Lucasfilm can finally fill narrative gaps in his story. For what it's worth, it's still possible that Obi-Wan's cave dwelling in his show isn't going to be a retcon. Given where Obi-Wan Kenobi falls in the Star Wars timeline, there's a chance that the Jedi Master did stay in a more secluded place in the first decade after Order 66 to make sure that Palpatine’s minions couldn't find him. This makes sense since the series' main villain is a Force-sensitive Inquisitor who's hunting down surviving Jedi. Perhaps after his upcoming adventure in the Disney+ series, Obi-Wan decides to move to a more typical Tatooine home in an effort to live more sustainably. It might even be in an effort to be closer to Luke, who lives with his Uncle Owen (Joel Edgerton) and Aunt Beru (Bonnie Piesse).
Nonetheless, Obi-Wan’s living arrangement in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series further highlights just how difficult it has been for the titular Jedi since Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Seeing him alone in a cold and dark cave makes the character’s story so much more tragic. But considering his future narrative past his own show, it also effectively reinforces why he’s one of the best characters in Star Wars knowing how his sacrifice helped the Rebellion.
Obi-Wan Kenobi starts streaming on Disney+ in May.