Obi-Wan Kenobi Can Fix A Star Wars Jedi Plot Hole | Screen Rant
The Obi-Wan Kenobi show may finally be able to fix a Star Wars Jedi plot hole that the prequel trilogy created for the franchise. The teaser trailer for Obi-Wan Kenobi has been released, showing Ewan McGregor back as the titular Jedi Knight in a galaxy far, far, away. The clothing in Star Wars has always been as iconic as any of the spaceships, creatures, or lightsabers, and Obi-Wan’s costume is no different. The new Disney+ Star Wars show though puts a new spin on the Jedi’s attire, and in doing so may have addressed a long-running plot hole for the franchise.
George Lucas made the creative decision when making the first Star Wars movie to have Obi-Wan Kenobi wear simple brown robes, echoing feudal Japan and the Samurai warriors that wore similar garb. When he came to make the Star Wars prequels though 20 years later, Obi-Wan’s robes had become so iconic and synonymous with the Jedi Master that he applied them to the Jedi Order as a whole. This though created a plot hole for old Ben, living in hiding and watching over Luke Skywalker. With the Empire scouring the galaxy looking for Obi-Wan Kenobi, it was perhaps ill-advised to continue to wear the uniform of a Jedi that’s so instantly recognizable.
The trailer and first images for Obi-Wan Kenobi have the Jedi wearing different clothes than he has done in both the original Star Wars trilogy and the prequels. Obi-Wan’s clothing in the show is now more understated, with him wearing a poncho in some shots, somewhat reminiscent of what Qui-Gon Jinn wears while walking around Tatooine in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Elsewhere he is seen wearing his Jedi robe, but with a different undergarment. The changes in Obi-Wan's outfits suggest that the Star Wars show will try to fix the Jedi robes plot hole, or at least explain why Obi-Wan still wears them in Star Wars: A New Hope.
One explanation that the Obi-Wan Kenobi show could offer for the plot hole is that Jedi robes are simple enough in their design and color palette that they don’t immediately stand out from the regular population or lower class. Jedi after all forsake material possessions, and their simple attire is a statement of this. A bounty hunter or the Grand Inquisitor could be more focused on a face or the blaze of a lightsaber than a nobody wrapped in earth tones. Additionally, Tatooine is such a backwater planet and so sparsely populated that Obi-Wan might think that the Empire wouldn’t bother looking for him there. The Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer however shows that the Inquisitors do indeed make their way there in the show.
While Obi-Wan Kenobi appears to be addressing the Jedi robes plot hole, there is another Star Wars plot hole that also needs fixing. When Obi-Wan goes into hiding, he only changes his first name. While “Ben” is presumably a common enough first name to not draw attention, “Kenobi” is known throughout the galaxy thanks to Obi-Wan’s lifetime of great deeds, and is certainly known to the Empire. Whether the Obi-Wan Kenobi show touches on the Ben Kenobi plot hole as well remains to be seen, but Star Wars fans won’t have long to find out as the limited series will debut in May.
Obi-Wan Kenobi premieres Wednesday, May 25 on Disney+.