Obi-Wan's Childhood Proves He Was Meant To Train Anakin
Warning! Contains a preview for Obi-Wan Kenobi #1
In a preview for Marvel Comics' new Obi-Wan series, a new look at Kenobi's childhood as a youngling proves he was meant to train Anakin Skywalker. Set in the years just before the first Star Wars film, Old Ben Kenobi reflects on his life during a sandstorm on Tatooine, looking back to moments from his past that have never been seen before. Thanks to this new preview, it looks as though Obi-Wan will be dwelling on his time in the Jedi Temple before he became Qui-Gon Jinn's Padawan.
The new Obi-Wan #1 will be coming from Christopher Cantwell and Ario Anindito, seeing Old Ben writing in his journals. While a handful of these entries were depicted in the pages of Jason Aaron's 2015 Star Wars run, the majority of those stories featured Kenobi when he was already in exile on Tatooine, watching over and protecting young Luke Skywalker. Now, this new Obi-Wan series will be looking even further back to Kenobi's earliest days among the Jedi Order.
Featuring Obi-Wan as a youngling in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, the new preview for Obi-Wan #1 finds Kenobi searching for his friend Gehren, who has left her bed. When Obi-Wan finds her outside the Temple, Gehren reveals that she keeps having dreams about her father suffering and in pain, which she believes are visions. Even though she is determined to leave the Order and save her father, Obi-Wan desperately tries to get her to stay before she jumps to Coruscant's lower levels to begin her self-appointed mission. As such, Obi-Wan's childhood friend very much resembles Kenobi's future Padawan Anakin Skywalker who likewise has dark visions of his mother as seen in Attack of Clones. Here are the preview pages and synopsis for the upcoming issue:
OBI-WAN #1-YOUNGLING'S CHALLENGE
Fast approaches the ultimate destiny of one of the Jedi’s most renowned masters! As he spends his final days in the remote deserts of Tatooine, Obi-Wan Kenobi takes time to reflect on—and record—key moments of a heroic life long-lived. Writing in old leather-bound journals from his hermit’s hut, Obi-Wan remembers his days as a young Jedi Initiate, his trials as a Padawan, the crucible of Jedi Knighthood and the Clone Wars, and some of the earliest challenges he faced as a true Master of the Force! In this tale, Obi-Wan considers a watershed Youngling adventure he narrowly survived on Coruscant when he was but eight years of age… This is just the beginning of his Jedi journey!
This never-before-seen time in Kenobi's life is described as a "watershed adventure," and the similarities to Anakin's struggle and visions of his mother can't be coincidental. That being said, Obi-Wan's chief advice to Anakin in Attack of Clones is that his dreams will eventually pass, seeing as how his Padawan neglects to reveal the full extent of the visions he is having. Perhaps Obi-Wan's experience here in this new issue will explain his response to Anakin? It's possible that Gehren's dreams are not as real as she thinks.
At any rate, the new Obi-Wan series from Marvel looks as though it will be kicking off with a very dynamic adventure that may just see young Kenobi jumping after his friend. It would certainly define him as having always been a hero even as a youngling, striving to help his friend who very much resembles his future apprentice in the Star Wars galaxy. The full Obi-Wan #1 will release on May 4.