Lucasfilm
The fact that Obi-Wan Kenobi ( Ewan McGregor ) meets Princess Leia ( Vivien Lyra Blair ) and both experience the adventure at the heart of the new «Star Wars» series on Disney+ causes discussions. Doesn’t it contradict the films that they both know each other? No — on the contrary!
The two never met in the cinema, because in » Star Wars: A New Hope » it all begins with a call for help from Leia (here: Carrie Fisher ) to Obi-Wan (here: Alec Guinness ), but they never meet. Because Kenobi dies before in a duel with Darth Vader. The call for help only establishes that Leia’s name means something to Obi-Wan. The meeting that has now taken place in “ Obi-Wan Kenobi ” makes a completely different detail better.
Kylo Ren’s real name finally makes sense
In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, we learn that villain Kylo Ren ( Adam Driver ) is actually Ben Solo, son of Han Solo ( Harrison Ford ) and Leia. The name is meant to refer to Obi-Wan. As «Uncle Ben» he finally lived hidden on Tatooine.
» «Obi-Wan Kenobi» on Disney+ *
But even then one could ask why the two parents chose this name. After all, Obi-Wan aka Ben was Luke’s mentor and a formative figure for him. In the non-canon Star Wars book sequels, Luke also named his son Ben Skywalker. For Han and Leia, however, Obi-Wan wasn’t really that important. Why would Leia name her son after a man just because he was once important to her brother? Some fans then also criticized that JJ Abrams and Co. simply took the Ben name from the books without understanding its meaning.
The beggar cameo in «Obi-Wan Kenobi» explains: That’s why the scene is so great
But the two opening episodes of «Obi-Wan Kenobi» now paint a different picture. Suddenly that name has meaning for Leia. «Ben» is a memory of a man who not only saved her as a ten-year-old child, but arguably shaped her as well. Only the upcoming episodes will show exactly how things will continue with both of them. But even if they go their separate ways because Obi-Wan brings Leia back safely to her parents, he’s already made a powerful impression on her. He showed her that the Jedi still exist, he showed her more of the world and opened up a new perspective on it.
Incidentally, Obi-Wan and Leia will continue shortly. Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 3 is available on Disney+ on Wednesday, June 1, 2022 . You can find out more about the first two episodes in our explanatory video:
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Episode 1 & 2 Explained (FILMSTARTS Original)
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