Obi-Wan Kenobi Writer Reveals Original Plans For Scrapped Film Trilogy

https://screenrant.com/star-wars-obi-wan-kenobi-trilogy-scrapped-plans/

During an interview with YouTuber Star Wars Theory, Beattie revealed his core concept: Obi-Wan and Vader had to have met between Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and the first Star Wars film, later retitled A New Hope. Dialogue in Return of the Jedi supports his theory – at one point, Vader tells Luke that Obi-Wan once thought he could be redeemed too, but this was never covered in the prequel trilogy. So when did Vader and Obi-Wan meet, and how did that affect his journey as a Jedi?

In Beattie’s original concept, Obi-Wan is in a much darker place than he appears to be in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Beattie argued that Obi-Wan would have been weighed down by his guilt, infecting his two most important relationships: his relationship with the Force and his relationship with Luke Skywalker. In this version of the story, Obi-Wan would not have kept a watchful eye on Luke from afar; instead, he moves in with the Lars family, training Luke from a young age.

Then, when Luke is four years old, it’s clear that the training isn’t going well. Obi-Wan is frustrated, and he’s lost his connection with the Force. This story is about Obi-Wan learning that forcing someone, namely Luke, to connect with the Force is impossible. He needs to learn to trust himself and the Force once more – he has to let go, take a step back, and trust the Force to bring Luke back to him when the time is right. That’s where A New Hope comes in.

Before Luke can be reunited with Old Ben, though, Obi-Wan has to face his demons. The plot finally kicks off when the Empire arrives on Tatooine. Clone Commander Cody has reconnected with Obi-Wan, and various hilarious shenanigans involving the Sarlacc pit occur, but the Empire discovers Obi-Wan is on Tatooine, and he is forced to flee. He ends up on a space station with refugees, all of whom are being held prisoner by a corrupt administrator.

These refugees have their own connection to the Force – though they may not call it that, just as other Star Wars cultures have been known to give the Force a different name – and they teach Obi-Wan an important lesson about Luke’s destiny. Obi-Wan has a vision in which he sees himself confronting a dark figure on Mustafar. Though he surmises it must be Vader, it turns out to be 19-year-old Mark Hamill instead, and Obi-Wan realizes he’s pushing Luke down a dark path.

Vader has tracked Obi-Wan down to the space station, and they are the last two figures there as it falls into a gas giant. They duel, Obi-Wan still slashes Vader’s mask and his eyes, and he says he believes there’s still good in him – everything in Beattie’s story leads up to that moment. In the end, Obi-Wan manages to escape. Interestingly, Reva is there, too (though she isn’t mentioned anywhere else in the interview), and claims to have killed him. Vader, angry that he wasn’t the one to kill Obi-Wan, kills her instead, and she dies with the knowledge that she saved Obi-Wan’s life.

[more, interview https://youtu.be/_hY-po8IXXc]