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Return of the Jedi hints at Anakin & Obi-Wan first meeting as adults in the initial plan, instead of Phantom Menace’s introduction for the Jedi duo.
Based on a few small pieces of dialogue from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, it seems that George Lucas’ Star Wars prequels may have had a very different origin in mind for Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker’s partnership. It’s no secret that there are many changes and inconsistencies throughout the three Star Wars trilogies. In fact, one of these inconsistencies seems to directly contradict a piece of dialogue in the film.
In Return of the Jedi, Kenobi famously tells Luke that “When I first knew him, your father was already a great pilot.” This appears to be reflective of the plans for the plot at this point in the franchise – which would change dramatically over time, especially regarding Anakin Skywalker himself. Though Anakin Skywalker’s podracer scenes in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace could be seen to support this statement, it’s unlikely audiences would’ve anticipated Obi-Wan referring to a child when stating this. Indeed, a look at what seems to be the extended line suggests the original plan for Anakin & Obi-Wan was far different.
Return Of The Jedi Hints Anakin & Obi-Wan Met As Adults
In the second issue of the Return of the Jedi comic book adaptation, which was released in tandem with the film in 1983, Luke’s talk with Kenobi’s force ghost has an extended bit of dialogue. Luke confronts Kenobi about Vader being his father. Kenobi responds with “When I first met your father, during The Clone Wars, he was already a great pilot.”
Michael Kaminski’s The Secret History of Star Wars suggests these comics draw from the original script of the movies, making this extended quote especially interesting. This is because it would mean that Kenobi’s extended statement on his and Anakin’s origins may have been taken from earlier drafts of the script. As such, it appears the original intention was to have Anakin and Kenobi meet as adults during The Clone Wars.
Kenobi also later tells Luke, “But what amazed me was how strongly the force was with him. With foolish pride, I took it upon myself to train Anakin in the ways of the Jedi.” This implies that Obi-Wan was the one to notice the force within Anakin and take him under his wing. However, it is Qui-Gon Jinn who notices the force within Anakin and ultimately decides to take him on as a Padawan. Only after Jinn’s death does Kenobi agree to train Anakin.
What Were Lucas’ Original Plans For Anakin & Obi-Wan?
Other lines in Revenge of the Sith reveal a bit more of Lucas’ original plans for the prequels. For example, Princess Leia tells Luke that she remembers her mother. Leia states, “She died when I was very young. I only recall a little. Feelings, really. Images, she was very beautiful, gentle and kind… but sad.” In Revenge of the Sith, Padme passes away during childbirth, leaving Leia and Luke with just minutes of interaction – leaving what Leia said still true, but something of an understatement that suggests plans initially had Padme live longer.
Creator George Lucas seems to have had a plan to make Kenobi and Anakin meet during the war and form a bond that would extend to Anakin’s children with Padme, once Vader had killed them both. Kenobi would initiate the protection and hiding of Luke and Leia to avoid Vader’s detection, assuming that Vader was not originally Luke’s father. Obi-Wan’s wording of “He betrayed and murdered your father,” as well as the doubling back of his explanation later with being truthful from a “certain point of view” both seem to prove the change in story.
Qui-Gon Jinn is also a diversion from Lucas’ original plan, with Yoda and Kenobi’s dialogue pointing to the latter pair instead being Master and Padawan. If they had been, it would have been in the way of Kenobi and Anakin’s partnership, as there would be no Qui-Gon to initiate training Anakin. While the line from the Star Wars: Return of the Jedi comics about The Clone Wars may not canon – and Kenobi may have simply been looking back at Anakin’s podracing with rose-colored glasses – the inverse would paint a picture of the original plan for the franchise. This is just another example of how the Star Wars franchise is ever-changing.
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