Star Wars: The Life and Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… 

On the desert world of Tatooine, Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker revisits the home of his late mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi. In desperate need of a new lightsaber after his devastating duel with Darth Vader on Cloud City, Luke hopes to find and knowledge Obi-Wan may have left behind. Down in the dusty cellar, Luke finds a box containing handwritten instructions and also Obi-Wan’s personal journal. 

The Life and Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi is the second entry in a series of Star Wars biographies written by Ryder Windham, detailing the storied life of Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of the saga’s most central characters. This book retells the events of the first six Star Wars movies (Episode I: The Phantom Menace to Episode VI: Return of the Jedi) from the perspective of Obi-Wan Kenobi, covering everything from his early years as an apprentice of Qui-Gon Jinn, his training of Anakin, to his exile on Tatooine, where he protected Luke Skywalker.  

The concept of Luke discovering Obi-Wan’s journal as a framing device is an interesting idea, as he learns about Obi-Wan’s past alongside the readers. Obi-Wan’s journal chronicles a series of stories. Interspersed throughout the book are interludes during which Luke reflects on these stories as he builds a lightsaber, bridging the past and present. The most entertaining sections of the book are the chapters that explore what Obi-Wan was up to before and in between each film. For instance, the first chapter begins over a decade before the events of The Phantom Menace with Obi-Wan and his master Qui-Gon Jinn arriving on the planet Ilum to obtain a crystal for the Jedi Padawan’s lightsaber. The most insightful chapters take place in the nineteen years between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, exploring Obi-Wan’s time as a hermit on Tatooine, adopting the alias Ben Kenobi, watching over Luke Skywalker, and discovering that his former apprentice, Darth Vader, had survived their duel on Mustafar.  

This book explores Obi-Wan’s psyche with depth and care, examining the weight of fulfilling Qui-Gon’s final wish by training Anakin, his grief and guilt over losing him to the dark side, and his determination to spare Luke the same fate. These quieter, introspective moments are scattered throughout, adding depth to an already complex character.  

It should be noted that this book, like The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader, now falls under the Legends continuity — a distinction given to the old Expanded Universe, i.e., most Star Wars books, comics, games, and other media (minus the films and The Clone Wars) released prior to Lucasfilm’s acquisition by Disney in 2012. This means that this book is no longer considered part of the canon that connects to newer films, books, and other media released post-Disney; instead, it exists in an alternate continuity. For instance, newer additions to Obi-Wan’s story, such as his rematch with Darth Vader, as depicted in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi, are nowhere to be seen. This fact doesn’t diminish its value by any means. It still serves as a solid retelling of Episodes I-VI and stands well on its own merits. Windham’s character study of Kenobi is thoughtful and engaging, even if the book itself is no longer canon.  

All in all, The Life and Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi is another fantastic Star Wars biography, serving both as an excellent retelling of the first six movies and an intimate character study of Obi-Wan. The themes of duty, loss, and enduring hope resonate throughout. The weaving of Expanded Universe material to fill in the gaps between movies is seamless and enhances our understanding of Obi-Wan.  

Sexual Content  

• None 

Violence 

• While on the planet Ilum to obtain a Kyber crystal for Obi-Wan’s lightsaber, Qui-Gon Jinn reminisces. The last time he was on the planet, he was with his former apprentice, Xanatos.  Xanatos would later fall to the dark side, and that Obi-Wan was with Qui-Gon on Telos IV when “neither was able to stop the dark, former Jedi from deliberately ending his own life by plunging into a boiling black pool of acid.” 
• Years later, during the events of The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon are attacked by the Sith Lord Darth Maul, engaging in a lightsaber duel. After several minutes of fighting, Maul “drove his lightsaber straight through Qui-Gon’s chest.” Qui-Gon soon dies in Obi-Wan’s arms. 
• Obi-Wan defeated Darth Maul as he “swung Qui-Gon’s blade, and the creature’s face contorted into an expression of surprise. And then it was the dark figure’s turn to tumble into the pit, and as he fell, his neatly cleaved body separated, bounced off the core’s walls, and vanished.” 
• Ten years later, after returning to Coruscant with his apprentice Anakin, Obi-Wan was instructed to go to a high-security apartment to meet with Senator Padme Amidala, “who had recently survived an assassination attempt that had left six others dead.” After a second attempt that night, Obi-Wan and Anakin tracked down the assailant in a nightclub, where Obi-Wan spun his lightsaber, “neatly cleaving through the assassin’s right arm.” As the two Jedi attempted to question her outside, the bounty hunter was hit by a toxic dart – “her wide, heavy-lidded eyes fell closed and she died in Obi-Wan’s arms.” 
• During the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan and Anakin fought alongside clone troopers against Separatist battle droids on the planet Farquar III. During the battle, Anakin’s gunship is struck by missiles and “fell sideways and crashed onto a water fountain, killing the vehicle’s clone pilot instantly.” 
• One of Obi-Wan’s journal entries recounts an early encounter during the Clone Wars with the warrior Asajj Ventress. “Asajj Ventress escaped that day, but not before she killed one Jedi and maimed his apprentice.”  
• In the same journal entry, Obi-Wan describes his first duel with Darth Vader on Mustafar as “awful in its savagery,” recalling how “I left him maimed and burning on the shores of a lava river. To have dealt a killing blow would have been the merciful thing to do, but I had no mercy for Vader… all I could do was leave Vader to his fate.” 
• During the events of Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan and Yoda return to the Jedi Temple after Order 66, when the clone troopers turned on their Jedi generals. “They found the Jedi Temple in ruins, and all the resident Jedi—even the youngest initiates—lying dead.” A recording later reveals Anakin’s involvement in the massacre. 
• Not long after exiling himself on Tatooine, Obi-Wan visits the settlement Anchorhead and watches a HoloNet broadcast reporting on events on Kashyyyk. “The Empire claimed Kashyyyk had been plotting a rebellion. Imperial forces not only killed the unidentified Jedi but also hundreds of Wookiees. Hundreds of thousands more Wookiees had been imprisoned.” The report reveals Darth Vader’s involvement, leading Obi-Wan to realize his former apprentice is still alive and to question whether he could face—and kill—Anakin again. 
• Two years after arriving on Tatooine, Obi-Wan becomes aware of increasing Tusken Raider attacks, learning that “the Tuskens had attacked three moisture farms and left seven colonists dead in a single day.” Discovering that their leader is a former Jedi, A’Sharad Hett, Obi-Wan confronts him in a duel, during which his lightsaber “swept up and through Hett’s right arm. Hett shouted as his arm fell away from his body.” Hett survives and is ordered to leave Tatooine. 
• During the events of A New Hope, Obi-Wan and Luke Skywalker discover a destroyed Jawa sandcrawler. “Dozens of Jawas lay dead, their small forms scattered across the sand.” Obi-Wan determines they were killed by Imperial stormtroopers, and he, C-3PO, and R2-D2 prepare a funeral pyre for the bodies. 
• Realizing that the stormtroopers were looking for the missing droids now in their possession, Luke rushes home. When he returns, Obi-Wan knew from Luke’s expression “that Owen and Beru were dead.” 
• Obi-Wan and Luke enter a cantina in Mos Eisley Spaceport, where Luke is confronted by “a disfigured looking man” and an Aqualish alien. After threats from the pair, the encounter escalates, and Obi-Wan intervenes. His lightsaber “ignited and swept past the blaster-wielding criminals. The disfigured man fell back against the bar, a deep slash across his chest. The Aqualish screamed and his right arm—severed at the elbow—fell to the floor.” 
• On the Death Star, Obi-Wan and Darth Vader engage in a lightsaber duel. Sensing that Luke and his friends will escape, Obi-Wan lowers his defenses, “then closed his eyes and raised his lightsaber before him. Darth Vader did not hesitate to strike.” Vader kills Obi-Wan, who becomes one with the Force. 
• As a Force ghost, Obi-Wan witnesses Luke’s confrontation with Darth Vader and the Emperor aboard the second Death Star. When Luke rejects the dark side, the Emperor “raised his gnarled fingers and unleashed his wrath on Luke, launching bolts of blue lightning at him. Luke screamed and writhed.” Obi-Wan fears that “Luke would soon be dead.” 
• Obi-Wan is stunned when Vader decides to save his son and watches as “he grabbed the Emperor and lifted him off his feet… Vader carried the Emperor across the throne room and hurled him down the elevator shaft. A moment later, the Emperor exploded in a great release of dark energy.” Vader, now redeemed as Anakin Skywalker, would soon die from his injuries.  

Drugs and Alcohol 

• After tracking Padme’s would-be assassin to a nightclub on Coruscant, Obi-Wan tells Anakin he is going to the bar “for a drink” as they split up to search the crowd. While there, he is approached by a man offering “death sticks.” Obi-Wan uses a Jedi mind trick to persuade him to “go home and rethink [his] life,” which the man promptly does. 
• On his first visit to the Anchorhead settlement on Tatooine, Obi-Wan visits a cantina called The Weary Traveler. However, he orders only “a drink of water.” 
• Many years later, Obi-Wan and Luke go to the Mos Eisley Cantina to find a pilot who can take them to Alderaan. At the bar, Luke is harassed by a pair of criminals. In an attempt to diffuse the situation, Obi-Wan offers to buy the pair drinks, saying, “This little one’s not worth the effort. Come, let me get you something.” 

Language 

• After being struck with a toxic dart, Padme’s would-be assassin mutters in an alien tongue, “Wee shannit… sleemo”, which Anakin translates as “bounty hunter slimeball.” 
• Obi-Wan tells Anakin that he is the Chosen One and that he was supposed to “destroy the Sith, not join them!” In response, Anakin yells, “I hate you!” 

Supernatural Content 

• At the end of Revenge of the Sith, Yoda informs Obi-Wan that Qui-Gon Jinn had “learned the path to immortality” and “returned from the netherworld of the Force.” Obi-Wan is trained to commune with him, and during his years on Tatooine, he is visited by Qui-Gon’s spirit. 
• After his death, Obi-Wan becomes one with the Force. “As a spiritual entity, Obi-Wan was not hampered by the laws of physics. He could travel across the galaxy from one world to another by merely thinking of the journey. He could not only communicate with the living but also manifest an illusion of his former physical self. He can communicate with fellow spirits, should they be mutually inclined.” He appears to Luke at various points from this point forward, offering guidance on his journey to become a Jedi.  
• In the epilogue, five years after the events of Return of the Jedi, Obi-Wan’s spirit visits Luke one final time in a dream. He tells Luke that he had “lingered too long already and can no longer postpone [his] journey from this life to what lies beyond.”  

Spiritual Content 

• None 

by Nicholas Paragano