Each of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s forbidden loves proved why he was the wrong Jedi Master to train the young, lost, and impressionable Anakin Skywalker. Obi-Wan Kenobi has always been one of the Jedi Order’s most dedicated members. He believes utterly in the power and will of the Force and wants to serve it as best he can. He does so through the Jedi Order, obeying their rules and laws, and by training Anakin through the Order’s most turbulent time.

That doesn’t mean Obi-Wan never questioned his devotion to the Jedi or the Force. Like many, he struggled with romantic feelings, one of the biggest discussion points among Jedi Order members and real-world Star Wars fans. What does it mean to fall in love? Is love the same as attachment? Though Obi-Wan experienced two near-romances in his lifetime, he never truly answered those questions, and that’s partly why his and Anakin’s mentorship ultimately failed.

Obi-Wan Kenobi’s First Love Was A Fellow Padawan

In the now-defunct Star Wars Legends continuity, a young Obi-Wan falls in love with a fellow Padawan, Siri Tachi. Together with their Masters, they endured many dangerous missions, and even worked so well together, they were sent on missions on their own without the help of their mentors. After several years of friendship, during a death-defying adventure, Obi-Wan and Siri confessed that they loved one another. They eventually agreed not to act on their feelings because of the potential risks, and their friendship gradually faded.

That story may no longer be viewed as canon, but it reveals plenty about Obi-Wan as a character. After all, the Expanded Universe stories were influenced by the same source material. Though Siri’s story was originally confined to Legends, her character has slowly become part of Star Wars’ canon continuity.

In the short story “There Is Always Another” by Mackenzi Lee in From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back, Obi-Wan remembers wanting to hold Siri’s hand while eating a meal together. There’s also mention of her in the canon novel Padawan by Kiersten White, which features an Obi-Wan even younger than the one seen in Claudia Gray’s Master & Apprentice. In White’s book, Obi-Wan suspects that Siri would have been open to a physical and romantic relationship with him if he’d expressed a similar desire.

So, why did Obi-Wan never act on those feelings, or even at least explore the possibility of more with Siri? His devotion to the Force and the Council prevented him from doing so. He feared that even as simple an act as holding her hand would mean he’d deserve to be punished by the Jedi’s leaders, who had, over the years, sadly begun to fear attachments and love to a more disturbing degree. He was terrified of retribution and the idea of being ousted by the Jedi, and believed romance was utterly forbidden.

Obi-Wan Almost Left The Jedi Order Because Of His Second Love

Obi-Wan Kenobi’s second love has been explored in slightly more depth, with the legendary Duchess of Mandalore, Satine Kryze, making her debut in Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 2. Though we get to see much more of Obi-Wan’s dynamic with Satine than we ever have (or likely will) of Obi-Wan’s relationship with Siri, there are striking parallels between these two romantically tinged relationships.

In The Clone Wars, Obi-Wan tells Satine that, had she asked, he would have left the Jedi Order to be with her. Satine responds that that’s precisely why she didn’t ask him to, but this exchange provides insight into Obi-Wan’s mind. Obi-Wan has always believed that becoming involved with someone romantically would force him to choose between the Jedi and his partner. Though that may, to some extent, have been true during the prequel era, we now know without a shadow of a doubt that other celebrated Jedi Masters had fulfilling romantic relationships and were not ostracized because of them.

In the High Republic era, set a few centuries before the Skywalker saga, Jedi Masters Avar Kriss and Elzar Mann discuss their romantic relationship with Grand Master Yoda. Rather than fearing what that means for them as Force-wielders and being driven by that fear, they approach their love and what it means to love with respect and forethought. High Republic architect Charles Soule explained during an interview with ScreenRant that love and attachment aren’t the same, even though the Jedi of the prequel era, and Obi-Wan, in particular, certainly viewed them that way.

Elzar and Avar aren’t the only Jedi to have enjoyed a happy, healthy relationship without fear of succumbing to the darkness and possessiveness. Order 66 survivor Kanan Jarrus, for instance, had a loving relationship with Hera Syndulla in Star Wars Rebels without ever forsaking his duty as a Jedi or his connection with the light. In all other respects, Obi-Wan was rational and level-headed, and it’s a tragedy that he couldn’t see beyond his fear-fueled hang-ups and picture what his life could have been.

Obi-Wan’s Background Meant Anakin Was Always Going To Be Torn In Two

There has been much debate about whether Obi-Wan was the right Master for Anakin Skywalker – many believe that, had Qui-Gon Jinn lived, Anakin might never have fallen prey to Palpatine’s manipulations and resisted the lure of the dark side. Nevertheless, Obi-Wan and Anakin were thrust together, and through many dangerous adventures, they became more than Padawan and Master. They became family.

Of course, Anakin’s biggest “weakness” as a Jedi was his ever-present need for love and affection. Having grown up with his mother, he’d learned to become attached to those closest to him and found it hard to distance himself from anyone who helped him grow and become who he was always meant to be. This included the Jedi Order as a whole.

There’s an interesting quote in Skywalkers: A Family At War by Kristin Baver, which argues that Anakin was torn in two during the Clone Wars, caught between his disillusionment with the Jedi Order (caused by their role in the war and his need to hide his relationship with his wife, Padmé Amidala) and his loyalty to the people who saved him from a life of slavery and gave him the power to defend himself and those he loves. Leaving the Jedi wasn’t an option, nor could he end his marriage to Padmé.

“Ahsoka accomplished something Anakin Skywalker was too afraid to do himself. Like her, Anakin had also lost faith in the Jedi. He had spurned their strict code and violated their protocols again and again in the name of justice and desire. But he was not strong enough to take a stand and walk away. The Jedi Order had been his life. The Jedi had freed him from slavery and offered him a home. Despite all the reasons he had to follow Ahsoka, abandoning the Jedi felt like a terrible mistake. He owed them too much.

In the end, Yoda had succeeded in teaching the value of letting go of all one feared to lose. Only it was Ahsoka who had mastered the lesson, leaping into the unknown, while Anakin was left with familiar feelings of abandonment.”

Would Anakin have needed to struggle with this dilemma if he’d been trained by someone other than Obi-Wan? Someone with fewer reservations and hang-ups about the consequences of love and attachment? Obi-Wan warns Anakin early on in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones that his budding feelings for Padmé are dangerous, but imagine how things could have turned out if Obi-Wan had taken the time to listen to what Anakin was feeling, rather than immediately repressing it? Imagine if the Jedi of Anakin’s time had been as open and trusting as those of the High Republic era?

Obi-Wan projected his insecurities onto Anakin. Obi-Wan should have recognized that Anakin needed love more than he did. Instead, he forced Anakin to feel the need to keep his relationship a secret, creating further distrust between Anakin and the Jedi Order. Obi-Wan sadly didn’t change his mind about love and relationships until it was too late.

Why Obi-Wan Never Told Anyone About Anakin & Padmé

The novel Star Wars: Brotherhood by Mike Chen reveals that Obi-Wan knew about Anakin and Padmé’s illicit romance soon after their wedding in Attack of the Clones. Rather than speaking to Anakin about it or informing the council, Obi-Wan instead decided to keep that knowledge to himself, because he truly wanted Anakin to have the happiness he didn’t. Obi-Wan finally recognized that Jedi should be allowed to explore romantic relationships without fear of repercussions; yet part of him still believed (and perhaps rightfully so) that other Jedi wouldn’t willingly agree with his new point of view.

He kept Anakin’s secret, fearful of what might happen to his friends and their newfound bliss. But what if he had spoken to Anakin? What if he’d explained why he’d always feared falling in love? If Anakin had someone to share his worries with, perhaps the young Jedi wouldn’t have become so singularly possessive of Padmé. Maybe he wouldn’t have felt solely responsible for her safety. Maybe he wouldn’t have felt like he was forced to choose between his wife and his duty. Obi-Wan Kenobi was a great Jedi, but his fears played a major role in the tragedy of Anakin Skywalker.

• 

  Obi-Wan Kenobi

  Created By

  George Lucas

  Cast

  Alec Guinness, Ewan McGregor

  First Appearance

  Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope

  Died

  Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope

  Alliance

  Jedi

  Race

  Human

  The Padawan of Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi became a Jedi Knight after his master’s death. Obi-Wan trained Anakin Skywalker as a Jedi, with his own apprentice knighted after the Battle of Geonosis. The Jedi Master became a key player in the Jedi during the Clone Wars, and was heartbroken when Anakin turned to the dark side; Obi-Wan critically wounded Anakin before taking to the shadows, watching over the young Luke and Leia for years. He sacrificed himself for his two charges, becoming a Force Ghost and continuing to mentor them.

  
  

  Movies

  Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith

  TV Shows

  Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Obi-Wan Kenobi

  Franchise

  Star Wars

  
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• 

  Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader

  Created By

  George Lucas

  Cast

  Bob Anderson, Hayden Christensen, James Earl Jones, Matt Lanter, Matt Lucas, Jake Lloyd, David Prowse, Sebastian Shaw

  First Appearance

  Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope

  Died

  Star Wars: Episode VI – Return Of The Jedi

  Alliance

  Jedi, Sith

  Race

  Human

  Conceived by the will of the Force itself, Anakin Skywalker was the prophesied Chosen One, destined to bring the Force into balance. Anakin struggled to balance competing attachments to the Jedi Order and his wife Padmé Amidala, and ultimately fell to the dark side, becoming Darth Vader. For years he served as Palpatine’s right hand man, but he was ultimately redeemed by the faith of his son, Luke Skywalker. Now a Force Ghost, Anakin continues to act as an agent of balance.

  
  

  Movies

  Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

  TV Shows

  Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, Ahsoka

  Franchise

  Star Wars

  
  Expand
  Collapse