Obi-Wan Actually Hid Luke From The Rebellion Not The Empire

Many Star Wars fans know the classic story: Skywalker twins are born, they are separated to be hidden from the Emperor, and Ben Kenobi watches over one of them (Luke). There is no doubt that they were to be hidden from the Empire. Ben Kenobi says as much in Return of the Jedi, and we see this play out at the end of Revenge of the Sith. However, a recent theory presents an interesting possibility.

The theory comes from a Reddit user known as TheMediocreCritic, who claims that Obi-Wan Kenobi hid Luke not only from the Empire, but also from the Rebellion. Sure, the Rebel Alliance is not officially organized until two years before A New Hope (as seen on Star Wars Rebels), but Obi-Wan has got to be sure that people like Bail Organa will form some sort of organization in an effort to bring down the Empire. He may not have known when exactly it would form, but he may have wanted to keep Luke out of it, at least for a while.

Kenobi himself is a very recognizable figure, so he probably felt the need to hide. If he himself were front and center helping any sort of rebellion, Vader would come down on them much sooner. After the duel on Mustafar, Vader is full of hatred for his former master and wants to eliminate him. If Luke Skywalker had joined any sort of cause earlier in his life and during the early stages, perhaps when he is a younger teen, the Rebellion might have used him as a poster child. The galaxy believes that Anakin Skywalker died a hero in the Jedi Temple, so it is possible that they would have pointed to the relationship in order to inspire hope in those who saw Anakin Skywalker as a hero.

The theory also proposes that Kenobi hid himself from any sort of rebel cause due to his own shame. He himself trained the man who became a mass murderer. This may have been why Kenobi chose not to train him earlier. Luke certainly meets him when he is younger, as we have seen in other materials, but there is no Jedi training whatsoever. Perhaps Kenobi does not feel that he is right for the task.

I actually really like this theory. And come to think of it, maybe Kenobi did not fully intend for Luke to be his own apprentice. Maybe he trained him a little in A New Hope, thinking it would be a temporary thing for the time being. Had he survived A New Hope, maybe he would have taken Luke to Yoda right away, intending for Luke to be the apprentice of the Grand Master. Sure, Yoda also trained an apprentice who became a Sith Lord, but maybe Kenobi sees him as having overcome his shame, as we see in the Yoda arc at the end of The Clone Wars season 6.

I also think that the Star Wars Rebels episode "Twin Suns" actually supports this idea. Ezra Bridger, a teen Jedi who is aiding the Rebel Alliance, meets Ben Kenobi, who does not tell him about Luke Skywalker. Kenobi probably feels that it is not the right time yet for Luke to join the Rebel Alliance. It is not until that fateful moment when he sees the message from Luke's sister that he feels the time is right for Luke to leave Tatooine. I am not sure if Lucasfilm will ever make this idea canon, or if there is anything released that negates this idea, but it is still a fun possibility to think about.

Written By Steven Shinder

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