Summary
After 47 years,Star Warshas finally explained why Obi-Wan Kenobi exiled himself to Tatooine. The Empire ruled the galaxy for almost two decades, and - surprisingly - some of the most powerful members of the Jedi Council chose to sit those decades out. Obi-Wan Kenobi, for example, sent out a warning to allOrder 66 survivorsto run and hide; he then did the same, settling on the desert planet of Tatooine for most of the Dark Times.
Obi-Wan’s exile to Tatooine was mostly driven by a desire to protect the young Luke Skywalker, who (according toStar Wars Rebels) he came to believe was the trueChosen One. But theObi-Wan KenobiDisney+ TV show confirmed Obi-Wan wasn’t exactly in a good place throughout the Dark Times, blaming himself for Anakin Skywalker’s fate. It turns outthis desire for penance was at the heart of Obi-Wan’s exile.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Took A Barash Vow After Revenge Of The Sith
The Jedi Master Felt Responsible For Anakin
ModernStar Warshas introduced theBarash Vow, an oath that penitent Jedi would take when they felt they had failed in their duties to the Jedi Order. This first appeared in the 2017Darth Vadercomics by Charles Soule and Giuseppe Camuncoli, but it was featured much more prominently inThe Acolyteepisodes 1 and 2. Over 14,000 Jedi are known to have taken the Barash Vow over the centuries, and it seems Obi-Wan was one of them.
According to the in-universe biographySkywalker: A Family At Warby Kristin Braver, Obi-Wan blamed himself for Anakin’s fall , and felt that he had failed his role as a Jedi Master. He took the Barash Vow, which is for Jedi who feel like they need to be isolated to re-center themselves in the Force after past mistakes. This type of retcon is what makes Star Wars so interesting, especially when it works so seamlessly. The Barash Vow not only explains Kenobi’s starting point inA New Hope, but builds off of the newerObi-Wan Kenobiseries, too.
The Acolyte’s Opening Repeats Obi-Wan’s Oldest Lie
The new Star Wars series, The Acolyte, establishes the Galactic Republic decades before the prequels, but ends up repeating Obi-Wan’s original lie.
Barash Vows are for Jedi who feel like they need to be isolated to re-center themselves in the Force based on past mistakes.
Obi-Wan’s Vow Was Completed When He Received Leia’s Message
According toA Family At War, Obi-Wan’s Barash Vow lasted for the entire time he was on Tatooine, up until he recieved Princess Leia’s holographic message from R2-D2 inA New Hope.Obi-Wan is once more ready to fight, leaving his Barash Vow behind, and taking a new apprentice in Luke Skywalker. In ending it like this,A New Hopegives the Vow’s final stage its first proper depiction, as described in Baver’s novel:
“Given his actions, it is clear that Kenobi intended to end his years of exile and heed Leia’s call. Training Luke Skywalker provided him with a new apprentice at a pivotal moment in galactic history. The threat of the Sith and the Empire the Sith had created was too great to ignore. In keeping with other practitioners of the Barash vow, it was time for Obi-Wan to face that threat head-on, with or without Luke.”
This means that Obi-Wan demonstrated the end of the Barash Vow, something unseen in any otherStar Warsstory featuring it. The Barash Vow seeming ends with a Jedi deciding to fully face the source of their guilt, in alignment with the Force. In this way, Obi-Wan’s actions inA New Hopeare not only classically and beautifully crafted by George Lucas, but have an even deeper meaning in the expandedStar Warsuniverse.
The Acolyte
Cast
The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes - all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.
