A few days ago, we brought you the memory of Liam Neeson and his son’s reaction to R2-D2an opportunity for fans to remember the place occupied by the little droid in the universe of Star Wars. And precisely, a theory of fans maintains thatObi Wan knew R2-D2 in the movie A new hope.
the obi-wan r2-d2 relationship
Although Obi-Wan Kenobi pretended not to know the astromech droid, a theory reveals that the Jedi Master did recognize R2-D2 in the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977). When Obi-Wan and Luke Skywalker first meet in the movie, Luke explained that he was trying to find the recipient of the message contained in the droid, a man named Obi-Wan Kenobi. Since Obi-Wan had been hiding under the name Ben, he admitted that he was in fact the person he was looking for. However, he denied owning R2-D2, pretending he didn’t know him..
When the first Star Wars movie was released in 1977, we did not yet know the years of history and traditions between Obi-Wan and R2-D2, and so this reaction seemed logical. However, the prequel trilogy and the anime series Star Wars: The Clone Wars have changed the situation. Throughout these stories, Obi-Wan frequently fights alongside R2-D2.
From Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999), Obi-Wan and R2-D2 helped free the planet Naboo from the Trade Federation blockade. They both later participated in the Clone Wars, with R2-D2 then being assigned to Anakin Skywalker. As Obi-Wan and Anakin often fought together, Obi-Wan necessarily knew R2-D2. This means that while R2-D2 might not have immediately recognized Obi-Wan on Tatooine due to his age, Obi-Wan should have recognized him as the droid.
For several years, this point has been a source of debate within the fan community. However, one theory holds that Obi-Wan recognized R2-D2, but chose to pretend not to recognize him. in order to avoid telling Luke the whole truth. This would then explain some of the Jedi’s behavior towards the droid, and would also match Obi-Wan’s tendency to subtly lie to Luke.
ready he was not
This theory, noted in an article by Loopertherefore states that Obi-Wan did recognize R2-D2, but simply decided not to tell Luke. When the latter questioned Obi-Wan about his father, Obi-Wan states that it was Darth Vader who killed him., which turned out to be a symbolic depiction of Anakin’s transformation into a Sith Lord. Likewise, Obi-Wan’s treatment of R2-D2 is another example of “truth twisting”.
When Obi-Wan claimed he didn’t remember possessing the droid, he wasn’t lying. Because R2-D2 was assigned to Anakin, not Obi-Wan. And if Obi-Wan recognized the droid but he didn’t want Luke to know, that would explain why Obi-Wan called him his “little friend”.
When Luke and Obi-Wan met in A new hope, the latter could have told him about his relationship with Darth Vader and Leia. However, the Jedi Master decided to keep this a secret, thinking Luke was probably not ready yet. Most likely this is also why Obi-Wan didn’t reveal the truth about R2-D2.. If Obi-Wan had admitted he knew the droid and that it once belonged to Anakin, then Luke might have started asking more questions about his father.
This theory has the merit of attempting to provide an explanation for Obi-Wan’s behavior in the face of R2-D2 during their “first” encounter in the original trilogy, while remaining in accordance with the principles of the Jedi Master. And for find out what to expect from Star Wars Celebration 2022see our previous article on the subject, right here.