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George Lucas originally planned to kill Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

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George Lucas originally planned to kill Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

As a movie buff with over three decades of film-watching under my belt, I must say that the latest revelation about Star Wars: The Phantom Menace has left me utterly bewildered and slightly disillusioned. If you remember, young Qui-Gon Jinn was supposed to take on the name Obi-Wan Kenobi upon his master’s death, but George Lucas decided to change it at the last minute.

Are you prepared to be astonished this Friday? Let’s take a trip down memory lane back to 1999, when “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” graced the silver screen. This was a significant event as it marked the long-awaited return to the “Star Wars” universe after a 16-year absence, and it certainly had everyone buzzing. Despite the criticism it faced from fans, there were aspects that were appreciated, such as Liam Neeson’s portrayal of the wise Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn and Ewan McGregor’s depiction of his apprentice learner Obi-Wan Kenobi.

In the closing scenes of “The Phantom Menace”, Qui-Gon Jinn meets his demise in combat against the menacing Darth Maul. Young Obi-Wan Kenobi, however, moves forward as a fully initiated Jedi, eventually maturing into the venerable character we recall from the classic original “Star Wars” trilogy, portrayed by Alec Guinness. Interestingly, 25 years later, concept and storyboard artist Iain McCaig is shedding new light on this narrative. It seems that George Lucas had a significant plot twist in store for these two characters, but decided to abandon it at the last possible moment.

According to McCaig, in the past, the older Jedi was called Obi-Wan and the younger one was known as Qui-Gon. It’s significant that at the end, as Obi-Wan dies and Qui-Gon vanquishes Darth Maul and remains with his Master until he passes away, not only does Qui-Gon assume his Master’s mission, but he also adopts his name. Thus, Qui-Gon is renamed Obi-Wan.

That’s why when you see Alec Guinness in ‘A New Hope,’ he puts his hood down and goes, ‘Obi-Wan? Now that’s a name I’ve not heard…’ Because he’s not Obi-Wan, he’s Qui-Gon. And right at the end, George changed it.

In the original account of the tale, it was planned that a young Qui-Gon Jinn would take on the name “Obi-Wan Kenobi” from his deceased mentor. This leads me to wonder if such a thing is indeed possible – assuming he could assume another’s identity? I suppose he wouldn’t try to deceive others by pretending he had always been Obi-Wan Kenobi, which seems more like impersonation or fraud.

It seems the intention behind this plot twist was to clarify why Obi-Wan Kenobi says, “It’s been a long time since I last heard that name,” in the original Star Wars trilogy. However, I believe this moment didn’t require explanation, and instead, it creates more questions than it answers. For example: Why didn’t older Obi-Wan reveal during that first movie that he wasn’t actually Obi-Wan? I think dropping this plot twist was the correct decision as it feels strange.

Ewan McGregor reprised his character Obi-Wan Kenobi, the original one, in a show that debuted on Disney+ in 2022, but it’s undecided if there will be another season. However, McGregor hinted that Disney is considering different concepts. In the interim, Disney is gearing up for a fresh Star Wars series titled Skeleton Crew, set to debut on December 3.

A band of youngsters find themselves stranded in the cosmos, their mission being to return home. Accompanying them is an enigmatic character akin to a Jedi, portrayed by Jude Law. Can they rely on him as he claims to be? I’m left questioning, I REALLY DON’T KNOW.

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2024-11-01 18:41

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