Star Warshas made one ofObi-Wan Kenobi’smost iconic lines feel like a bit of a lie—or, at least, rather hypocritical. Obi-Wan is a character known for his one-liners. In fact, in all ofStar Wars’movies and TV shows, Obi-Wan might be one of the characters most known for his quips, alongside the likes of Princess Leia and Han Solo. Yet,Obi-Wan is also known for occasionally making statements that are a bit more dubious.
This began in the original trilogy, with Obi-Wan telling Luke Skywalker that,“from a certain point of view,“he hadn’t lied when he said Darth Vader had killed Luke’s father. The prequels then continued this trend, with one of the best known being his assertion inStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Siththat"Only a Sith deals in absolutes,“although that sweeping generalization seemed more than a little misguided. However, yet another prominent Obi-Wan Kenobi line has been proven time and again to be inaccurate inStar Wars.
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Why A Lightsaber Is So Important To A Jedi
Lightsabers are so much more than weapons to the Jedi.In some ways, lightsabers represent a Jedi’s very connection to the Force. This is in part because ofkyber crystalsand how they function. Specifically, kyber crystals, which focus a lightsaber’s energy and give the blade its color, are considered to be ‘alive,’ and Jedi form a bond with them. This was particularly evident in the Jedi Order’s practice of having Jedi younglings find their kyber crystals on Ilum—a ritual in which the crystals themselves would ‘call’ to the younglings.
Given this unique relationship between Jedi and their kyber crystals and the importance of lightsabers to the Jedi as both a weapon and a conduit of their connection to the Force, Obi-Wan’s rebuke of Anakin Skywalker almost makes sense. Specifically, inStar Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Obi-Wan tells Anakin,“This weapon is your life,“chastising him for losing his saber. Even in light of the significance of kyber crystals and lightsabers more generally, though,Star Warshas repeatedly proven that the truth about lightsabers is a bit more complicated, and Obi-Wan was well aware of that.
Star Warshas repeatedly proven that the truth about lightsabers is a bit more complicated, and Obi-Wan was well aware of that.
Obi-Wan’sAttack of the Clonesstatement about Anakin’s lightsaber implies that Jedi should have one lightsaber they guard and honor as though it were their own life. However,countless Jedi wielded multiple lightsabers. While there are many examples of this, Master Yoda himself among them, Ahsoka is one of the best examples, as she changed lightsabers throughouttheStar Warstimeline. InStar Wars: The Clone Wars, Ahsoka wielded both green and blue lightsabers at different times.
In fact, although Ahsoka began with a single green lightsaber inThe Clone Wars, she then moved to dual green lightsabers. Later, she transitioned to dual blue lightsabers. FollowingThe Clone Wars, Ahsoka switched to dual white lightsabers, which have now been seen inStar Wars Rebels,The Mandalorian, andAhsoka. Clearly, it wasn’t unusual for Jedi to change lightsabers, be it a change in lightsaber color or lightsaber design. Obi-Wan was undoubtedly aware of this, which certainly calls his criticism of Anakin into question.
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Obi-Wan’s Instruction Is More Than A Little Hypocritical, Too
In addition to many Jedi clearly having multiple lightsabers,Obi-Wan’s assertion about Anakin’s lightsaber being his life was also quite hypocritical, given Obi-Wan’s own track record. In fact, Obi-Wan lost his lightsaber many times, including inRevenge of the Sithwhen Commander Cody had to hand the weapon back to him (ironically, right before Order 66). Although it was certainly not his fault, Obi-Wan had also lost his first lightsaber inStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menacewhen Darth Maul kicked it down a shaft.
The nature of Obi-Wan losing his lightsaber inThe Phantom Menaceis in part the point. As with any weapon, at times, lightsabers are going to be lost or broken, and that can often be outside the Jedi’s control. Clearly, Obi-Wan was guilty of the very same behavior he had chastised Anakin for, and it was because, realistically, his assertion missed the mark.
Yes, a lightsaber is incredibly important, and a Jedi should honor and take care of the weapon. In that sense, Obi-Wan’s lesson was correct. However, he overstated both with the specific notion that the saber was Anakin’s ‘life’ and by condemning Anakin for a behavior that was all too common. Was Anakin too brazen and careless throughoutAttack of the Clones? Yes. Yet, Anakin was far from the only Jedi to lose or break his lightsaber inStar Wars—asObi-Wan Kenobihimself made clear.
