One major Obi-Wan Kenobiquestion still lingers in Star Wars, but because of Anakin Skywalker’s choices (and, frankly, his cowardice), we will likely never know the answer. Obi-Wan and Anakin’s relationship remains a significant part of Star Wars movies and TV shows, even after the Skywalker Saga has ended. That was clear enough in the Obi-Wan Kenobi show.
As some suspect Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2 could soon be announced as part of Star Wars’ upcoming TV shows—which is only a rumor for now—this could also be revisited once more. Yet, even if we see Anakin and Obi-Wan again, Star Wars will most likely never give us an answer to one Obi-Wan question.
Obi-Wan Knew About Anakin And Padmé’s Relationship But Failed To Act
This Was Confirmed In Both Revenge Of The Sith And (More Explicitly) The Clone Wars
In Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, after Anakin fell to the dark side and became Darth Vader, Obi-Wan visited Padmé and directly asked her if Anakin was the father of her child. The way that Obi-Wan asked heavily implied that he already knew the answer, but there was still the possibility that he only suspected it.
Yet Star Wars: The Clone Wars confirmed that Obi-Wan knew about Anakin and Padmé’s relationship. In one shocking scene, Obi-Wan teased Anakin for being late, telling him, “I hope you at least told Padmé I said hello.” This line was surprising for two reasons. For one, it confirms that Obi-Wan knew about them.
Perhaps even more surprising, though, is the fact that Obi-Wan had an almost lighthearted tone when addressing Anakin’s relationship with Padmé, which is entirely contrary to how he should have been. Given attachment was forbidden in the Jedi Order, Obi-Wan should have been more concerned and not (seemingly) accepting of it.
Because of this scene, in addition to Obi-Wan revealing his suspicions in Revenge of the Sith, it seems Obi-Wan knew about Anakin and Padmé but failed to bring that information to the Jedi Council as he should have. Of course, there is a significant difference between Obi-Wan suspecting/knowing and him being told directly.
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A Direct Confession Would Have Forced Obi-Wan’s Hand
This Would Have Been A Different Level Of Defying The Council
While it’s already surprising and arguably even a bit disappointing that Obi-Wan failed to bring his awareness of Anakin and Padmé’s relationship to the Council, a direct confession from Anakin to Obi-Wan would have posed a much more serious problem for Obi-Wan.
Yes, Obi-Wan teased Anakin about the relationship and presumably knew that Anakin was the father of Padmé’s baby the entire time, but he may have told himself that he didn’t know for sure and therefore had no reason to report his suspicions to the Council. Yet, the same would not have been true had Anakin told him.
Had Anakin told Obi-Wan about his relationship, Obi-Wan would have needed to either bring this news to the Council or defy them in a completely different, much more serious way. After all, this would mean actively concealing a major, dangerous secret. The question therefore remains: Would Obi-Wan have kept this secret, completely undermining the Council, had Anakin told him?
Would Obi-Wan have kept this secret, completely undermining the Council, had Anakin told him?
Could Anything Have Made Obi-Wan Report Anakin To The Council?
This Is Unfortunately What We Will Likely Never Know For Sure
The answer to this question is both an intriguing and truly complicated one. Obi-Wan’s behavior in Revenge of the Sith and The Clone Wars does suggest that he was not going to report Anakin, as he was already toeing the line of suppressing the secret from the Council based on his suspicions.
Yet, Obi-Wan was also a Jedi who was loyal to the Jedi Order and its code. It’s difficult to imagine Anakin explicitly telling Obi-Wan about his marriage and Obi-Wan failing to act, at the very least by telling Anakin that he needed to tell the Council himself.
Unfortunately, this question is the very one that is unlikely to ever be answered in Star Wars, all because Anakin never did tell Obi-Wan. It’s unclear what Obi-Wan’s response would have been in this scenario, and it’s frankly impossible to say whether there was anything that would have made Obi-Wan report Anakin to the Council.
Obi-Wan had many conversations over the years about his concerns regarding Anakin’s behavior and his future, but it feels very different for him to bring something to Master Yoda and the other Council members that could actually get Anakin kicked out of the Order, as this secret no doubt would have.
While this may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of Star Wars, it’s actually such a crucial Obi-Wan question. Ultimately, the answer to this question reveals both how loyal Obi-Wan truly was to the Jedi and how serious his own issues with attachment were. Anakin clearly struggled more in that area.
While this may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of Star Wars, it’s actually such a crucial Obi-Wan question.
Yet, Obi-Wan obviously struggled with an attachment to Anakin as well, which is evident not only with his declaration that Anakin had been his brother and he loved him, but also because he was so tolerant of Anakin’s concerning behavior, including with Padmé. In a sense, this makes Obi-Wan partly responsible for Anakin’s downfall.
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As mentioned, sadly, this question can never be answered because this scenario never played out. Even so, I remain very curious about what Obi-Wan Kenobi’s response would have been had Anakin Skywalker directly told him about his relationship with Padmé.
