A New Hopesubtly revealedObi-Wan Kenobi’strue feelings about the Clone Wars 25 years before the beginning of the war was depicted inStar Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones—and they weren’t favorable. The Clone Wars have become one of the most crucial points intheStar Warstimeline, but beforeAttack of the Clones,Star Warsmovies and TV showshad only name-dropped this major event. Specifically, Obi-Wan told Luke that he and Luke’s father had fought in the Clone Wars, but little else was disclosed at that time.
Attack of the Clones,Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, andStar Wars: The Clone Warshave since revealed how gruesome and ultimately futile this war was. In addition to the loss of life and the fact that this was all a ploy for Palpatine to obtain power, the Clone Wars saw the Jedi betraying their own values by becoming soldiers and getting involved in politics.Based on one subtle moment inA New Hope, Obi-Wan was well aware of these issues and may have even regretted his involvement in the war.
Obi-Wan Referred To The Clone Wars As A “Damn Fool Idealistic Crusade”
Obi-Wan’s Conversation With Luke Heavily Implies This Description Is Regarding The War
When Obi-Wan Kenobi was explaining to Luke why Uncle Owen hadn’t wanted Luke around Obi-Wan inA New Hope, he told Luke that Owen"didn’t hold with your father’s ideals.“What precisely this refers to is a bit unclear—especially knowing all we now know about Anakin Skywalker—but what follows is perhaps even more interesting. Obi-Wan explains that Owen was worried Luke would go with Obi-Wan"on some damn fool idealistic crusade, like your father did.“This is almost certainly in reference to the Clone Wars.
Particularly the notion of a crusade suggests this is regarding the Clone Wars, as that type of language is linked to knights (and therefore is a reference to Jedi Knights). What is especially of note about this conversation and description is that Obi-Wan does not speak about the Clone Wars at all favorably. Rather,Obi-Wan seems almost to lament all that transpired in the Clone Wars, particularly given he calls it a"damn fool idealistic crusade,“as though it was flawed and pointless from the very beginning.
Obi-Wan does not speak about the Clone Wars at all favorably.
As we now know that the Clone Wars were indeed orchestrated by Palpatine, it makes sense that Obi-Wan would describe the war in this way. The notion that it was idealistic is particularly interesting, though, as the ideals in question aren’t identified. Perhaps it was the ideals of the Jedi, who believed they could bring an end to the war, or perhaps this was regarding the ideals of the Republic. The latter seems less likely, considering Obi-Wan was consistently an ardent defender of the Republic.
Obi-Wan Doesn’t Look Back On That Era With Any Pride
It Certainly Seems As Though Obi-Wan Laments That Period
This description of the Clone Wars is particularly of interest given the ways it contrasts Obi-Wan’s description of Anakin. Obi-Wan describes Anakin as"a cunning warrior"to Luke, which suggests that he has pride in Anakin. This is somewhat surprising, because Obi-Wan knows what Anakin ultimately became, but it does suggest that, while Obi-Wan may look back on the Clone Wars and see it as foolish and detrimentally idealistic, he remains proud of Anakin’s valor and bravery throughout that time.
While Obi-Wan may look back on the Clone Wars and see it as foolish and detrimentally idealistic, he remains proud of Anakin’s valor and bravery throughout that time.
Arguably, this could be Obi-Wan talking Anakin up to Luke because he wanted him to believe the positive things about his father. This would align with Obi-Wan’s efforts to conceal the truth about Darth Vader from Luke. However,when he says this about Anakin, he does sound nostalgic, suggesting he really meant it.
I Can’t Believe It’s Taken Me 20 Years To Figure Out Just How Much Obi-Wan Kenobi Ruined Palpatine’s Plans
One shocking line in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith reveals just how extensively Obi-Wan Kenobi ruined Palpatine’s plans.
Obi-Wan Would Have Plenty Of Reason To Regret The War—And He’s Right
However unpopular this assertion may be,Obi-Wan would have plenty of cause to regret his involvement in the Clone Wars. On the one hand, this could be because of all that he lost due to this war. After all, with the Clone Wars being orchestrated by Palpatine and the clones themselves being used to carry out Order 66, the war itself is in many ways responsible for the fall of the Jedi, the end of the Republic, and the death of almost everyone Obi-Wan knew and loved (and a fate worse than death for Anakin).
Realistically, though, the Clone Wars also represents one ofthe Jedi’s worst mistakes inStar Wars. Their involvement in the war was entirely contrary to the Jedi way, as it meant aligning themselves with politicians and required them to become soldiers when they were always meant to be peacekeepers. While that doesn’t mean the Jedi are evil, it does mean their poor judgment in this matter inadvertently contributed to their terrible fate, and that alone is enough to cause Obi-Wan to feel regret.
It would be interesting to hear directly from Obi-Wan how he felt about the Clone Wars, and this feels like a bit of a missed opportunity inObi-Wan Kenobi. There were certainly moments that hinted at this regret, such as when he sees the clone trooper asking for money on the streets, but it wasn’t as overt as I would have liked. Nevertheless, this line fromA New Hopedoes suggest Obi-Wan Kenobi ultimately grew to regret the Clone Wars and his role in the war.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
Cast
Star Wars is a seminal science fiction film released in 1977 that follows the quest of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo to rescue Princess Leia from the oppressive Imperial forces. They are aided by the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, as they strive to restore peace to the galaxy.
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Years after the events of The Phantom Menace, the Skywalker Saga continues with Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. When Senator Padme Amidala’s life is threatened, Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are tasked with her protection. While Obi-Wan uncovers a clone army made in secret, Anakin falls in love with Padme, marking the beginning of his inevitable fall to the dark side of the Force.
