Lucas' Plan To Have Obi-Wan Survive A New Hope Would've Been A Mistake

Obi-Wan Kenobi was originally going to survive his duel with Darth Vader in A New Hope, but this would have been a mistake in the Star Wars trilogy.

Lucas' Plan To Have Obi-Wan Survive A New Hope Would've Been A Mistake

Although Obi-Wan Kenobi’s death at the hands of Darth Vader was a tragic moment in Star Wars, George Lucas’ original plan of having him survive the duel would have been a mistake. A New Hope’s script had numerous drafts, with one iteration having Obi-Wan Kenobi survive his duel with Darth Vader and escape with the rest of the heroes to the Rebel Base on Yavin IV. While this would have spared Luke Skywalker from yet another loss, it’d have had a detrimental effect on his characterization and the overarching narrative of the original Star Wars trilogy.

The behind-the-scenes story behind Obi-Wan’s death is the subject of rumors and discussions regarding Alec Guinness’ notoriously negative view of Star Wars in general and Obi-Wan in particular, with Guinness suggesting that Lucas kill off Kenobi being a popular belief. An iteration of A New Hope’s (then simply called Star Wars) script, which was written before Guinness’ casting, details Kenobi’s sacrifice, seemingly debunking this rumor. Despite this, Lucas reportedly was on the fence about having Kenobi die and possibly stuck to the original plan at Guinness’ insistence. Nevertheless, Guinness would continue to play Kenobi, albeit as a Force ghost, in the next two Star Wars original trilogy films.

Another draft of A New Hope’s script has Kenobi survive his battle with Darth Vader, thanks to the Jedi Knight slashing a control panel and trapping Darth Vader behind a blast door. With Kenobi’s swordsmanship and the rest of the heroes’ help, the venerable Jedi would reach the Millennium Falcon and escape the Death Star. Unfortunately, however, this would rob the Empire of much of their threat by omitting the death of a main character, as well as disrupt Luke Skywalker’s tumultuous Jedi training in the original trilogy, making things too easy for Luke and preventing his wonderful character development in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

The Empire already committed an unforgivable atrocity in A New Hope by destroying Alderaan, but while this exemplified the Empire’s depravity, it doesn’t demonstrate their threat to the heroes the way that killing Obi-Wan does, especially since the people of Alderaan are not shown when the planet is destroyed. As a member of the film’s ensemble cast, it was shocking for both viewers and Luke to watch Obi-Wan allow Vader to strike him down. The main characters had seemingly-impenetrable plot armor at that point, so it was important for the film to prove that the Imperials were a valid threat to the heroes.

Having Obi-Wan survive would also mean that Luke’s formal Jedi training would begin immediately after A New Hope ends, making him likely a fully trained Jedi by the time that the next film comes out. This would remove much of the uphill struggle that Luke goes through in the original trilogy, as he’d have a kindly mentor slowly helping him become a Jedi Knight rather than having him spend a month on Dagobah with a much harsher instructor. Without Kenobi’s death, Yoda likely wouldn’t have even been created, as a living Jedi mentor for Luke would make Yoda redundant.

Obi-Wan Kenobi’s death also gave viewers a hint towards an afterlife for Force users, as Luke hears Obi-Wan’s voice moments after the Jedi’s death and several times during the Battle of Yavin. While the Force had been shown already, Kenobi’s assistance from beyond the grave showed that the Force’s potential power went far beyond simple tricks. Luke Skywalker’s overarching character development in the original Star Wars trilogy was built on him losing and becoming disillusioned with his mentors, allowing him to tap into this greater power, so having Obi-Wan Kenobi survive A New Hope would have weakened his arc.