Star Wars fans are debating whether Obi-Wan Kenobi forgot about Leia being Luke's sister in The Empire Strikes Back
Did Obi-Wan forget about Leia when he was training Luke?
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A Star Wars fan on Reddit is questioning why Obi-Wan Kenobi did not reference Leia when discussing Luke Skywalker's importance to the rebellion in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, in which Obi-Wan and Yoda's force ghosts have a conversation in which Yoda refers to "another" potential Force user alongside Luke.
The opening question asks "Why did Obi-Wan act like he didn't know there was another Skywalker when talking to Yoda when he was literally there at Leia's birth?"
Some Redditors are offering potential explanations, with the top response saying "Um... He didn't forget? Idk how you got that idea. He places his hope in Luke cuz he believes Luke is the only one of the twins who can defeat Vader and the Emperor. One of the books explains how Yoda had the opposite idea, but Ben argued him to his side."
Another comment supports this, saying, "Glossing over the movie continuity and George Lucas' planning, Obi-Wan and Yoda made a big deal about Luke not quitting his training early to face Vader. Leia, meanwhile, has 0 training and the only 'hint' of her having a reaction to the Force is at the very end of ESB. Like, if Luke perished, it would be a massive blow to the Rebellion's efforts."
Other Redditors are pointing out that the inconsistency is due to George Lucas' plans evolving in the decades between the release of The Empire Strikes Back and Revenge of the Sith, which depicts Luke and Leia's birth, with many, many commenters saying things like "Because George Lucas literally made a bunch of the prequel shit up as he went along. This entire saga was not a previously thought out thing."
The next Star Wars movie on the docket is The Mandalorian and Grogu which is scheduled to hit theaters on May 22, followed by Star Wars: Starfighter on May 28, 2027. For more on a galaxy far, far away, check out our list of all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows you need to know about.
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I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011, and now I'm the Entertainment Writer at GamesRadar+. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)
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