"He died about the same time as your father."

[stillakid]

LUKE: But what if this Obi-Wan comes looking for him?

OWEN: He won't, I don't think he exists any more. He died about the same time as your father.

LUKE: He knew my father?

OWEN: I told you to forget it. Your only concern is to prepare the new droids for tomorrow. In the morning I want them on the south ridge working out those condensers.

It occurred to me last night as I was watching ANH (while writing out Christmas cards) that there is a parallel to Anakin in Obi Wan.

Remember that when Obi Wan said this:

Your father was seduced by the dark side of the Force. He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker and became Darth Vader. When that happened, the good man who was your father was destroyed.

...he meant that the personality of Anakin Skywalker had truly died. What makes us who we are is our personalilty, and just as a schizophrenic personality can take over a body and kill off previous personalities, that happened with Anakin. Not just a "point of view," the personality that was Anakin was truly dead (or so Obi Wan believed).

But, listening to the first quote above by Lars, it seems as though a similar fate fell upon Obi Wan. What would be the effects on you if you were forced to fight and kill your best friend?

It's conjecture at this point (before we see Episode III), but we can guess that the fight will almost literally destroy the optimism and drive that makes Obi Wan such a great Jedi. After he beats Anakin down (and takes his saber to later give to Luke), he will leave a broken man. Two "lives" are taken that day. The man that was Anakin is "possessed" by an evil demon. The man that was Obi Wan, becomes a distressed and broken hermit, destined to live out his life with the knowledge that he (and Qui Gon ) were instrumental in destroying the Republic, and more importantly, in losing a friend.

[Pendo]

stillakid, that is an EXCELENT idea!!! It would be so emotional and powerful! It could be here, when Obi-Wan's life is ruined, that he decides to be called Ben, showing that he too believes he is a different person and the old Obi-Wan is no more.

Good work, stillakid !

PENDO!

[The 'Xir]

Very cool an sound reasoning, However I think it will just be something to think about while watching ANH and writting Xmas cards then anything we'll actually see on screen! Although their might be a conversation say between Ben and Yoda with Ben saying that he will leave the Jedi Order.
I think Owens line will just be what it is, a deversion to keep luke from following ben on some damn fool idealistic crusade like his father did!

[The 'Xir]

Actually what I just said doesn't make that much sense seeing as how there won't be a Jedi order to leave!

[stillakid]

Originally posted by The 'Xir
Very cool an sound reasoning, However I think it will just be something to think about while watching ANH and writting Xmas cards then anything we'll actually see on screen! Although their might be a conversation say between Ben and Yoda with Ben saying that he will leave the Jedi Order.
I think Owens line will just be what it is, a deversion to keep luke from following ben on some damn fool idealistic crusade like his father did!

No, it did make some sense.

You're right, my meandering thoughts really are offscreen elements, I think. Once the fight is over and done with, for those brief few minutes left in Episode III before the credits roll, all we should see is the utter defeat that Obi Wan feels. He shant be proud of dispatching Anakin, nor energetic as he exits the fight location (?). This literally breaks his spirit just as the Anakin personae is driven from Anakin. No onscreen recognition of his new identity, Ben, should be alluded to lest it potentially blow another of the OT surprises.

[Emperors_Hand_2211]

Offscreen but good. I think it's safe to say that whatever happens to anakin Obi will be or at least feel resposible. That's bound to kill a persons lust for life, especially given the whole death bed promise to Qui Gonn thing.

[Fulit]

Shouldn't Yoda feel just as badly as Obi-Wan? He also had a padawan who went to the dark side, with "terrible consequences for the galaxy.

[Dar Basra]

I always figured that Obi-Wan took "Ben" merely to fit into the local Tatooine surroundings as inconspicuously as possible, while watching over Luke's growth - though to be honest, if that was the Jedi's way of "hiding" Vader's child from him, the Jedi Order deserved to be wiped out.

Welcome to the Jedi Witness Protection Program. We promise to hide you from your bad-guy father by relocating you to his dead mother's house, a short speeder's rider from where your father himself grew up. You'll be given a name which just happes to be the same as your father's last name. And for secret protection, we'll install a robed old wizard nearby that answers to the same last name as your father's old teacher.

It was nice knowing you, kid.

[stillakid]

Originally posted by Dar Basra
I always figured that Obi-Wan took "Ben" merely to fit into the local Tatooine surroundings as inconspicuously as possible, while watching over Luke's growth - though to be honest, if that was the Jedi's way of "hiding" Vader's child from him, the Jedi Order deserved to be wiped out.

Welcome to the Jedi Witness Protection Program. We promise to hide you from your bad-guy father by relocating you to his dead mother's house, a short speeder's rider from where your father himself grew up. You'll be given a name which just happes to be the same as your father's last name. And for secret protection, we'll install a robed old wizard nearby that answers to the same last name as your father's old teacher.

It was nice knowing you, kid.

Well, yes, sort of. My thoughts above are complete conjecture based on what was probably a throwaway line in the original script. I latched on it and attached meaning that probably wasn't there to begin with.

I do believe you are nearly correct in your assessment. Based on the OT alone, we get the idea that Obi Wan has stayed out of the way, yet close enough, to watch over Luke to wait for the day when and if he could join the cause. The Ben thing was most likely originally just a way for him to hide out and not be noticed by the Empire or any stray Jedi hunters.

But, as I said, upon hearing that line again, now in context with some Prequel information, it is entirely possible that (if George does this in the most effective manner), that former "throwaway line" could take on some pretty significant meaning. Episode III has to play out in a very specific manner (that doesn't pander to "fan wishes") to make it work out. Subtlety is the key, not that the Prequels are any indication the George has a clue what that means.

(But you are also correct about the entire hiding out on Tatooine thing. With the old assumption that Lars was Ben's brother, it made perfect sense to hide Luke there. Lars's "disgust" with Ben and the Rebellion was justifiable as a family thing. Now, with Lars being Anakin's step-father, it is completely stupid. At least in the first two Episodes, there is absolutely NO reason why Obi Wan would choose Anakin's step-family on Anakin's home planet to hide his son. Lame lame lame.)

[dirtybones]

Who ever said that it was Obi wan that made the choice to leave luke with the step family?