When The Force Awakens was released in 2015 and everyone was wondering who Rey’s parents could be, an early suggestion connected her to Obi-Wan Kenobi. With similar accents, Rey’s strong connection to the Force, and the simple fact that in her Force vision upon touching Luke’s lightsaber in the basement of Maz Kanata’s castle, Obi-Wan’s voice is the most prominent one heard. Being the grandchild of Obi-Wan Kenobi would have certainly connected Rey to the entire Skywalker saga in an interesting way, but, alas, The Rise of Skywalker revealed that she was, instead, the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine. But does that mean that Obi-Wan never had a child?
The love story of Obi-Wan and Satine
So far, in canon, it hasn’t been revealed if Obi-Wan ever fathered a child, but the possibility hasn’t been definitively refuted either. In fact, though Obi-Wan never engaged in an official romantic relationship, as far as we know, The Clone Wars animated series revealed that Obi-Wan cared very deeply about Satine Kryze, the Duchess of Mandalore.
Obi-Wan reveals to Anakin that he and Qui-Gon Jinn were called to Mandalore to protect Satine when he was just a Padawan. Satine had just become Duchess, and the two of them, along with Qui-Gon, spent a year on the run. Though Jedi attachments are forbidden, it’s clear that the two of them fell in love during this time. Satine wouldn’t ask Obi-Wan to leave the Jedi Order, however, so their relationship never became more than two people who clearly wanted to be together but couldn’t. As time progressed, they often bickered, sometimes playfully and sometimes not, over ideological differences because of Satine’s commitment to pacifism and her disagreement over Obi-Wan’s role as a general in the Clone Wars.
A love worth leaving the Jedi for
Despite their differences, The Clone Wars revealed that the two still cared very deeply about each other. In fact, Obi-Wan told Satine that had she asked, he would have left the Jedi Order to be with her. But she didn’t ask, and they both pursued the paths that were chosen for them. Sadly, Obi-Wan’s care for Satine was so obvious that Maul used it against him, kidnapping Satine and finally executing her in front of Obi-Wan as revenge for Obi-Wan’s slicing him in two in The Phantom Menace. Satine died in Obi-Wan’s arms, but unlike Anakin, who couldn’t handle the thought of losing Padme, Obi-Wan didn’t let bitterness over the loss of Satine consume him.
Attachments are forbidden, but…
The Jedi are forbidden to have attachments, but George Lucas has said that Jedi aren’t necessarily celibate. Knowing this, it seems entirely possible that Obi-Wan and Satine consummated their relationship when they were both younger. It wasn’t forbidden. For that reason, many fans have speculated that Satine actually got pregnant with Obi-Wan and had his child in secret without telling him. The theory is that Satine’s nephew Korkie Kryze, who bears a striking resemblance to Obi-Wan, is actually Satine and Obi-Wan’s son. This has never been confirmed, so it seems likely to be only mere speculation, but there’s no definitive proof that Obi-Wan didn’t have a child with Satine.
Perhaps future canon stories, such as the upcoming Obi-Wan series for Disney+, will explore this possibility further. Certainly, given how important Satine was to Obi-Wan, we’re sure to see Obi-Wan wrestling with her loss while he lives in exile on Tatooine. Discovering he was a father would definitely be an interesting development in his story and open up many possibilities for future stories.