It’s time to rejoice, Star Wars fans, because we’ve finally gotten an update on the upcoming Disney+ limited series, Obi-Wan Kenobi. We’ve gotten a full cast list, which happens to include Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse — better known as the young versions of Owen and Beru Lars from the prequel trilogy. So, that begs the question. How could they play into the story when there hasn’t been any official casting of a young Luke Skywalker?
We’ll dive into what this might mean too so strap yourselves to your seats because this is going to be fun.
1. Luke is only referenced rather than seen. (The McGuffin theory.)
So, given that Obi-Wan Kenobi is set 10 years after Revenge of the Sith, Luke (and Leia) would be 10 years old by this point. Not quite old enough to be venturing out into the big bad galaxy. The princess maybe, but not the farm boy.
We know that Luke is living at the Lars Homestead with Owen and Beru with some rather scary parallels to his father playing out. However, they could do what was done with the character in The Force Awakens where he was the film’s McGuffin until the final scene of the movie where we see him.
Since Obi-Wan is watching Luke at this time, then it is possible that he is only referenced rather than seen. Also, Owen doesn’t trust him given what happened with Anakin and is fiercely protective of his nephew. Finally, the series is only meant to be six episodes so there might not be space to have much time for Luke to pop up.
2. Beru calls upon Obi-Wan’s help. (Luke goes missing.)
We know that Beru didn’t have the same vendetta against Obi-Wan that her husband did. He would often leave toys for Luke in places that only she would find them so we know that their relationship wasn’t hostile.
So, what if Luke suddenly goes missing and Owen isn’t there to help her find him? She could go to Obi-Wan, knowing he’s been watching the boy grow up. They agree to keep Luke’s disappearance and recovery a secret from his uncle, knowing that if he knew, he’d blow a gasket.
3. Obi-Wan relays the truth of what happened to Anakin to Owen and Beru. (The guilt trip that results in nightmares of the past.)
We don’t have the faintest idea of what the story of the series is yet. But, we know that Obi-Wan will likely have some form of PTSD regarding what happened to his best friend on Mustafar all those years ago. It might get to the point where he has to tell someone about what went down. What better place to confess your sins than your former BFF’s stepbrother and sister-in-law?
Now, we know that Owen is not likely to take his stepbrother’s fate real well given his closeness to Shmi, Anakin’s late mother who had been his stepmother. Beru, however, might take it with a bit more grace given she didn’t really know Anakin that well, neither did her husband but they would’ve both heard stories about him.
For Obi-Wan, telling Anakin’s surviving family what happened to him might be his way of trying to correct Luke’s life course. We know from the films that Owen refused to let his nephew leave Tatooine because he feared he would suffer the same fate as his father. This leads us to the idea that he knew more about his stepbrother’s descent to the dark side than he let on. Not to mention he blames Kenobi for his step-sibling’s fall.
4. Owen takes it upon himself to reach out to Obi-Wan. (The olive branch.)
Now, this next thought is a bit of a stretch, but it is possible. Given that Owen would know what Obi-Wan’s relationship with Anakin was, it’s possible that Beru gives him a nudge in attempting to extend an olive branch to the Jedi Master. However, he won’t do it for himself. He’d do it for Luke’s sake.
Owen could go to Obi-Wan and question him over what actually happened to his stepbrother. There would be no way the former Jedi Master would be able to talk his way out of it as he has felt guilty for years for what happened to his closest friend whom he saw as a brother. Whatever Lars’ response is, it would not be good given what he tells Luke years later about “Obi-Wan” Kenobi being “dead.”
5. Owen discovers Anakin’s fate on his own. (The unconscious discovery.)
Owen loved Shmi as if she were his mother and she loved him like he was another son to her and treated him as such. Knowing that Obi-Wan will know what happened to the stepbrother he only met once, he decides to seek him out.
However, when Kenobi doesn’t give him the answers he wants, he takes matters into his own hands and what he discovers has him hate Obi-Wan even more than he already does.
What role do you think Owen and Beru Lars will play in Obi-Wan Kenobi? Let us below!