The Dark Side of the Force: Why Obi-Wan Kenobi is the Most Intriguing Character in Star Wars
Obi-Wan Kenobi has the biggest mystery in all of Star Wars. Sure, Darth Vader betrayed the Republic to lead the Empire, Luke and Leia are related, Han Solo was frozen in Carbonite, and Anakin Skywalker turned into Darth Vader — but how did Obi-Wan Kenobi get from Tatooine to Alderaan?
One of Star Wars’ most powerful themes is that we, as humans, tend to make mistakes. Episode 6 reinforces this ideal. And Darth Vader is no exception. Darth Vader was once Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi Knight and one of The Chosen One (the other being his own son Luke Skywalker) who were prophesied to bring balance to The Force by fighting side by side with each other.
In a way, Anakin was Ben’s first experience with someone who had let their use of The Force cloud their judgment. Anakin demonstrated to Ben that using one’s anger and aggression to fight could lead to powerful results; he showed him that it was possible for even a good person like Anakin Skywalker to use his dark side powers for evil.
In Episode 6, the Jedi and Sith in Star Wars are metaphors for many concepts that exist outside of their fictional universe. Many people view them as being either good or evil, but it’s not that simple.
Like any philosophy or religion, there are believers who do good things and others who use those same beliefs to justify extreme actions.
Final Words
If you are familiar with Star Wars and have watched all six episodes, then it might come as a surprise to hear that one of the most intriguing characters in these stories, if not all six, is Obi-Wan Kenobi.
