Star Wars is a massive narrative tapestry featuring countless people, places, and concepts that often prompt new questions and ever-expanding curiosity. The films and series have yet to depict even a century of the rich history of the galaxy far, far away, but some older content offers some fun details.
While the controversial Star Wars prequels sought to explore the backstories of the iconic original trilogy's characters, the film introduced a 25-year-old version of the old mentor fans knew and loved. With Obi-Wan Kenobi set to explore the years between the two trilogies, some would wonder what he was up to in his first couple of decades.
Obi-Wan's Origins
Obi-Wan Kenobi was born in the year 57 Before the Battle of Yavin (BBY). His home planet was called Stewjon, a name which George Lucas gave in jest at a convention panel hosted by Jon Stewart and later became accepted canon. As a Force-sensitive boy, Kenobi was taken as an infant from his unnamed parents and brought to Coruscant to be trained as a Jedi. He's stated before that he has no memory of his home planet or his family, and that the absence doesn't particularly bother him. Jedi begin some stage of training as early as six months old, so Obi-Wan was in class with fellow Academy initiates for most of his earliest years. He began Force training at the age of 3, under the tutelage of Jedi Master Yoda, whom he would respect for the rest of his life.
Though wise and good-natured as an adult, Obi-Wan was a rebellious child, making it tough to find him the right mentor for his Padawan days. Yoda went through a variety of candidates before introducing Obi-Wan to Qui-Gon Jinn. Jinn was seen as an independent maverick with unusual methods, the perfect outside-the-box mentor to the unruly Obi-Wan. Jinn and Kenobi didn't click right away, but over time, the young Padawan was molded into a more respectful and orderly man. He was twelve years old when Qui-Gon picked him up, and swiftly the pair would begin taking on missions for the Jedi Council. Together they took on a variety of difficult challenges and saved the lives of many innocent beings.
At Qui-Gon Jinn's Side
An early mission saw Jinn lead Kenobi to the Wookie homeworld of Kashyyyk to learn from the unique perspective and spirituality of the Wookie people. The duo joined the planet's Life Day celebration, previously depicted in the dreaded Star Wars Holiday Special. Obi-Wan took in the festivities, slightly overwhelmed by the raucous party atmosphere and vibrant celebration. Unfortunately, the event was interrupted by a hostile band of Trandoshans, the green-scaled reptilian race of bounty hunter Bossk. The group set out in a Predators-esque attack to capture Wookies to be hunted for sport. The Trandoshans snagged Qui-Gon Jinn in their nets, leaving Obi-Wan to rescue his mentor. With the help of a friendly Wookie, Obi-Wan cleverly feigned surrender to free Qui-Gon and lead a full rebellion. Victorious, the Jedi Master revealed that he allowed himself to be captured as an unorthodox learning opportunity for his young Padawan. Obi-Wan learned a lot from this experience and began to respect his strange mentor.
The most important pre-film mission of Obi-Wan Kenobi took him and his master to Mandalore to defend the planet's leader, Satine Kryze. The planet Mandalore has almost always been awash in civil conflict, and this era was no exception. Satine's peaceful reformist ideals inspired violent terrorist attacks against her regime by a group called Death Watch. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon lived on Mandalore for over a year, fending off attacks from bounty hunters and stochastic terrorists. Living as a fugitive on a hostile planet forced the student and master to forge a tight bond, moving past the friction of their early relationship by necessity. Obi-Wan also grew close to his charge, Duchess Satine Kryze. Much like his eventual Padawan, Anakin, he fell in love with the noble he protected. Love is strictly forbidden among the Jedi Knights, but, unlike his later student, Obi-Wan chose to give up his emotions and follow the Code by leaving her.
Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon would go on many other missions together over the next decade. They did battle with a Hutt in a tense hostage exchange. They helped establish democracy on a variety of planets that they found in crisis. Qui-Gon Jinn had more influence on Obi-Wan than any other person in his life. Some contend that Obi-Wan's strict adherence to the Jedi Code developed organically as the evolution of his rebellious spirit, now rebelling against Qui-Gon's renegade nature. Obi-Wan Kenobi lived a full life and did a ton of good deeds for the galaxy in his early life. The events of the prequels and the original trilogy depict him from 25 to his tragic death, but Obi-Wan's life is interesting from his earliest moments.