One small detail in Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi. After his brief yet effective training stint with Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back, Luke became who he was always meant to be. When he first appears in Jabba’s palace, he’s a changed man, no longer the impulsive boy from Tatooine but seasoned and wise, on the cusp of becoming a true Jedi. Of course, much of that is because of what he learned in Empire.
Discovering the truth about his father understandably shook Luke to his very core, but it was also a key turning point in his relationship with the Force and his acceptance of what it means to be a Jedi. And yet, the question remains whether Obi-Wan Kenobi should have told him the truth from the beginning – he had plenty of opportunities during the first Star Wars movie (later retitled A New Hope), after all, and knowing the reality of his parentage early on might have changed everything for Luke, and even his sister, Leia.
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Luke's Words To Obi-Wan Hint At How Deeply He Felt This Betrayal
Of course, Luke felt he deserved to know the truth. Was he truly angry with Obi-Wan for concealing his heritage, though? Yes, I believe so. When Luke confronts Obi-Wan’s Force Ghost about hiding Vader’s true identity in Return of the Jedi, Luke says, “Obi-Wan! Why didn’t you tell me?” This may not seem like anything all that out of the ordinary, but throughout their entire on-screen relationship in the original trilogy, it is the only time Luke refers to his Master as “Obi-Wan” rather than as “Ben.”
When Luke addresses Obi-Wan by his true name, he’s emphasizing a new degree of separation between them – Luke felt betrayed, and so his Master was no longer Ben.
“Ben” is familiar – Ben was the one who watched over Luke from afar on Tatooine. The lonely, old, yet kindly hermit that Luke knew was Ben, and Obi-Wan was the Jedi, his teacher. When Luke addresses Obi-Wan by his true name, he’s emphasizing a new degree of separation between them – Luke felt betrayed, and so his Master was no longer Ben. He was now Obi-Wan the Jedi, the man who lied to him “from a certain point of view,” even if only for a moment.
Did Luke Ever Interact With Obi-Wan Again?
After his heart-to-heart with Obi-Wan on Dagobah, Luke sets off to re the Rebel Alliance and ultimately confront both Vader and Emperor Palpatine. Of course, we all know what happens next, as Luke brings Anakin back to the light and the Emperor is “killed” by Vader in the process. Once on Endor, as the Rebels rejoice in their victory, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Yoda observe the revelry as Force Ghosts, though Luke doesn’t directly interact with them – he briefly smiles at them, instead, before Leia pulls him away.
Return Of The Jedi's Ending Gave Star Wars One Massive Force Ghost Problem
The appearance of Master Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Anakin Skywalker as Force ghosts in Return of the Jedi created one major issue for Star Wars.
However, other canon Star Wars materials have hinted that this wasn’t the last time Luke and Obi-Wan interacted. Though, as far as we know, they never had a full-on conversation again as they did in Return of the Jedi, Kenobi, along with Yoda and even Anakin, were there to guide Luke in the years following the Empire’s defeat – this has been mentioned in the reference book Star Wars: The Secrets of the Jedi by Marc Sumerak, which is a historical of the Jedi written from Luke’s point of view.
The book also confirmed that their guidance only stopped once he closed himself off from the Force after Ben Solo’s turn to the dark side. This explains why Yoda’s Force Ghost appeared in Star Wars: The Last Jedi when Luke finally began opening himself up to the Force again. Obi-Wan may not have been able to appear – it would have been strange to suddenly have Ewan McGregor play the original trilogy’s version of Obi-Wan – but Luke was clearly not angry with Obi-Wan Kenobi for very long, even during Return of the Jedi.
Star Wars movies |
Release Date |
The Mandalorian and Grogu |
May 22, 2026 |
Shawn Levy's Star Wars movie |
TBD |
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's "New Jedi Order" movie |
TBD |
James Mangold's "Dawn of the Jedi" movie |
TBD |
Dave Filoni's untitled Mandalorian movie |
TBD |
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
- Release Date
- May 25, 1983
- Runtime
- 132 minutes
- Director
- Richard Marquand
Cast
Luke Skywalker
Han Solo
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- George Lucas
- Franchise(s)
- Star Wars
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