Posted by Disney+’s upcoming Star Wars series Obi-Wan Kenobi will pick up ten years after the events of Revenge of the Sith. The return of at least one other major character has been teased, but where are other beloved Star Wars characters during the time in which this show is set? A lot happens between the rise of the Empire and A New Hope with many characters playing a part in both the rise of the Rebellion and in shaping the Empire. This leads us to wonder what are the timelines of the Skywalkers and The Clones leading up to and during Obi-Wan Kenobi.
This series of articles will look at where some well-loved (and/or infamous) characters from the Star Wars galaxy are during the time frame of the Obi-Wan Kenobi show. We’ve talked about Obi-Wans fellow Order 66 Jedi survivors, so now let’s consider where the Skywalker twins and the Clones that Obi-Wan once fought alongside are 10 years on.
Princess Leia Organa
Though Obi-Wan has been tasked with watching over Luke, “There is another”. Leia Organa, like her twin brother Luke, will be about 10 years old during the events of Obi-Wan Kenobi. With her father working from the shadows to build a rebellion almost as soon as Palpatine declared himself emperor, how much does the Princess of Alderaan know?
In the book Star Wars: Leia, Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray, we learn how much Leia knows of the Rebellion. Which is not much at first. By the time she reaches her 16th birthday and the corresponding “Day of Demand”- a ceremony important to her claim to the Alderaanian throne- she knows nothing about the work her mother and father have been doing for years.
In the months leading up to the ceremony, she does notice that they are often busier than they used to be and have less time for her. But Leia doesn’t suspect the real reasons for her father’s increased trips or her mother’s more frequent “dinner parties” with like-minded guests such as Mon Mothma. It is only because of the three challenges Leia must undertake- that of Mind, Heart, and Body according to Alderaanian custom- that she learns of what her parents are truly doing.
However, Leia does know of General Kenobi by this time. Even before she learns of the budding Rebellion, Bail often told his daughter stories of the Clone Wars- including some of the encounters he had with the Jedi Master.
So while 10-year-old Leia has no idea what Breha and Bail Organa are working towards, she does know of Obi-Wan. And while he is protecting their son, surely Obi-Wan thinks of Padmé and Anakin’s daughter as well.
Luke Skywalker
Luke, the son of Obi-Wan’s former Padawan and best friend. Luke, who may yet inherit his father’s connection to the Force. Luke, who Obi-Wan has sworn to protect and watch over and who will likely be a key part of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
How much does 10-year-old Luke know about “Ben” Kenobi? True, in the original Star Wars movie, Luke is at least somewhat aware of “Ben” as he muses that he and the Obi-Wan Kenobi that R2-D2 has a message for might be related. And he knows the general direction to start looking for R2 after he runs off on his own to look for Obi-Wan. But what has their relationship been like up until that fateful moment?
Part of the answer can be found in the anthology book Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View. Containing 40 short stories by 43 different authors, each story tells part of the first Star Wars movie from the point of view of various different characters. One of these is “Time of Death” by Cavan Scott.
“Time of Death,” tells the story of Obi-Wan’s death at the hands of Darth Vader, but it jumps around his timeline a bit. A large part of the story centers on Obi-Wan’s experiences on Tatooine just three years into his mission to watch over Luke.
After a nightmare and a command from a distant Master Yoda, Obi-Wan makes a long but desperate journey towards the Lars family farm where Luke is living. Obi-Wan arrives just in time to see a gang of bandits starting to attack the moisture farm. With three-year-old Luke’s help (namely, throwing a toy at one of the attackers which granted Obi-Wan enough distraction to cut him down with his lightsaber), he drives them away. But Owen is not happy. He punches Obi-Wan square in the face and points his blaster at him point-blank.
Even before this incident, Owen had made it clear to Obi-Wan that he was not to speak to Luke and that he would not be a part of his upbringing. And after seeing Luke rush to help Obi-Wan despite barely knowing him, Owen only becomes more fearful that his nephew will turn out like his father. So despite Obi-Wan’s hopes, he knows that Owen will never let him train Luke.
One touching detail that I hope makes it into the show though is that apparently Obi-Wan likes to make toys for young Luke. Having taken up woodworking during his exile, Obi-Wan spends some of his time making model ships for him. As he is forbidden from seeing Luke, though, he leaves these toys by Shimi Skywalker’s grave where Beru finds them and takes them back for the young Skywalker.
Commander Cody and other Clone Troopers
As a Jedi General during the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi knew and befriended many of the Clone Troopers under his and Anakin’s command. True he did not get as close to the men under his command as Anakin did, but it’s hard to imagine a post-Order 66 world where Obi-Wan wouldn’t have, at some point, wondered where the men he’d served with wound up. So where would they be ten years later?
Generally speaking, the Clone Troopers were absorbed into the Galactic Empire very easily and very early on. The chips in (nearly) each Trooper’s head made them obey the new Emperor without question. Even Commander Cody, Obi-Wan’s second in command for much of the war, did not hesitate when Order 66 came through despite the fact that he’d literally just handed Obi-Wan’s lightsaber back to him.
Right now, not much is known about what happened to Cody after Order 66. There are mentions of him in the de-canonized “Legends” stories, but so far it’s not clear in what is now considered “canon” for the story as it is today.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch may have some answers, though. In the series’ first season, specifically in the episode “War-Mantle”, it is revealed that the Clone Commanders are being used to train their own replacements. Namely, the soon-to-be-infamous Stormtroopers that fall squarely under the Empire’s command. Of course, the episode sees the rescue of a Clone named Gregor, not Cody, but he may have had a similar assignment once the Clone Wars were “won”.
Captain Rex
As Anakin Skywalker’s second-in-command, Captain Rex also worked with Obi-Wan frequently. A bit more is known about where Rex winds up after Order 66 thanks to the final season of Star Wars: Clone Wars, Star Wars: Bad Batch, and his recurring role in Star Wars: Rebels, though.
Promoted to commander of the 332nd Company placed under the command of former Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano, Rex was an important part of the Siege of Mandalore and the capture of Darth Maul near the end of the Clone Wars. More importantly, this placed Rex on board a ship with Ahsoka as the command to carry out Order 66 came through.
Thanks to the discoveries of another Clone named Fives, Ahsoka was able to remove the chip controlling Rex and regain him as her ally and friend. The two fought their way out of the ship they were on, but it resulted in the death of all other Clones on board. Knowing the danger they were both in, Ahsoka and Rex both made up false graves for themselves.
Evidently, this ruse worked for at least a little while as when Rex met up with Clone Force 99 sometime after Order 66, Tech informed him that the Imperials had him listed as “killed in action” which suits Rex just fine. As he says, “Being dead in the Empire’s eyes has its advantages.” Though he is stingy with the details, it does seem as if Rex has joined a very early iteration of the rebellion.
Some years later, Rex has “retired” alongside Gregor and Commander Wolffe (who’d served under Plo Koon). Though all three had had their chips removed at some point, their location and existence were known to the Empire. Rex and the others join the Rebellion after meeting Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger, Sabine Wren, and Garazeb Orrelios in approximately 5 or 4 BBY- about five years after the events of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
As evidenced in a later episode of Star Wars: Rebels “Twin Suns”, though, Captain Rex does not believe that Obi-Wan Kenobi is still alive.
“Ezra, no one would like to believe General Kenobi’s alive more than I would. But Senator Organa confirmed his death.” – Captain Rex
This episode is set sometime after the events that the Obi-Wan Kenobi series will cover. Within the Rebels timeline, “Twin Suns” comes after the events of “A Princess on Lothal”. This episode depicts Princess Leia Organa on one of her earlier missions for the Rebel Alliance. This places both episodes sometime after her 16th birthday as Leia was unaware of her parents’ involvement in any action against the Empire before then. So even after joining the rebellion again, Rex has yet to find out that Obi-Wan is alive.
So while there is a possibility that we may see one or both of the Skywalker twins in Obi-Wan Kenobi, it’s less clear if Obi-Wan will meet any of the Clones he served alongside again. That said, it could be very interesting if Cody shows up alongside the Inquisitor sent to search for Obi-Wan. After all, next to Anakin and Ahsoka, he is the person that Obi-Wan spent the most time with during the Clone Wars.
But what of the Inquisitors and other Dark Side-affiliated characters that Obi-Wan has had dealings with in the past? Where are they 10 years after the Clone Wars have ended? Let’s look at those characters next.
“Obi-Wan Kenobi,” the new Disney+ limited series from Lucasfilm, will debut exclusively on Disney+ on May 25. The series stars Ewan McGregor, reprising his role as the iconic Jedi Master.
About Author
