Did Obi-Wan Know About Anakin and Padme?

Everyone who has seen Star Wars would know about the relationship between Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala, but that certainly isn’t something that the public in the galaxy knows because Jedi are prohibited from having romantic relationships. That said, Obi-Wan Kenobi has been with Anakin longer than anyone else during the prequel trilogy, and he might have noticed something about his former padawan and the senator of Naboo. So, did Obi-Wan know about Anakin and Padme?

Obi-Wan knew that Anakin and Padme had feelings for one another, as seen from the events of Episode II: Attack of the Clones. But he probably didn’t know that they would go as far as getting married. By the time of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, he already knew that Anakin was the father of Padme’s children.

It is important to note that Obi-Wan, like all of the Jedi, is a very observant and intelligent person that can deduce certain things based on his feelings and connection to the Force. That said, Kenobi already knew that his former padawan was in love with Padme but didn’t realize that they had gotten married. That said, let’s look at the clues behind Obi-Wan’s knowledge about the secret relationship. 

Did Obi-Wan Know About Anakin And Padme?

It isn’t a secret to the audience that Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala are in love and are the parents of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, who went on to become two of the main characters of the original Star Wars trilogy. However, it is equally important to look at the things that happened during the prequel trilogy to understand the things that went into their relationship.

In Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Anakin fell in love at first sight when, as a young boy living in Tatooine as a slave, he met Padme, who was accompanying Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. He had since had feelings for her, and such feelings manifested in Episode II: Attack of the Clones when he admitted to Padme that he loved her and when she eventually returned his feelings during the climax of the movie. The two secretly married in Naboo at the end of Episode II, and they have kept their marriage a secret since then.

Throughout the entirety of the Clone Wars, Anakin and Padme were secretly meeting whenever they had the time to do so. The Clone Wars animated series suggests that, whenever they were together in public, they spoke to one another in a formal matter as Anakin treated Padme like a respected politician while the latter treated her secret husband as an acquaintance that she knew due to the close ties of the Republic with the Jedi Order.

But while the couple were in love and were able to bear children in the form of Luke and Leia, there was one other person who was with Anakin almost the entire time as well. And that is Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi.

After Qui-Gon Jinn died at the hands of Darth Maul in Episode I, Obi-Wan was promoted to the rank of Jedi Knight and began training Anakin because it was his master’s dying wish for the boy to be trained out of the belief that he was the prophesized chosen one that would bring balance to the Force.

Since Anakin’s boyhood years, he was already with Obi-Wan, who acted like an older brother and a father figure to the young boy as he matured into a man. This relationship continued to persist even after Anakin became a Jedi Knight during the Clone Wars. Obi-Wan and Anakin, due to their close partnership and their ability to work well together, were often paired in missions during the Clone Wars. And that means that Anakin spent more time with Obi-Wan than he did with his own wife.

Considering that Obi-Wan was there the entire time, was there a possibility that he actually knew about the relationship between Anakin and Padme?

Well, for starters, it was never a secret that Kenobi understood that his former padawan was infatuated with Padme. At the start of Episode II, he told a nervous Anakin to calm down and be mindful of his feelings after the padawan was excited about seeing Padme again after a very long time. He must’ve known the entire time that Anakin loved Padme ever since they first met.

Then, during the debut of the clones in Geonosis, Padme fell from the gunship they were on as Anakin was vehement about wanting the ship to land so that he could save Padme. Obi-Wan knows that Anakin is only passionate about the things that he loves, and that meant that he loved Padme so much that he was willing to forego their mission to capture Dooku. That was when he reminded Anakin of what Padme would have done if she were in his place because he knew that doing so was the only way for the young padawan to calm down.

Meanwhile, in the events of Clone Wars, there were also instances when Anakin became so passionate about Padme’s safety. Of course, his master was always there to calm him down. In that regard, Obi-Wan Kenobi always knew that Anakin cared so much about Padme.

However, there is no evidence that would state that Obi-Wan knew that Anakin and Padme were married. He always knew about the strong feelings that his apprentice and the senator have for one another, but he never thought they would take it as far as getting married.

There is only so much that a master can do. Obi-Wan, being the stickler for the rules that he is, often reminded Anakin to be mindful of his feelings but never really stopped Anakin from loving Padme.

How Much Did Obi-Wan Know About Anakin And Padme?

The relationship between Anakin and Padme wasn’t something that Obi-Wan really focused on until the end of the entire prequel trilogy. He never really paid any attention to how much the two loved one another, even though there are pieces of evidence that would suggest that Obi-Wan knew that both Anakin and Padme had strong feelings for one another.

Still, Obi-Wan’s knowledge about the two was probably limited to the hunch that he had about their feelings for one another. He was most likely sure about Anakin and Padme loving one another, but he probably didn’t know about the marriage. Still, he had his hunches, especially when Padme became pregnant in the middle of the Clone Wars.

It was only during the end of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith that Obi-Wan revealed that he was always suspicious about them when he confronted Padme about the father of her children. He knew that it was Anakin as Padme stayed silent after the Jedi Master revealed how much he knew. However, prior to that scene, Obi-Wan probably didn’t know about the secret relationship between the two.

Did Obi-Wan Just Tolerate Anakin’s Relationship With Padme?

As mentioned, Obi-Wan Kenobi had his own fair share of suspicions regarding Anakin’s relationship with Padme. But it is also true that he didn’t air the topic out too much to the point that he scolded or chastised Anakin about the possible relationship he had with Padme. So, did Obi-Wan simply tolerate Anakin’s relationship with Padme?

Then there’s the fact that Kenobi isn’t a saint himself. In Clone Wars, we got to understand more about Obi-Wan’s past as he was once in a relationship with Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore. During an episode wherein Satine’s life was in danger, Obi-Wan admitted that he would have left the Jedi Order had the Mandalorian Duchess told him that she loved him.

That means that Obi-Wan has had his fair share of falling in love as well and that he understood Anakin’s position in relation to his feelings with Padme. As such, a part of Kenobi must’ve wanted his apprentice to deal with his feelings himself, just like how he dealt with his own feelings long ago when he fell for Satine.

But the most likely case is that Obi-Wan, like the other Jedi, simply didn’t pay attention too much to the relationship brewing behind their backs. They probably had their suspicions, but not confronting Anakin about it didn’t mean that they tolerated it.

It is important to note that the relationship between Anakin and Padme blossomed during the beginning of the Clone Wars. Both the Jedi Order and the Galactic Senate were busy handling the war that they didn’t have the time to discuss something as trivial as a relationship between a Jedi and a senator.

Obi-Wan probably had some hunches, but he was too busy winning a war for the Republic. His former padawan having a relationship was the least of his concerns, although it was Anakin’s love for Padme that eventually led to the downfall of the Republic.