When & Where Does Obi-Wan Kenobi Take Place in the Star Wars Timeline?
Obi-Wan Kenobi is one of the most iconic Star Wars characters of all time because he was there from the beginning of the story in Episode I until he mentored Luke Skywalker in Episode IV. While Kenobi’s story and character growth have been explored extensively in Episodes I to III and in Clone Wars, he has his own spin-off show in the form of the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney+. But when does the Obi-Wan Kenobi series take place?
The Obi-Wan Kenobi series takes place 10 years after Episode III and is set to take place in Tatooine and on other planets in the galaxy. That means that it takes place nearly 10 years before the events of the original trilogy. The series seeks to fill in the gaps in Kenobi’s life between his exile and A New Hope.
It is interesting to note that nearly two decades have passed since the rise of the Empire in Episode III and the meeting between Obi-Wan and Luke in Episode IV. As such, the series seeks to allow us to see what Kenobi was up to in all those years. So, with that said, let’s look at what we know about the timeline of the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
When Does Obi-Wan Kenobi Take Place?
One of the things that every fan of the Star Wars movies know is that there was a massive 19-year gap between the events of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope. Of course, Episode IV came before Episode III in terms of release dates because Episodes I to III are prequel stories that seek to explain how the Empire came about and how the Jedi Order had fallen before the events of the original trilogy.
In that regard, it is no secret that Obi-Wan Kenobi, the master of Anakin Skywalker, AKA Darth Vader, was one of the three most important characters of the prequel trilogy. Along with Anakin and Padme Amidala, Kenobi helped in shaping the entire Star Wars narrative due to the events that they were involved in back in Episodes I to III.
At the end of Episode III, we saw Obi-Wan going into exile after the Jedi Order fell. He was responsible for delivering the infant Luke to his uncle in Tatooine, and it was presumed that he stayed on that planet the entire time until the events of Episode IV.
However, there is now an Obi-Wan Kenobi series that is set to be released anytime soon as this story expands on the narrative regarding the Jedi Master, whose story was already extensively told in Episodes I to III and in Clone Wars. But when in the timeline does Obi-Wan Kenobi take place?
It was made clear during the announcement of the series that Obi-Wan Kenobi will follow the events surrounding the life of the titular character after the rise of the Empire. Specifically, the series will take place 10 years after Episode III, and that means that it will be at the middle point of the lifespan of the Empire and nearly a decade before the full-on rebellion by the Rebels.
In that regard, it is exactly in the middle between Episodes III and IV as it seeks to allow us to catch up with the life of Obi-Wan Kenobi, who went into exile after the rise of the Empire. The series, in effect, will make us see what Kenobi was up to and what he was doing with his life for nearly two decades.
While we do know that Obi-Wan was laying low during the entire 19-year span but what we do know is that nearly two decades of staying hidden on a desert planet seems to be a life that is too boring even for a Jedi Master. As such, the series will also allow us to see some of the adventures of Kenobi in the middle of his exile. But filling in the gaps in Kenobi’s life without changing the events of the original films was a challenge to the production crew of the series.
“It was definitely something we were very mindful of,” director Deborah said. “And for me also taking on George Lucas’ legacy, it’s an honor to take these characters and be able to tell a new story with them. So, I wanted to be very respectful to what exists and not change anything that George intended originally or anything like that.”
It was also hinted that there is a possible rematch between Kenobi and Vader in this series. How that fits into the entire Star Wars timeline is something that can be quite difficult to reconcile with the original movies, but we are pretty confident that the director and the writers were able to find a way to make all of the events fit without messing up the entire timeline.
Where Does Obi-Wan Kenobi Take Place?
We already established that Obi-Wan Kenobi takes place 10 years after Episode III. But what we haven’t established is where exactly the series takes place. And this is one of the most interesting discussions in the series.
What we know is that, after Kenobi delivered Luke to his uncle in Tatooine, he decided to stay on that planet to look after the young Skywalker. In that regard, he took up residence in a cave just outside the Lars homestead. Tatooine was a good place to hide because it is on the outer rim of the galaxy and because the Empire rarely goes there due to how the system is controlled by gangsters.
In that regard, what we know is that Obi-Wan Kenobi will begin on Tatooine, where the titular character decided to hide after the rise of the Empire. But what we do know is that he doesn’t stay on that planet long enough.
The trailer suggests that the Empire reaches Tatooine and that Kenobi will later have a rematch with Darth Vader. As such, it is quite possible that Obi-Wan will move on from that planet after the Empire gets for whatever reason. The plot summary only suggests that he will be going on an adventure, and that means that his journey will take him to other planets all over the galaxy.
In that regard, like The Mandalorian, it is possible that Obi-Wan Kenobi will not take place in the same location, considering that Star Wars shows are almost always about the entire galaxy. But the series will start off on Tatooine because that is where Kenobi was hiding after the rise of the Empire.
