We Think We've Finally Solved Star Wars' Biggest Obi-Wan Kenobi Mystery

Summary Obi-Wan Kenobi's aging in Star Wars remains a mystery.

The rapid aging of Jedi like Obi-Wan and Yoda during the Dark Times hints at a deeper connection to the Force's balance.

A potential explanation for the unusual aging of Jedi during the Imperial Era could be linked to the imbalance in the Force caused by the rise of the Sith.

Although Obi-Wan Kenobi is undoubtedly one of the most popular characters in the Star Wars franchise, one persistent Obi-Wan mystery remains. Obi-Wan has been prominent in Star Wars movies and TV shows since the franchise's beginning. After being introduced (and dying) in A New Hope, Obi-Wan continued to appear in the original trilogy as a Force ghost. However, he played an even more critical role in the Star Wars prequel trilogy and has since returned again in his own show, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Despite the character development that has happened throughout those multiple appearances, one perplexing question remains. In fact, the more Obi-Wan has appeared in the Star Wars timeline, the more puzzling this question has become. Specifically, Obi-Wan Kenobi's aging hasn't made sense since Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith revealed that a mere 19 years pass between that movie and A New Hope. However, there may be a fascinating explanation for Obi-Wan's rapid aging between the two movies.

Related How Old Obi-Wan Kenobi Is Throughout The Star Wars Franchise Obi-Wan’s age in the Star Wars franchise is one of the saga’s most confusing elements. Here’s how old Obi-Wan really is in every Star Wars movie.

Obi-Wan's Aging On Tatooine Doesn't Make Any Sense

Even With Sun And Sand, Obi-Wan's Aging Is Odd

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When Ewan McGregor debuted as the younger Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, he, like his character, was in his 20s. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones was a significant time jump of about 10 years, making the distance between McGregor's and Obi-Wan's ages a bit bigger; however, the difference wasn't all that significant or obvious on screen. Likewise, in Revenge of the Sith, although McGregor wasn't quite as old as the character he was playing, he still seemed an appropriate fit, and nothing about the character or the actor's age was unusual.

However, McGregor's youthful appearance in Revenge of the Sith made a major aspect of the Star Wars story rather confusing. As Revenge of the Sith included the birth of Luke and Leia, it was clear that less than 20 years passed between that movie and A New Hope. In light of that, Obi-Wan's appearance became quite odd, as McGregor looked significantly younger than Sir Alec Guinness' Obi-Wan Kenobi in A New Hope, even taking two decades of aging into account.

Many have argued that Obi-Wan's rapid aging between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope is due to the extreme temperatures and climate of Tatooine. After all, The Phantom Menace alone proved how vicious the sandstorms can be. However, the oddest part of Obi-Wan's aging is the timeframe in which it happens. In fact, Obi-Wan's aging seems to happen almost entirely after Obi-Wan Kenobi, despite him already living on Tatooine for 10 years.

Obi-Wan's aging seems to happen almost entirely after Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Obi-Wan in Obi-Wan Kenobi looks older than he does in Revenge of the Sith, but that change feels closer to natural aging. In contrast, Obi-Wan appears to age almost 20 years between Obi-Wan Kenobi and A New Hope, although the actual time difference would be closer to 9 years. While, yes, part of this comes down to a change in actors, other Jedi reveal that something much more significant may be at work in-universe.

Obi-Wan Isn't The Only One Aging Too Quickly

Multiple Jedi Also Age Rapidly During The Dark Times

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Yoda is unquestionably one of Star Wars' oldest characters, rivaled only by ancient or mystical beings like Bendu or the Mortis Gods. Indeed, by Return of the Jedi, when Yoda dies, he is estimated to be around 900. However, it's difficult to say what Yoda's life expectancy should be; little is known about his species, as Grogu and Master Yaddle are the only real points of comparison, and they are both significantly younger.

What is clear, however, is that Yoda's health declines rapidly between Revenge of the Sith and Return of the Jedi. In Revenge of the Sith, Yoda battles with Emperor Palpatine, one of Star Wars' most powerful Sith, and, although he ultimately loses, he holds his own quite well. Moving forward just 20 years in the timeline, Yoda is dying seemingly of old age. While perhaps less notable in Yoda's species and given his age, Yoda's aging is comparable to Obi-Wan's during this period.

Yoda's aging is comparable to Obi-Wan's during this period.

However, Barriss Offee is arguably the most shocking transformation of all. In Star Wars: Tales of the Empire, Barriss' story picks up during the events of Order 66 as she watches the Jedi Temple burn from her jail cell on Coruscant. At that time, she looks quite similar to how she did when she was last seen in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Even in the second episode of her three-episode arc, Barriss' appearance hasn't really changed; in fact, she has barely changed since she was a teenage Padawan earlier in The Clone Wars.

In the final episode of the show, Barriss Offee looks significantly different. Although the Tales of the Empire timeline places the episode at some point within the Dark Times, meaning that no more than 19 years could have passed, Barriss Offee aged considerably, suddenly revealing wrinkles and seeming quite slowed down. This, in combination with Obi-Wan and Yoda's changes, signals a more significant factor afoot.

Are Light Side Force Users Aging Because Of The Force's Balance?

With The Sith Rising To Power, The Jedi May Have Been Affected

It's possible that the massacre of the Jedi and the rise of the Sith had a more profound impact on the Jedi who survived Order 66 than the devastation alone would suggest. Indeed, with so many Jedi killed off and Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine gaining control as such powerful Sith, the Force was undoubtedly thrown entirely out of balance. It's unclear what exactly the ramifications of that massive shift would be, although undoubtedly the light side of the Force would be weakened as a consequence.

Given that, it's possible that accessing the light side of the Force would require significantly more exertion than it typically would, especially compared to the prequel trilogy era when so many Jedi were alive and the Sith's power was concealed. If that were the case, it might take a toll on the Force-user, perhaps having physical ramifications, such as advanced aging. This would especially explain why Obi-Wan seemed to age all at once; between Revenge of the Sith and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan wasn't using the Force. After Obi-Wan Kenobi, however, he was communing with his old master, Qui-Gon Jinn.

Why Doesn't Ahsoka Age Unnaturally As Well?

Ahsoka Remains Youthful Throughout Rebels

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If the advanced aging was indeed caused by using the Force during the Dark Times, it would also explain why Ahsoka Tano does not seem to experience the same degree of rapid aging. In fact, when Ahsoka appears in Star Wars Rebels during the Dark Times, she has clearly gotten older, but her aging seems appropriate based only on the passage of time. Like Obi-Wan prior to Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka was in hiding and not accessing the Force to nearly the same degree she once had.

In fact, Ahsoka already had even more reason to avoid using the Force, as her identity as a Jedi had become quite complicated even before Order 66. While it may be difficult to point to the exact cause of the confusing trend of rapidly aging Jedi during the Imperial Era, is one very plausible explanation. While Star Wars may never confirm the reason Obi-Wan Kenobi aged so rapidly between Obi-Wan Kenobi and A New Hope, the Force being entirely out of balance could very well be the reason.

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