Star Wars' Forgotten Obi-Wan Kenobi Resurrection Makes Palpatine's Return Way Cooler

Summary Obi-Wan Kenobi was brought back to life in Star Wars Legends, but it was a misdirect, as the resurrected Ben was actually an actor hired by Darth Vader to trick Luke Skywalker.

While fake, Obi-Wan's resurrection had more of an impact on the Star Wars galaxy than Palpatine's actual return, as the actor saved Luke's life, while Palpatine only cemented his already established defeat.

Obi-Wan's pure surrender to the Force contrasts with Palpatine's attempts to cheat death, something that's made evident when comparing their 'resurrections'.

Star Wars fans are well aware that Obi-Wan Kenobi returns following his death on the Death Star in the form of a Force Ghost in Empire Strikes Back, but what they might not know is that Star Wars actually brought him back before then in-continuity in a Legends story called “The Return of Ben Kenobi”. While Obi-Wan’s Legends resurrection has all but been forgotten, the storyline has become more relevant since the canonical return of Emperor Palpatine in The Rise of Skywalker, and actually makes the Emperor’s resurrection even more interesting.

In Classic Star Wars #10 by Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson (which takes place between the events of A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back), Luke Skywalker gets word that an old man with a lightsaber saved a Rebel weapons dealer from a squadron of Storm Troopers, and the witness who gave Luke this information swears the old man called himself Ben Kenobi. Luke immediately takes off to learn the truth, and when he gets there, he comes face to face with his old master in the flesh.

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Of course, it’s quickly revealed that this man wasn’t actually Ben Kenobi, but an actor hired by Darth Vader who underwent extensive facial reconstruction surgery to look like Obi-Wan. However, Luke - who still hadn’t realized his potential in the Force - was none the wiser, and followed Vader’s actor right into a trap. However, after the actor led Luke into Vader’s clutches, he had a change of heart after seeing how heroic Luke truly was. Skywalker inspired the Kenobi impersonator to become a real hero himself, and the actor gave his life to thwart Vader and save Luke.

Related Star Wars Makes Palpatine's True Beliefs Even More Sinister with Major Difference Between Empire & Sith Star Wars highlights the fundamental differences between the Sith & the Empire, calling into question the nature of Emperor Palpatine's true beliefs.

Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Star Wars ‘Resurrection’ Perfectly Flips Palpatine’s Return

Emperor Palpatine famously came back to life in The Rise of Skywalker, as his spirit possessed the nearly perfect clone of himself. This wasn’t a misdirect or elaborate deception, Palpatine actually returned. Yet his resurrection was poisoned and horrific, and only ended in utter defeat, and the total decimation of his once flourishing Empire.

Obi-Wan Kenobi’s return, on the other hand, was total misdirection and deception, yet even still, it inspired an otherwise immoral man to rise to the occasion and be a hero. Just the legacy of Obi-Wan, with no literal connection to the Jedi Master whatsoever, saved the life of Luke Skywalker, and allowed the actor playing him the opportunity to play a part in saving the entire galaxy from the tyranny of the Empire.

Obi-Wan’s ‘Resurrection’ vs Palpatine’s is a Perfect Example of the Force’s Power

All his life, Palpatine has not only embraced the Sith method of trying to bend the Force to his will rather than surrender himself to the will of the Force, he took things much further than that by trying to outmaneuver the will of the Force by cheating death through a mixture of mystical and technological methods. The result of Palpatine’s schemes was his Rise of Skywalker resurrection, at which point, Palpatine’s fate was cemented by the will of the Force, despite his efforts.

That’s exactly what fans see in “The Return of Ben Kenobi”, but in the opposite way. Obi-Wan surrendered himself so purely to the will of the Force, that it gave the mere echo of his name power Palpatine could never attain. The actor portraying Obi-Wan regularly admitted that he felt an overwhelming sense of good from the man he was pretending to be, as if he was influenced by the light side of the Force to help Luke. Given everything fans know about the Force, that’s indeed what happened, and it is the perfect example of the Force’s power.

While “The Return of Ben Kenobi” is a bit of a silly Star Wars story, and likely won’t be adapted in the official canon, it does give fans a deeper insight into the Force’s cosmic influence, especially when Obi-Wan Kenobi’s ‘resurrection’ is directly compared to that of Darth Sidious, making Emperor Palpatine’s Star Wars return way more interesting.