At first, Obi-Wan Kenobi’s plan to hide in exile on Tatooine might not seem like the wisest course of action. It was, after all, Anakin Skywalker’s home planet, and Obi-Wan himself does not seem to have changed his appearance or his clothing much. That said, the trailer for Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett reveals another possible reason for Obi-Wan’s successful subterfuge: Tatooine appears to be a hive for older hermits, so Obi-Wan might have blended in easily.
Obi-Wan’s clothing might not have originally been meant to represent the dress code for the Jedi Order. By the time the prequel trilogy was released, however, his robes reflected the standard for Jedi wardrobes. As Catrina Dennis explains in an article for starwars.com, the traditional Jedi robes were heavily influenced by samurai clothing, which allowed for freedom of movement during battle. While there is some variety in Jedi’s clothing choices throughout the eras, most Jedi wear similar ensembles to Obi-Wan in the prequel trilogy era, and the clothing of earlier eras such as the Star Wars: The High Republic subseries also includes similar design choices for most of the Jedi.
In the Star Wars franchise, the Jedi’s garments also are supposed to reflect humility and resemble the clothing worn by the working class throughout the galaxy. On Tatooine in particular, many characters, including Owen Lars, wore similar apparel as part of their everyday ensembles. Thus, while Obi-Wan Kenobi’s robes in Star Wars: A New Hope became the template for all Jedi robes, they also show larger fashion trends in the galaxy, at least for people with less wealth.
Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett‘s trailer contains a small detail that might further explain why Obi-Wan was able to remain hidden from the Empire for so long. The series takes place on Tatooine and will probably give a more in-depth look at Tatooine culture that will be expanded even further when Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi is released. It also shows more of Tatooine’s population. In one scene, an older man walks behind two Twi’lek women, and he bears a strong resemblance to Obi-Wan Kenobi himself. He has the same white hair and beard, and he even wears similar brown robes. Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett takes place many years after Obi-Wan’s death, so the man obviously is not meant to be the Jedi himself.
Nevertheless, this blink and you’ll miss it moment indicates another truth that could have helped Obi-Wan remain hidden. Tatooine is a planet on the far reaches of the galaxy. In addition to hosting one of the galaxy’s most “wretched hives of scum and villainy,” the planet is also inhabited by many moisture farmers and hermits who only venture into more populated areas to seek supplies every once in a while. Obi-Wan was probably part of a large hermit population on the planet, and therefore, he probably did not stand out too much to anyone. That blending in tandem with Obi-Wan’s skilled usage of Jedi mind tricks was likely enough to keep the Empire off of his trail.
In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel earlier this year, Ewan McGregor indicated that Obi-Wan’s wardrobe might have been slightly altered for the upcoming Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series. However, the background hermit in the trailer for Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett confirms that Obi-Wan probably did not have to change his wardrobe too much to blend in on Tatooine. This key detail does not address a larger concern about Obi-Wan’s exile—his choice to keep his last name. Even so, the trailer does indicate that Obi-Wan might have been part of a larger hermit or rural population on Tatooine that had little contact with the larger cities on the planet and, by extension, less contact with the Empire itself.
To see more of Tatooine’s population, Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett begins streaming on Dec. 29 on Disney+.
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