The tragic friendship between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker defined the Star Wars saga from the beginning. Almost as soon as audiences met Obi-Wan in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, he was defined by his connection to his comrade. Indeed, he encapsulated a surprisingly complex amount of detail into a few short sentences to Luke on Tatooine, including his connection to Anakin, their past as Jedi and the still-controversial “from a certain point of view” lie.
And yet, Anakin wasn’t the greatest loss in Obi-Wan’s life. For all the scars it left and all the guilt and atonement Obi-Wan went through to forgive himself for failing his friend, he still holds a deeper loss in his heart. Satine Kryze, the Mandalorian Duchess who died fighting for her planet’s future in the Clone Wars, was Kenboi’s great love. And with the upcoming Disney+ series set to return to the aging Jedi during his exile on Tatooine, his tragic link to Satine will surely play a part.
Satine first appeared in Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 2, Episode 12, “The Mandalore Plot,” the first of a major three-episode arc depicting the Jedi’s efforts to defend her from an assassination attempt. During the events of the story, Obi-Wan reveals that the two of them had a relationship years earlier when he was a padawan with Qui-Gon Jinn and that they agreed to end it and focus on their respective duties. It was clear, however, that the two still harbored feelings for each other and were haunted by their lost love.
The dutchess made several more appearances in The Clone Wars, trying to keep her planet neutral in the conflict and turn it away from the warlike culture of the past. She found a ready ally in Obi-Wan, who broke with the Jedi Order to free her from prison, only to watch Darth Maul murder her with the Darksaber weapon in Season 5, Episode 16, “The Lawless.” But before Satine dies, she affirms her love for Obi-Wan, leaving him shattered by her passing.
Her fate plays a surprisingly important role in ongoing Star Wars projects. The Darksaber — which also made its first appearance in “The Mandalore Plot” — is a potent symbol of leadership over Mandalore, which Sabine gave to her sister Bo-Katan Kryze without the tradition of combat. Maul murdered Satine with the Darksaber, while Bo-Katan’s use of it may have led to the fall of Mandalore. It remained in Din Djarin’s hands at the end of the first season of The Book of Boba Fett, which ties Satine’s fate directly into the next season of The Mandalorian.
More importantly, it affected both Obi-Wan and those around him in ways that continue to be felt. Anakin witnessed Obi-Wans torment over the affair while trying to grapple with his own feelings for Padme, which almost certainly exacerbated his eventual fall to the Dark Side. It also connects directly to Obi-Wan’s extended feud with Darth Maul, providing another loved one whom the Sith Lord took from the Jedi. And all of that comes on top of the most heartbreaking fact that Obi-Wan loved her and still chose the Jedi over the two of them.
All of that very likely means her memory will play a role in Obi-Wan Kenobi, one possibly even larger than Anakin’s. Regardless, while the loss of his friend still troubles him, Obi-Wan at least made peace with the reality of it. Satine’s loss cut him far more deeply and may continue to linger even when the pain of Anakin’s memory is distant.
About The Author
