Max Nocerino 
Was Owen Lars right to shield young Luke from the Skywalker legacy? Max explores the debate in Obi-Wan Kenobi
Happy Star Wars Day 2022. To give us a treat, Disney dropped an extended Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer, and it is glorious. I haven’t been this excited about a Star Wars project since 2005! Seriously. Even though the show has already been given a low TV rating (meaning it will have less mature content), I am confident it will be spectacular. Like all good trailers, it teased the appearance of the big bad himself Darth Vader and based on the footage, perhaps his interaction with Obi-Wan will not be as game-changing as the concept art suggested.
THE RETURN OF DARTH VADER
Perhaps Deborah Chow is honoring the Originals and not giving Vader and Obi-Wan too much of an encounter. Just so the dialogue and weight of their THIRD meeting on the Death Star aren’t ruined. However, the one thing that went through my mind when watching the trailer was a giant epiphany regarding Owen Lars. Owen is Luke’s uncle and the man Obi-Wan entrusted to raise Luke after the end of the Clone Wars when the galaxy was transformed into the Empire. Obi-Wan encounters Owen in a marketplace on Tatooine after roughly 10 years, and Owen has some choice words for the Clone Wars veteran.
OWEN LARS
I always assumed that Owen’s animosity towards Obi-Wan was counter-intuitive to the saving of the galaxy. Because he came off as a stubborn older man who wanted his nephew to stay on Tatooine and farm water. Even though he could free the galaxy. It was selfish of Owen and his wife to stymie Luke especially when he was 19 years old and all his friends had left that rock. Yet, now I think Owen had the right idea all along.
Obi-Wan in the trailer says to Owen “He must be trained”. Owen responds “Like you trained his father?” Putting yourself in Lars’s shoes, it’s like “Okay, you delivered me a baby to raise with my wife after his father became space Hitler. And now you want to take him back and train him as you did with space Hitler even though you failed miserably and are partially responsible for his fall.”
PARENTING
From the role of a guardian or parent, this is completely ridiculous and a huge irresponsibility to allow on the part of any rational person. Also, Luke is a 10-year-old boy. I don’t think most 10 year old’s would like the only parents they ever knew saying “Okay. You are old enough so we are giving you to this strange, grizzly war veteran to train in the ways of the Force. Have a good summer.” Unless Luke is that eager at that age already, he would likely be in tears at the prospect of leaving his home. No good parent could allow that. That’s worse than having Vader as a parent.
Owen was looking out for what was best for Luke emotionally. Yes, he could save the galaxy, but as he implied, things could turn out as bad for him as his father did. Could Owen sleep at night knowing he let his “kid” become a monster? Also, the Empire doesn’t even affect Tatooine normally. What about their lives would change if the Empire fell? All these questions. However, now I finally see that Owen Lars had the right instincts after all
Was Owen Lars right to shield young Luke from the Skywalker legacy? Sound off below.
Obi-Wan Kenobi launches on Disney Plus with a two-episode premiere on May 27, 2022.
Max Nocerino is a regular Staff Writer for The Future of the Force. He is a passionate Star Wars fan and loves the literature of the galaxy far, far away. Follow him on Twitter where he shares his love of the Force frequently!
