It has been asked how could Obi-Wan Kenobi, a mere padawan, beat Darth Maul in "Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace", but his Master, Qui-Gonn Jin, a skilled lightsaber expert was struck down. Oh, yeah...SPOILER ALERT.
This got me thinking. What if the original intent of Episode 1 was to have our Obi-wan as the main protagonist, not a newly invented character, Qui Gonn Jin?
In my head canon, that's exactly how I see it. Don't get me wrong. I love Qui Gon and Liam Neeson's portrayal. This essay is only about what could have been with an alternate minor narrative choice. With that subtle change, there are MASSIVE repercussions to the major themes throughout the Skywalker saga.
Indulge me. Let me walk you through what that change does to our favorite Heroes' Journeys in a Galaxy Far, Far Away.
Imagine that Qui Gon never existed. Imagine that everything in Lucas' version of The Phantom Menace (or, in other words, the real version) done by or that happened to Qui Gon was, instead, done by or happened to happened to Obi-Wan. And everything that happened with Lucus' Obi-wan was my Obi-wan's 1st Apprentice who I'll call Qui-Gon
Except at the end. (Hold tight...we'll get there.)
So, it was Obi-wan who was sent to negotiate at Naboo with his apprentice, Qui Gon. (Remember that General Grevious calls Obi-wan, "The Negotiator in Ep 3.) Obi-wan who rescued Padme from the Trade Federation. Obi-wan who discovered Anakin's Force Potential (while his apprentice fixed the ship). Obi-wan was at the pod race to see how good of a pilot he was. Obi-wan who tried (and failed) to convince the Council to train Anakin.
And it was Obi-wan who returned with Qui-Gon, his apprentice, to Naboo to investigate Darth Maul. But at the climax of the fight, Obi-wan's Apprentice, Qui-Gon rushes ahead and is killed by Maul.
Obi-wan, the experienced Jedi Knight, slices Maul in two. The last dying wish from his Qui-Gon is for Obi-wan to keep his faith in the Force...to carry on and take another Apprentice so he can pass on what he has learned in this tragic lesson...so his death wouldn't be in vain. Obi-wan tells him that he will and he starts Anakin on his journey through the Force.
At the end of Ep 2, when Obi-wan warns Anakin to fight Dooku together, it would have been because Obi-wan had learned first hand the lesson that they are weaker when they are divided.
Now, at the beginning of Ep 3, when Anakin tells Obi-wan that this time they'll fight Dooku together, it is because Anakin learned that lesson also...that they are stronger together.
The tragedy of Darth Vader is that the Emperor did the one thing that he could to made Anakin weaker...he divided Anakin and Obi-wan. Capitalizing on Anakin's fear, Palpatine fomented his hatred for not being able to end suffering and ultimately destroyed Anakin's greatest strength...his faith in his friends.
So, in Return of the Jedi, we see Anakin returning when he helps Luke...he is stronger when he fights together with Luke, not against him.
In Rise of the Skywalker, we see the culmination of this togetherness when Ray and Ben channel ALL of the Jedi to fight the Darkness together.
It's like poetry. It rhymes.
But the leitmotif only works if Qui-Gon had been Obi-wan and Obi-wan's Apprentice died.
