Not so long ago, in a galaxy we know well, a theory arose about Obi-Wan Kenobi. This theory presented the idea that Obi-Wan was actually a clone. While the main traction for this theory arose before the prequel movies, it may still have validity. Read on to find out if Obi-Wan could still actually be a clone.
Why Would Obi-Wan Be a Clone?
Before the prequels, the Clone Wars were a mysterious subject. We only had a brief recognition of them in A New Hope. It occurred after Luke met Obi-Wan, and they talked about Luke’s father, Anakin. Luke inquires, “You fought in the Clone Wars.” To which Obi-Wan replies, “Yes, I was once a Jedi knight the same as your father.”
From there, fans were left with a black hole of sorts to fill in with their own ideas. As the video below recaps, one intriguing theory that developed was that the Jedi were cloned to fight in the Clone Wars. Obi-Wan was one of those clones, so the theory went, supported by the idea that “Obi-Wan” was a phonetic spelling of “OB-1”, a droid name like Artoo/R-2.
Obi-Wan was also forgetful about owning R2-D2 in the original movie, adding weight to the idea that a clone may not have “retained all of Obi-Wan’s memories.” Moreover, his name change to Ben may not have been only to hide from the Sith but an indication of his separate identity from the original Obi-Wan.
We also have the Thrawn trilogy books that provided the cloned Jedi concept. In particular, Joruus C’baoth was a clone of the Jedi Master Jorus C’baoth. The clone C’baoth added support to the theory about Jedi cloning, including how Palpatine was behind it. This Dark Jedi may have even been more terrifying than Sidious.
However, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith revealed how the clones were based on Jango Fett’s DNA. So, the idea of a cloned Obi-Wan was undermined.
Could This Theory Be True?
Yet, recent programs point to the possibility of a clone Jedi being part of the action. The return of Grand Admiral Thrawn in Ahsoka and the uses of the Thrawn trilogy in shows like The Mandalorian have sparked renewed traction for this theory.
Dark Jedi clone Joruus C’baoth could make his debut in a series, or Baylan Skoll in Ahsoka may “secretly” be C’baoth. If shows go in this direction, we could see other Jedi follow in this path, possibly Ezra Bridger.
On that premise, we could see how the theory about Obi-Wan may live on, especially if Disney programming continues to explore the depths of Canon and Legends. In Legends, we encounter the possibility of an Obi-Wan clone that was made by the “mad genetic terrorist Zeta Magnus.” Magnus also produced a cloned Anakin and forged plans to undermine Palpatine.
While the Obi-Wan and Anakin clones eventually were destroyed, we could see how these clones and their maker Magnus could make for an interesting story, on their own or as part of existing programs. Exploring the difficulty of cloning Force-sensitive beings and overcoming it could also be appealing terrain.
The Emperor’s return in Rise of Skywalker also provides some ongoing support for the Obi-Wan clone theory. Sidious cloned himself and was working on building a force-sensitive clone army to rule over the galaxy once more. This focus on cloning gives a jumping-off point for how Obi-Wan could have been a clone, especially since The Bad Batch and The Mandalorian likewise gave insights into how Palpatine worked on “cloning Force-sensitive beings since the end of the Clone Wars era.”
The cloning of Jedi could have been an ongoing project that initially only produced Obi-Wan and Anakin, or just Obi-Wan. Later, the cloning initiative succeeded with Sidious and almost pulled off his clone army. All the while, Obi-Wan’s clone may be out there somewhere in a galaxy coming soon to a screen near us.
Obi-Wan as a Clone
Obi-Wan may have been a Jedi and clone. We may have seen Obi-Wan in the original movies or maybe we saw his clone. Maybe the clone was already working for Palpatine. Perhaps this cloned Obi-Wan will be resurrected with the workings of Thrawn or in a new Star Wars story.