If you’ve ever watched Star Wars Rebels, you probably remember that bittersweet scene between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Maul in the desert of Tatooine.
Maul, after decades of vengeance, finally faces Obi-Wan one last time. After their brief fight, Maul, now on the brink of death, asks Obi-Wan, “Is he the Chosen One?” referring to Luke Skywalker.
Obi-Wan’s answer? “He is.” But why did Obi-Wan say that, when we all know that Anakin was supposed to be the Chosen One?
Let’s get into the real reasons why Obi-Wan gave Maul this answer.
Table of Contents
1. Obi-Wan Believed Anakin Had Failed, So He Shifted His Hope to Luke
At this point in Obi-Wan’s life, he had seen the worst of Anakin.
He witnessed his former apprentice turn to the dark side, slaughter Jedi, and even leave him no choice but to fight him on Mustafar.
Obi-Wan walked away from that battle believing Anakin was beyond redemption. To Obi-Wan, the Chosen One prophecy seemed to have failed.
This is why Obi-Wan and Yoda turned to Luke.
They knew Luke (and Leia) carried the same Force potential as Anakin, so it was natural for them to believe Luke might be the one to restore balance to the Force.
Even though Obi-Wan initially believed Anakin was the Chosen One, by the time of his encounter with Maul, he had placed all his hope in Luke.
After all, Luke was their “New Hope” against the darkness of the Empire. This shift in belief isn’t hard to understand.
Obi-Wan had seen so much devastation at the hands of Anakin, so by that point, Luke was his best shot at fixing everything that had gone wrong.
2. Obi-Wan Showed Compassion to Maul in His Final Moments
Despite their long and bitter history, Obi-Wan still showed mercy and compassion to Maul. When Maul asked about the Chosen One, he wasn’t just asking out of curiosity.
Maul wanted to know if there was still hope, if someone would rise up to destroy their common enemy, Palpatine.
Obi-Wan, instead of rubbing in his victory or dwelling on the past, chose to comfort Maul. By saying “yes,” Obi-Wan gave Maul the peace of knowing that his life’s suffering wasn’t in vain.
Maul had been driven by vengeance for so long, and this final moment was a way for Obi-Wan to show kindness, even to his enemy.
In a way, Obi-Wan was helping Maul let go of the hatred that had consumed him for so long, allowing him to die with some semblance of peace.
It’s a beautiful moment that shows just how much Obi-Wan had grown as a Jedi, putting aside old rivalries to offer a final act of compassion.
3. Prophecies Are Always Ambiguous, and Obi-Wan May Have Interpreted It Differently
Star Wars is full of prophecies, and the Chosen One prophecy is one of the most debated. Yoda himself said it best in Revenge of the Sith, “A prophecy that misread could have been.”
The thing about prophecies is that they’re never straightforward, and Obi-Wan, like many Jedi, may have misinterpreted it.
The Chosen One prophecy stated that someone would bring balance to the Force, but it never said exactly how or when.
At first, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan believed it was Anakin, and they weren’t wrong – Anakin did eventually fulfill the prophecy by destroying the Sith and Palpatine in Return of the Jedi.
But by the time Obi-Wan encountered Maul, he was living with the belief that Anakin had fallen beyond saving, so it’s possible that Obi-Wan believed Luke would be the one to set things right.
It’s not unusual for people to re-interpret prophecies as circumstances change.
Obi-Wan might have thought, “If Anakin couldn’t do it, maybe his son can.” The prophecy was always up for interpretation, and Obi-Wan’s belief may have simply evolved with time.
4. Luke’s Role in Anakin Fulfilling the Prophecy
Even if Anakin was always the Chosen One, Luke played a crucial role in making that possible.
Without Luke’s influence, Anakin may never have turned back to the light and destroyed Palpatine.
Luke was the key to Anakin’s redemption, and in a way, he helped Anakin fulfill his destiny.
When Maul asked if Luke was the Chosen One, Obi-Wan wasn’t entirely wrong to say “yes.”
After all, Luke was the catalyst that brought balance to the Force by redeeming Anakin.
It’s a “two sides of the same coin” situation – Anakin brought balance, but he couldn’t have done it without Luke’s compassion and determination.