In Star Wars: A New Hope, was Obi-Wan Kenobi genuinely unable to recognize his former comrade, R2-D2? Or was the Jedi master pulling pranks on people?
There has been much debate over whether Obi-Wan Kenobi was genuinely unable to recognize R2-D2 in Star Wars: A New Hope or if he was simply playing mind tricks. In the film, Obi-Wan ponders, “I don’t seem to remember ever owning a droid,” when talking about R2-D2, who had just delivered Princess Leia’s message. At the time, the comment didn’t seem significant, but with the success of the film and the need for backstory, it raised some complex continuity issues.
Many believe that Obi-Wan was playing dumb in A New Hope to downplay the importance of the droid’s arrival. A 2017 Reddit theory suggests that Obi-Wan was praising R2-D2, rather than playing dumb and that he doesn’t “own” the droid in the way that Luke assumes. This theory not only smooths over the continuity issues but also highlights Obi-Wan’s infamously casual relationship with the truth.
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Shortly after claiming to have never owned a droid, Obi-Wan tells the lie that Darth Vader “betrayed and murdered” Anakin Skywalker. His defense in Return of the Jedi was that it was true “from a certain point of view,” a perspective that fans continue to debate. Regardless of the truth, this gives Obi-Wan cover for other lies and allows him to pretend he doesn’t recognize R2-D2. He could justify the lie by saying that Luke isn’t ready for the burden of his destiny, which saves the scene from the potential continuity trap created by the prequels.
The Reddit theory goes on to say that Obi-Wan’s “certain point of view” applies to R2-D2 and droids in general. In the galaxy, droids are seen as a servant class, to be used and owned like any other object. Luke buys
