The Obi-Wan Kenobi Part I Moment That Melted Fans Hearts
Contains spoilers for "Obi-Wan Kenobi" Part I
One of the most seasoned Jedi knights of the Galaxy Far, Far Away has arrived on Disney+, and fittingly enough, he's right where fans first saw him in the original "Star Wars" in 1977. This time, however, Obi-Wan Kenobi is played by Ewan McGregor, who reprises his role from the prequel trilogy in a setting made more famous by the original actor, Alec Guinness.
Taking place in the years between the prequel trilogy and "A New Hope," "Obi-Wan Kenobi" shows the titular exiled Jedi tucked away on Tatooine, hiding from the Empire and keeping an eye on young Luke Skywalker (Grant Feely). It's a great setup for an amazing adventure that shines light on Obi-Wan's hiding years, and given its extremely familiar setting, it's only natural that longtime fans of the franchise will find plenty of moving moments. In fact, the very first episode features a particular moment that has melted fans' hearts.
Fans love Obi-Wan's gift to young Luke
"Obi-Wan Kenobi" Episode I features a small moment where Obi-Wan is shopping for toys from a Jawa — significantly, a model of a T-16 Skyhopper. He later leaves it for young Luke to find, and fans on Reddit have taken notice of this heartwarming deed. "KENOBI WAS BUYING THE LITTLE SHIPS FOR LUKE. IT MELTS MY HEART," u/ZeronicX wrote. "And left it for him in secret. He's basically Jedi Santa," u/interrupting-octopus agreed.
Fans on Twitter also took note of Obi-Wan's kindness, especially considering that he lives in self-imposed poverty, yet scrounges up the money for Luke's gift. "OBI-WAN SAVING UP TO BUY LUKE A LITTLE TOY STARSHIP?!??! TEARS STARTED FALLING FROM MY EYES HE CARES ABOUT HIM SO MUCH," @darthsokas wrote.
Though Owen Lars (Joel Edgerton) isn't thrilled about Obi-Wan getting involved in such a manner, Twitter user @Winniethepoe21 pointed out that Luke does, in fact, hang on to the toy until "A New Hope." "And Luke does get that toy that Obi-Wan left him after all," they wrote, comparing images of Obi-Wan buying the toy in "Obi-Wan Kenobi" and Mark Hamill's grown-up Luke toying with the same model ship in "A New Hope."
Obi-Wan's humble gift indeed seems to survive until the original "Star Wars" movie, and may in fact have far more impact than the exiled Jedi master could have guessed. Luke not only holds on to the toy T-16, but he grows up to be a pretty nifty T-16 pilot — which turns out to be great training for his days flying an X-wing. Talk about a thoughtful gift!