Why did Kenobi choose to die?

Originally posted by Galan007
No, I understand that. I'm just saying that if Ben would have avoided the conflict all together, as opposed to dying, it would have been more beneficial for everyone.

What are you talking about? He did try to avoid fighting, hence the sneaking around.

It was Vader who sensed him and Vader who was looking for him and Vader who found and confronted him.

As for training between ANH and ESB, well we of course will not find evidence for this outside the EU, because its EU territory.

But we do know he guided Luke to use his powers in ANH after he died. I would count that as training. And possibly fulfilling the line "If you strike me down I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."

Originally posted by DARTH POWER
What are you talking about? He did try to avoid fighting, hence the sneaking around.

Originally posted by Galan007
Yeah, the word 'conflict' does not just entail Ben avoiding a fight with Vader, it means avoiding the Death Star all together. Again, it's completely theoretical.

Im still lost.. They were dragged into the Death Star via the tractor beam. Its not like they purposefully flew in there.

Unless your suggesting he should have avoided the whole mission altogether and stayed on tatooine just to train Luke??

Because he was OLLLLLLLLLLLLLLD!

Originally posted by DARTH POWER
Unless your suggesting he should have avoided the whole mission altogether and stayed on tatooine just to train Luke??

Err... no, destroying the Death Star was what was needed. If he had stayed on Tatooine, Leia would be dead and the Death Star would have given the Emperor the full power he was after.

^ If you assume Kenobi was the only person capable of going to the generator room and flipping some switches. 😛

^ Thats not what destroyed the Death Star. Thats how they escaped.

But if they didn't go on the Death Star mission Princess Leia would be dead. Several more planets with Rebel links would have been destroyed, and who knows possibly the Rebel Alliance killed as well.

The plans the rebels stole would have been thoroughly analyzed by the Empire with the DS's weakness possibly spotted and rectified.

The Emporer's power would be supreme.

On the plus side Luke (the Galaxy's last hope now that Princess Leia is dead) would have been trained to at least Padawan level!

Ah... an alternative universe saga in the making?

^ Lol Dnt worry. I like the OT the way it is/was!

I like to think Kenobi chose to sacrifice himself in order to fuel Luke's resolve to battle the empire. Luke was stuck in neverland during the Death Star adventure. Sure he made up his mind when his uncle and aunt were killed, but until then he was angry at a "faceless" behemoth. Kenobi's sacrifice hit Luke harder than the death of his foster parents IMO; and it helped focus Luke on what Obi & Yoda wanted Luke to do. Call it the force, call it whatever ye want but Kenobi had a much greater impact in Luke's life than poor Uncle Ben.

Besides the whole "create destraction for Luke and co. to escape."

The best explanation is...Ben was just a plot device biscuits

He was the mentor that was sort of done.

Originally posted by Zack Fair
I like to think Kenobi chose to sacrifice himself in order to fuel Luke's resolve to battle the empire. Luke was stuck in neverland during the Death Star adventure. Sure he made up his mind when his uncle and aunt were killed, but until then he was angry at a "faceless" behemoth. Kenobi's sacrifice hit Luke harder than the death of his foster parents IMO; and it helped focus Luke on what Obi & Yoda wanted Luke to do. Call it the force, call it whatever ye want but Kenobi had a much greater impact in Luke's life than poor Uncle Ben.

Besides the whole "create destraction for Luke and co. to escape."

The best explanation is...Ben was just a plot device biscuits

OB1's death was more impactful on Luke than his foster parents...?

Unlikely. He was with OB1 for...how long exactly? I'm gonna say a week...MAXIMUM. Probably less than that, but I'll give him a week for grace, for I am kind. He remembered nothing of his parents (obviously). Whether they were his foster parents or not, he was raised by these people. They did not have to take him in, they chose to 20-some-odd years before. They may not have been his birth parents, but they were certainly his real parents. They were Luke's parents and family. And in one day, they were taken from him by the Empire.

Luke spent a week with OB1 and learned a few tricks, Luke respected him because Luke knew that OB1 fought with his father and said his father was a great man, so Luke knew that OB1 wasn't just some old cook. He lived and fought during the Clone Wars. He respected him, sure, but his death certainly did not mean more to him than his parents, whom taught Luke everything he knew.

^ Luke most probably knew Obi-Wan most his life(he was staying on Tatooine to keep an eye on him).. Just at some point Uncle Owen decided he wanted Obi-Wan staying away from Luke.

Obi-Wan needed to be able to guide Luke and let's face it, there was no way he'd get past Vader and those stormtroopers. He knew he'd be able to guide Luke (to Yoda) after death, so that was the only logical choice.

Or he just wanted to rub it in Vader's face that he had found some kind of immortality. But I'd go with explanation number one.

Originally posted by DARTH POWER
^ Luke most probably knew Obi-Wan most his life(he was staying on Tatooine to keep an eye on him).. Just at some point Uncle Owen decided he wanted Obi-Wan staying away from Luke.

I haven't actually watched ANH in a while, but if I am remembering correctly, Luke didn't recognise him very much, and of what he did know of OB1, it was just rumours and stories about an old guy living in the mountains. There are plenty of ways for a Jedi Master to keep an eye on someone without interacting with them.

Originally posted by Hybris
Obi-Wan needed to be able to guide Luke and let's face it, there was no way he'd get past Vader and those stormtroopers. He knew he'd be able to guide Luke (to Yoda) after death, so that was the only logical choice.

Or he just wanted to rub it in Vader's face that he had found some kind of immortality. But I'd go with explanation number one.

😂 I laughed at the second one, actually. Unfortunately, if Vader kept the way he was going, he never would have even known that OB1 found a way for eternal life.

I like the first explanation, he's also really old. It'd have taken him forever to walk allllllllllllllllll the way around that hole between the Falcon and him...Only logical choice, indeed.

There was no other option but to accept death, the odds were against him.

The odds were ridiculously stacked against him in RotS when he went to face Grievous. It was about 1000 to 1 with all the droids added in with Grievous.

Originally posted by General G
The odds were ridiculously stacked against him in RotS when he went to face Grievous. It was about 1000 to 1 with all the droids added in with Grievous.

Because General Kenobi was the "Negotiator," that's how he dealt with things in the CW.

Okay, no, he was expecting Cody and the Clones to arrive soon. He was there to distract the droids from the surprise assault.

And as for this thread....

Kenobi died to buy Luke and company some time. He also instructed Luke during the attack on the Death Star. By sacrificing himself, Obi-Wan allowed himself to be able to guide Luke when it mattered most. He became "more powerful" indirectly; as a Force Ghost, he could guide Luke and allow him to become stronger and ultimately redeem his father.

In retrospect, after watching the PT movies, another reason could be that Kenobi acknowledged his failure in guiding Anakin. He must have realized that Luke would be the master of his own destiny, and that he himself must ultimately learn to do what was necessary.