Question about ANH Obi-Wan??

Given the events of the TV series, do you think that Kenobi actually allowed himself to become overall weaker in the 9 years between the show and ANH (like some material has suggested), or do you think he kept up with his training to make sure he could adequately protect the kids?

Dont think he needs training. But doubt he buried his Lightsaber away again.

Especially when hes told Bail to contact him when in need.

He also seemed pretty confident when Maul found him.

But there is that line from Vader “Your powers are weak old man”. Could be Dun Moch, but maybe old age has tamed him a bit.

Of course Vader is comparing him to Uber Younger Ben who absolutely battered him.

It does seem unlikely now that Kenobi would have let his power/skill lapse in the hiatus between the show and ANH. The series was about him overcoming his past trauma, and regaining his Jedi mojo... Which is something he did in spades. So I don't see him discarding that rekindled enlightenment again, considering he was arguably worse off after the show than he was before -- what with Vader(and the Inquisitiorius) being more fixated on finding him than ever, and the Empire only rising in power. So it just wouldn't make sense for Kenobi to willingly allow any facet of his newfound skillset to deteriorate, given the threats at hand.

...But even if his abilities had randomly diminished by ANH(for whatever reason), we know that he can absolutely still level-up on the fly when he's protecting those kids. *clap on*

^ Then Maul threats Luke when he meets Ben on Tatooine 😂

I mean, we know he kept himself active to a degree, thanks to the Marvel comics. He's depicted taking on regular Tusken raids to keep the Lars homestead safe, for example. And iirc, he also practices his lightsaber drills as well.

However, while I'm firmly of the opinion that his strength in the Force didn't diminish in those 9 years (and probably only improved during his training under Qui-Gon), his physical capabilities definitely dropped. Age and the harsh living conditions of Tatooine did him no favors. He was already in physical decline during the events of the show, and it would only have gotten worse (as we see in ANH and especially FACPOV).

If we presume that Obi-Wan did maintain his level of power right up until ANH, then Vader's victory over him is all the more impressive. Vader by ANH has mastered himself to a far greater degree than he had at 9BBY, and was far more cautious approaching his fight against Kenobi (making a far more obvious effort to protect the chestplate that Obi-Wan smashed in their last duel).

It's reasonable to assume ANH Obi-Wan is still formidable, but the limited choreography of the film was in part due to the actors' limitations and also the limitations of the lightsabers at that time (because they sucked for actual combat use and were delicate).

Vader didn't actually beat him, though. Kenobi sacrificed himself, remember? Before that neither looked superior to the other.

^ The dialogue suggested Vader was going to win :

“Your powers are weak old man”

“You should not have come back”

But yeah Old Ben was clearly holding his own.

He looks awful though. Nine more years of sand mantis meat really made him look ancient.

Originally posted by Darth Thor
^ The dialogue suggested Vader was going to win :

“Your powers are weak old man”

“You should not have come back”

But yeah Old Ben was clearly holding his own.

That could just be Vader playing mind games. I agree that Lucas' intention was that Vader would win, but if we base it of just the movie itself, nothing indicated Vader was superior to Kenobi.

^ Thats why I said it was suggested. Not that it was 100% going to happen.

It depends on what his experiences are between the show and ANH. At the end of the day Obi-Wan can spend as much time as he wants meditating and practicing lightsaber katas in an empty desert- what actually keeps your skills sharp is practical experience. If the next 9 years are spent ****ing off in the desert than aging+time will erode his skills no matter what he does.

“”Your powers are weak, old man.”

Our lightsabers clash. I try to push forward, only to be thrust violently back. There’s no give in Vader’s arms, and far too much in mine.”

"You should not have come back," Vader tells me.

My resources are depleted, my body screaming with pain. I have no hope of winning this fight.

He lunges at me; slash and counterslash, stab and riposte. The air is thick with plasma discharge, lights dancing on the edge of my vision.

I'm forced back, muscle burning, breath ragged. The grip of my lightsaber is slick in my hands, my ears ringing."

"Luke's cry echoes across the landing bay. There he is, watching us fight, the open hatch of the freighter behind him. He knows full well that I cannot win. He is frozen with shock, unsure what to do, but that won't last long. Soon, the spell will be broken and he will come running. Those brave, defiant eyes will be cut down in a blaze of trooper fire. He needs more than a toy fighter this time. He needs to escape; to save himself, not me."

-From A Certain Point of View