Obi-Wan is a charmer. It is a part of his personality.
To most, Obi-Wan Kenobi is THE Jedi. He was the first Jedi we saw on screen in A New Hope. He was Luke’s wise mentor but at the same time a powerful warrior. Later we saw him in the prequel trilogy as a Padawan who was still somewhat uncertainly finding his own path, but he already had the makings of the Obi-Wan we knew.
As Anakin’s Master, we got to see little of his more flamboyant and less “respectful spiritual warrior”-side. This surfaced in his casual use of Jedi mind trick against deathsticks addicts or fraternising with the likes of Dex the diner owner. This was something that gave Obi-Wan a kind of multidimensionality, making him more interesting than if he were just a dry super-lawful hermit.
Obi-Wan is far from being a prim-and-proper Jedi, as evidenced by his shady contacts.
Just Let The Ladies In
But it was The Clone Wars series that really took this over the edge. The series takes a lot of time to explore the personality of both Anakin and Obi-Wan, something the films really did not have (or did not make) time for. Both Obi-Wan and Anakin are often showing off and throwing sassy one-liners the way they do in Episodes II and III, but Obi-Wan is also doing it in front of the ladies in a manner that can be sometimes considered flirty – and the ladies are flirting with him, too.
It is not like the creators just made this up. I daresay that the only reason Obi-Wan is NOT flirting with ladies (or ladies are not flirting with him) in the films is that there are virtually no ladies (certainly not ladies close to his age) in the first place. But The Clone Wars feature several important women who are indisputably interested in Obi-Wan, and his interest in them also cannot be just dismissed.
Obi-Wan and Satine Kryze, the Duchess of Mandalore.
The Duchess of Mandalore
The chief of those is a lady of noble birth who we can say for sure had managed to steal the Jedi’s heart. Satine Kryze, the ruler of the planet Mandalore by the time of the Clone Wars and sister to Bo-Katan Kryze who had featured in The Mandalorian. In The Clone Wars series Obi-Wan meets Satine after many years and it is clear from the get-go that there used to be something between them. In the episode aptly named “Voyage of Temptation” , Satine reminisces these old days: “I’ve loved you from the moment you came to my aid all those years ago.” And just so that we are not left in doubt, Obi-Wan replies: “Had you said the word, I would have left the Jedi Order.”
That is no small confession! Obi-Wan, the paragon of Jedihood, confesses his love to Satine to the point of willingness to leave the Order behind – to leave what we got to understand as something central to his identity. Nonetheless, Obi-Wan shows that he has come to terms with his vocation and has managed to get rid of attachment – not in any cruel, disregarding manner, but in a manner that possibly he should have taught his Padawan. Unlike Anakin, Obi-Wan has managed to maintain his feelings for Satine – and therefore their entire relatioship – healthy, free of the obsessive single-minded focus that Anakin has Padmé.
The plot introducing Satine Kryze and her relationship to Obi-Wan for the first time is in The Clone Wars‘ season 2, episodes 12-14. Its events take place on the planet of Mandalore and it may well be worth checking out even stand-alone for those who may not know The Clone Wars, but are familiar with The Mandalorian and would not mind learning something more about Mandalorian history along with getting a rare insight into Obi-Wan’s heart.
(To be continued!)
