What was Obi-Wan’s mistake with Anakin? Speaking of Anakin, Obi-Wan Kenobi once said to Qui-Gon: “The boy is dangerous. They all sense it. Why can’t you?”
Qui-Gon replied: “His fate is uncertain; he is not dangerous.”
Surprisingly, they were both right. Obi-Wan foresaw Darth Vader emerging from Anakin; Qui-Gon foresaw Anakin emerging from Darth Vader.
And yet, Obi-Wan’s early view of Anakin as “dangerous” shaped the entire trajectory of their future relationship. Obi-Wan failed to recognize Anakin’s deepest human need — the need for a father. And he failed to become that father when Anakin was his Padawan. Why? Is it because Obi-Wan himself grew up without a father?
Obi-Wan could hardy remember his parents. In Star Wars canon, Obi-Wan Kenobi’s father is not named. At twelve, Obi-Wan became Qui-Gon’s Padawan, and for a while, their relationship was tense — Obi-Wan was rigid and rule-abiding; Qui-Gon spontaneous and free-spirited.
Obi-Wan kept the rules; Qui-Gon followed the ways of “the living Force.” Eventually, they came to appreciate each other but sharply disagreed about Anakin.
Obi-Wan: “He’s dangerous.”
Qui-Gon: “He is the Chosen One.”
Even after Qui-Gon’s death, Obi-Wan saw Anakin as “dangerous.” He agreed to train the boy out of duty and respect for his fallen master, but he never saw him through Qui-Gon’s eyes — as the Chosen One. Obi-Wan didn’t choose him. That’s why Anakin never felt chosen.
Obi-Wan failed to see what every boy craves the most — for someone to see him as the Chosen One.
True fathers always see their child as the Chosen One. In their gaze, the child becomes his true self. Anakin didn’t find it in Obi-Wan’s eyes, and he turned to Palpatine for answers. When a child does not feel chosen, he will seek identity in the darkest places. Children do not want dutiful love. They reject it — and the one who dutifully gives it.
With Luke, Obi-Wan was different. He waited for years on Tatooine until Luke came of age — not out of obligation, but out of hope. By the time they met, Obi-Wan had clearly chosen him. And Luke felt that from the very first moment they met — chosen.
Obi-Wan never criticized Luke’s fear, impatience, or ignorance as he once scolded Anakin. Instead, he bestowed upon him a mythic identity by telling him the words Anakin had never heard: that he was the son of a Jedi Knight.
Obi-Wan had vowed to train Anakin — and failed. Twenty years later, he finds Anakin’s son to fulfill his promise. This time, he does it not as a reluctant mentor but as the father Luke desperately needs. And Luke FEELS chosen.
This is why, when Palpatine tempts Luke with the same dreadful choice he once offered Anakin — Turn to the dark side, or watch your loved ones die —Luke does not cave.
Only those who FEEL CHOSEN can overcome the Evil One. Unless I have a father-imparted identity, I will cave. The role of the father is to give you a name — something you cannot lose. Luke knew who he was — the Chosen One — and he redeemed his father in himself.
The moment Luke put down his lightsaber, Darth Vader died and Anakin resurrected. At that moment, Qui-Gon’s prophecy about Anakin came true:
