Born Padmé Naberrie, Queen Amidala was the formal name of the royal leader of Naboo. As a child, Amidala was prodigiously talented and extremely well educated. She had long been interested in public service, volunteering in the Refugee Relief Movement as a youth. Her efforts helped in the Shadda-Bi-Boran exodus. At the age of eight, she joined the Apprentice Legislature and became an Apprentice Legislator at age 11. By 14, she was elected Queen of Naboo.

During the Trade Federation siege of Naboo, the scheming Neimoidians tried to force the strong-willed Amidala to sign a treaty that would legitimize a brazenly illegal occupation. Amidala refused, and was sentenced to a prison camp. En route to incarceration, Amidala was freed by Jedi ambassadors. They took the Queen and part of her retinue to Coruscant, to plead her case before the Senate with the help of Naboo's galactic representative, Senator Palpatine.

On Coruscant, Amidala learned of the inefficiencies of galactic politics, watching as Trade Federation political maneuvering stalemated her plea. Following advice from Senator Palpatine, Amidala called for a Vote of No Confidence in Supreme Chancellor Valorum.

Fed up with the Senate, Amidala returned to Naboo. She requested aid from the native Gungans in freeing her captured capital. During the Battle of Naboo, Amidala infiltrated her own palace, and forced Neimoidian Viceroy Nute Gunray to end the occupation. The cowardly Neimoidians, having their armies defeated, capitulated and freedom was brought back to Naboo.

While Queen Amidala was the ruler of Naboo she had a large staff of advisors and aides that handled the day-to-day affairs. Sio Bibble, for instance, was Naboo's governor. Captain Panaka was Amidala's loyal bodyguard and head of security. Ric Olié was the pilot of the Queen's gleaming Royal Starship and leader of Bravo Flight.

Perhaps most important in Amidala's entourage were her five handmaidens. Saché, Yané, Rabé, Sabé and Eirtaé not only helped the Queen with her intricate gowns, hairstyles and make-up, but they were also trained in self-defense. When in danger, Queen Amidala disguised herself as one of her handmaidens, and adopted her less formal name of Padmé. When disguised as Padmé, Sabé assumed the role of Queen in her place.

When her terms ended, Amidala was constitutionally obligated to step down as Queen, although the public would have easily backed an amendment allowing her to serve longer. Though she had every right to retire and concentrate on her personal life, Amidala continued to be passionate about public service. At the request of the new Naboo monarch, Queen Jamillia, Amidala served as Senator of Naboo, taking the position once occupied by Palpatine. In a galaxy undergoing tumultuous changes, her outspoken nature shone as a beacon of reason and rationality in an increasingly fragmented Senate.

With the rise of a Separatist movement that threatened the stability of the Republic, Amidala was one of the few championing a peaceful resolution to the crisis. Alarmist Senators rallied to create a military force to protect the Republic, but Amidala led the opposition against the Military Creation Act. She believed such a measure would inevitably lead to hostilities against the Separatists.

On the day of the Military Creation Act vote, Amidala's starship was attacked upon arrival at Coruscant. Seven people, including her decoy Cordé, died in the explosion. Some suspected that disgruntled spice miners from the moons of Naboo were the culprit, but Amidala believed that it was actually Count Dooku, leader of the Separatists, behind the attack. In truth, it was an old enemy, Nute Gunray, who was behind the bounty hunters hired to finally silence the young woman from Naboo, though that would go undiscovered for some time.

At the behest of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, Amidala was placed under the protection of the Jedi Knights. Amidala was once again reunited with Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice Anakin Skywalker, whom she had not seen in a decade. A second assassination attempt by the bounty hunter Zam Wesell revealed just how gravely in danger Amidala was.

Anakin escorted Padmé to Naboo, where she would be sequestered while the Jedi investigated the attacks against her. In moments of quiet solitude against the beautiful landscape of Naboo's Lake Country, Anakin and Padmé bonded, rekindling an affectionate friendship that had been interrupted ten years ago, and falling into a deeper love.

It was a love forbidden to both. As per the tenets of the Jedi Code, Anakin could not enter into a romantic relationship, and Padmé needed to focus on her career. Despite their strong feelings, it was Padmé who remained the realist, rebuffing Anakin's overtures while attempting to still her own heart.

Anakin's love for Padmé was not all that was troubling him. He suffered from terrible nightmares of his mother in danger. When he could bear it no more, Anakin returned to Tatooine, with Padmé in tow, to find Shmi Skywalker.

Anakin did find his dying mother, and lashed out in vengeance against the Tusken Raiders that had tortured her. When he returned to Padmé, he confessed his actions, and he collapsed with shame and despair over what he had done. Padmé saw the wounded, sobbing youth, and let her compassion guide her heart as she comforted him.

Shortly thereafter, Anakin and Padmé voyaged to Geonosis, to rescue Obi-Wan who had been captured by Separatist forces. Padmé hoped to use her diplomatic skills to parley with the Separatists, but she and Anakin were captured by the Geonosians. Placed on trial for espionage, Amidala and Anakin were sentenced for execution.

Faced with overwhelming evidence of her mortality, Padmé lowered her emotional guard and professed her love to Anakin. The two were then placed in an execution arena alongside Obi-Wan, and three deadly beasts were unleashed upon them, much to the delight of the Geonosian spectators. Though sustaining a glancing slash from a ferocious nexu, Padmé held her own, and disappointed her would-be executioners.

The spectacle was cut short with the arrival of Jedi reinforcements, and then the opening battle of the historic Clone Wars. Despite her initial objections to a Republic army, Padmé nonetheless fought alongside the newly created clone troopers against the Separatist droid forces.

After the Battle of Geonosis, Anakin escorted Padmé Amidala back to Naboo. There, at a secluded lake retreat, the same place where their forbidden love began to blossom, the two were quietly wed in a ceremony witnessed only by C-3PO and R2-D2. This tranquil expression of love preceded some of the darkest moments to be faced by Amidala and by the galaxy as a whole.

Amidala continued to serve the Senate faithfully, though she was often distracted by the growing career of her secret husband. Anakin was becoming a war hero known throughout the Republic, and while the citizens thrilled at his exploits, she was deeply worried for his safety. The few moments they could snatch together were all too brief. The war was concentrated in the Outer Rim, far from Coruscant, and Padmé saw very little of Anakin. By the time the Outer Rim Sieges ended, Padmé had stunning news to deliver to Anakin --- he was to be a father.

The war years saw the continued transformation of the Republic. To efficiently battle the Separatists on numerous fronts, Chancellor Palpatine enacted executive decrees that saw more power funneled to his office, stripping away the last of the Senate's lackluster ability to wage war. Many welcomed the handover of power, particularly the corrupt politicians.

At the behest of Supreme Chancellor Valorum, Obi-Wan and his Master secretly voyaged to Naboo to negotiate a peaceful settlement to the tense Trade Federation blockade of the planet. Aboard a Trade Federation vessel, the scheming Neimoidians sprung a trap on the Jedi, and attempted to kill them. Kenobi and his Master escaped and stowed away on Trade Federation invasion craft landing on Naboo's surface.

Following his Master, Obi-Wan voyaged from Naboo to Coruscant and back during the intrigue that surrounded the Battle of Naboo. When Qui-Gon Jinn brought a freed young slave boy, Anakin Skywalker, before the Jedi Council, Obi-Wan was taken aback. Qui-Gon claimed that Anakin was the Chosen One of an ancient Jedi prophecy, and that he was to be Jinn's new Padawan learner, replacing Obi-Wan. The council refused Jinn's proposal to train the boy.

This was just one of many disagreements that Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn had during their time together. Jinn, a proponent of the living Force over the more serene unifying Force, had long been a maverick in the eyes of the Jedi Council. Obi-Wan implored his Master not to go against the Council, but Qui-Gon always responded by saying that he must do as the will of the Force advises.

During the liberation of Naboo, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were challenged by a deadly Sith Lord. A forgotten menace, the Sith had returned after centuries of seeming extinction. For the first time in ages, Jedi and Sith dueled. The dark warrior, Darth Maul, used his incredible speed, rage and his double-ended lightsaber to fend off both Jedi. As the duel progressed, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon became separated. Kenobi watched helplessly as Maul killed Qui-Gon, and he rushed to kill the Sith Lord in turn.

Qui-Gon's dying words were a request for Obi-Wan to train Anakin, despite the Council's objections. The Council ultimately agreed with Obi-Wan taking Anakin as a Padawan -- though Jedi Master Yoda had strong reservations about it. The Council also bestowed upon Obi-Wan the title and rank of Jedi Knight.

For over a decade Obi-Wan guided young Anakin on the path to Jedi Knighthood. Having to rein in an adventure-seeking youth made Obi-Wan wise -- and cynical -- beyond his years. True to his role, Obi-Wan recognized both Anakin's strengths and weaknesses, and he tried to impart his lessons with the patience and understanding that his mentor, Qui-Gon, did.

As Anakin progressed, Obi-Wan grew increasingly concerned that the young Padawan's raw power had fostered a dangerous arrogance. He frequently expressed these reservations to the senior members of the Jedi Council, but they continued to trust in Kenobi's mentorship.

After returning from a border dispute on the world of Ansion, Obi-Wan and Anakin were called by the Supreme Chancellor to protect the life of Senator Padmé Amidala. Though Obi-Wan carried a less-than-favorable impression of politics, he nonetheless took the assignment very seriously. A failed assassination attempt left Obi-Wan with a valuable clue -- an exotic weapon not recognized by the analysis droids of the Jedi Temple.

As Anakin voyaged offworld on his first mission, escorting and protecting Padmé Amidala on her home planet of Naboo, Obi-Wan continued the investigation. He journeyed to Coruscant's Coco Town, a shabby stretch of city where an old friend, Dexter Jettster, lived and worked. Dex, the proprietor of a simple diner, was a wealth of knowledge, and was able to identify the weapon as a Kamino saberdart.

In searching out Kamino, Obi-Wan discovered a dangerous and disturbing mystery. The vaunted Jedi Archives, perhaps the largest repository of lore in the galaxy, had no record of the planet that Dex described. Conferring with Yoda, Obi-Wan learned that Kamino had been erased from the archives.

Aboard a Jedi starfighter, Kenobi journeyed to the storm-shrouded world of Kamino. There, he made contact with the Prime Minister, Lama Su, and the mystery surrounding the planet became even more tangled. As explained by the Kaminoans, Obi-Wan was expected. A decade prior, the Kaminoans had begun crafting an immense clone army on the behalf of the Jedi for use by the Republic. Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas, believed dead at the time, had apparently commissioned the army.

The courteous Kaminoans gave Kenobi a tour of their cloning facility in Tipoca City. Obi-Wan saw hundreds of identical clone troopers, training and preparing, encased in modern, white armor. This seemed to have nothing to do with the assassination attempt on Amidala, until Kenobi met with the original genetic template for the clones.

Jango Fett, notorious bounty hunter, had called Kamino home for a decade. Obi-Wan, never breaking his cover story of inspecting the clones, had a brief yet tense conversation with the hunter. Kenobi recognized the man's armor from the assassination attempts on Coruscant, and was tasked by the Jedi Council to take Fett into custody for questioning.

This resulted in a fierce brawl between Kenobi and Fett. Jango Fett's weapon-covered suit aided him in landing blows on the Jedi, and the bounty hunter also benefited from cover fire from his young son, Boba. Ultimately, Jango escaped aboard his starship, Slave I, but not before Kenobi was able to secure a homing device to his ship.

Kenobi shadowed Jango to the ringed world of Geonosis before he was discovered pursuing Slave I. A dangerous chase ensued through the rocky rings of the red planet, and Kenobi's starfighter sustained light damage from a blistering hail of laser fire. Fett again thought he lost his pursuer and proceeded to land, but Kenobi continued his chase.

Obi-Wan secretly landed on Geonosis, and snuck into one of its massive spire-complexes. Inside, he found a gathering of Separatist minds, including the leader of the movement, Count Dooku. He learned that Dooku was gathering the heads of the commerce guilds and pooling their military resources, making one huge army to challenge the Republic. Kenobi returned to his ship to make contact with the Jedi Council. He warned of the impending Separatist action, but his communication was cut short when he was taken captive.

Held in a Geonosian dungeon, Kenobi was approached by Dooku. The charismatic renegade Jedi spoke fondly of Kenobi's old mentor, Qui-Gon Jinn, who had once been Dooku's apprentice. Dooku seemed to genuinely regret that events had escalated to their current level. His disillusionment with the Republic seemed sincere. Dooku even revealed to Kenobi that the Senate was under the control of the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Sidious. Kenobi refused to believe the words of the elder Jedi, and refused, too, an invitation to join Dooku in battle against the Sith.

As per Geonosian custom, Kenobi was sentenced to be executed. Joining him were Anakin and Padmé, who had journeyed to Geonosis in a vain rescue effort. The trio was chained to pillars in a massive Geonosian execution arena, and three horrible beasts were unleashed upon them. The Jedi and Padmé, however, proved difficult to kill. Unarmed and shackled, they were resourceful enough to escape certain death. Kenobi avoided the deadly cutting swipes of a vicious acklay creature long enough for Jedi reinforcements to arrive.

A hundred Jedi Knights infiltrated the arena, and the Separatists countered by unleashing many more battle droids into combat. Jedi fell by the dozens, but Obi-Wan fought valiantly and survived. This was but a prelude to the start of the Clone Wars, as the newly formed Republic military stormed Geonosis.

Dooku attempted to escape the battle, but Obi-Wan and Anakin gave chase. They caught up with the old Jedi in a hidden hangar. Though Obi-Wan instructed Anakin to join him in a coordinated attack against Dooku, the headstrong Padawan rushed in only to be incapacitated by Dooku's surprising dark side attack.

Kenobi moved in for the attack, but Dooku proved far too powerful. The rogue Jedi's lightsaber skills outpaced Kenobi's parries, and Obi-Wan fell to the ground, wounded in the arm and leg from glancing saber strikes. As Dooku was about to administer the deathblow, Anakin leaped forward and saved his master. Skywalker and Dooku dueled, but again the Count proved his superiority. Anakin was maimed and collapsed in an exhausted heap, joining his helpless master.

Finally, Jedi Master Yoda arrived and attempted to stop Dooku. Though Yoda's withering lightsaber attack nearly stopped the evil Jedi, Dooku was able to distract the diminutive master by endangering Obi-Wan and Anakin with a fallen pillar torn free by the Force. Yoda used his telekinetic abilities to stop the pillar before it crushed the two younger Jedi, and Dooku was able to escape.

Kenobi healed, and had brief moments to reflect upon the immense changes in the galaxy that had occurred. He conceded that the Jedi had needed the clone army, otherwise the Separatists clearly would have won at Geonosis. Yoda sadly noted that the victory on Geonosis was in fact no victory at all. It was only the start of the darkest times ever to be faced by the galaxy.

As a General in the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi served the Senate and the Republic heroically, on numerous historic battlefronts. Despite his misgivings, he became a seasoned starfighter pilot, learning several tricks from his unorthodox Padawan as the duo blazed a trail of victory through Separatists lines.

The exploits of Skywalker and Kenobi became legendary throughout the Republic. While Anakin was elevated as the "Hero With No Fear" for his daring heroics, Obi-Wan's more measured tactics earned him the reputation as "the Negotiator." Many times Kenobi was able to cease hostilities without the raising of a single blaster. When diplomacy failed and it did come to violence, the General was ready. Kenobi had the control of a complete army of clone troopers and the latest military hardware. His most trusted clone soldier, Commander 2224 -- also known as Cody -- served him well during close calls on Cato Neimoidia and elsewhere.

During the Clone Wars, Kenobi ascended to the rank of Jedi Master, and he occupied a position in the Jedi Council. He was able to contribute to the highest levels of Jedi strategy, and such a vaunted position allowed him to witness the strain between the Jedi order and the Office of the Chancellor firsthand.

Whatever reservations Kenobi had about Palpatine had to be discarded when the Jedi undertook the important mission to rescue the Chancellor from the clutches of General Grievous. The cyborg general of the droid army led a bold strike against Coruscant, and managed to abduct the Chancellor. Obi-Wan and Anakin came racing into the battle aboard their Jedi starfighters.

High above Coruscant, an enormous battle raged, as capital ships from the Republic tangled with the escaping forces of the Confederacy. Weaving through the chaos were Obi-Wan and Anakin, backed by Squad 7 of the clone starfighter forces. An attack by a swarm of buzz droids did little to change Obi-Wan's attitude about piloting -- the tiny mechanical vandals stripped his ship in mid-flight, leaving him to land hard in the hangar bay of General Grievous' flagship.

Aboard the starship, Anakin and Obi-Wan cut their way through droid forces as they raced to free the Chancellor. It was certainly a trap, but the Jedi had no shortage of confidence in their abilities, as indicated by Obi-Wan's strategy: "Spring the trap."

They found the Chancellor bound to a chair in the spacious observation deck of the General's quarters. Waiting for them was Count Dooku, and unlike the impulsive and disorganized attack of their last confrontation with Dooku, Obi-Wan and Anakin challenged the Sith Lord as a team.

Dooku proved a formidable opponent. He Force-pushed Obi-Wan with terrible strength, tossing the Jedi Master like a ragdoll against the wall of the quarters. Kenobi was knocked unconscious. Out cold, he never saw the final moments of the duel, where Anakin killed an unarmed Dooku in cold blood at the Chancellor's goading.

When Kenobi recovered, he woke up in a canted turbolift shaft, draped over Anakin's shoulder. The Jedi and the freed Chancellor were not only fighting battle droids, but also the ship itself as the massive vessel fell apart around them due to damage suffered from the prolonged space battle. As they tried to reach the hangar bay, the three fugitives were captured in an energy shield, and marched before General Grievous aboard the ship's bridge.

Obi-Wan and Anakin were able to break their bonds and overpower their captors. Grievous escaped, leaving the prisoners on the abandoned bridge as the starship succumbed to Coruscant's gravity well and began plunging to the surface of the planet. It was Anakin's piloting skills that saved the day, landing the wreck of the starship in an abandoned industrial area.

With the death of Dooku, the Republic could claim a major victory, yet the Chancellor was not willing to relinquish any of the power he had attained during the threat of war. General Grievous still remained at large, so the state of emergency could not be lifted. The Jedi Council next focused their attentions on bringing the cyborg general to justice. That task fell to Kenobi.

But before that, Obi-Wan was given another tough task; challenging not for its tactical difficulty, but for the awkward strain it put on his relationship with Anakin. At the Chancellor's behest, Skywalker was put on the Jedi Council. Ordinarily, the Council would not allow the Chancellor to dictate the affairs of the Jedi, but they accepted Anakin. They refused to grant him the rank of Master, though, a decision that angered the powerful young Jedi.

Fueling that anger all the more was the reasoning behind the Jedi Council's acceptance. Obi-Wan explained it to Anakin outside of Council sessions, so that it would remain off official Council records. The Council wanted Anakin to report on the Chancellor's dealings -- he would in effect be spying on the leader of the Republic. Anakin was torn; he counted Palpatine and Obi-Wan among his closest friends, and now both were asking to spy on the other.

Obi-Wan grew concerned about Anakin's moodiness. He approached Padmé to discuss the troubled man's dilemmas, to gain any insight into Anakin's stresses. Unfortunately, his presence and closeness to Padmé would only fuel Anakin's irrational suspicions that everyone was conspiring against him.

When clone intelligence reports indicated that Grievous had fled to Utapau, Obi-Wan took three battalions to the planet. He flew ahead of them, to scout out the area by himself before his troops arrived in force. Landing in a massive sinkhole city of the Outer Rim planet, Kenobi made contact with Port Administrator Tion Medon. The tall Utapaun revealed that the world had been under Separatist martial law, and that General Grievous and the Separatist leadership were on planet, on the Tenth Level of the sinkhole city.

Kenobi, riding atop a loyal lizard named Boga, climbed to Tenth Level and found Grievous. He confronted the droid general, backed by his Republic forces led by Commander Cody. The Battle of Utapau commenced, with Obi-Wan squaring off against Grievous.

The droid general had been trained in lightsaber combat by Count Dooku. Grievous lacked the finesses of a master swordsman, and instead used brute and whirlwind tactics against Kenobi. Grievous' artificial anatomy allowed him to wield four lightsabers at once, and spin them like deadly buzzsaws. But, since he could not use the Force, Kenobi was able to anticipate his blows, and counter them. Obi-Wan sheared off several of Grievous' lightsaber hands, and forced the General to flee.

Grievous climbed aboard his waiting wheel bike and tore off into the alleys and corridors of the sinkhole city. Kenobi gave pursuit atop Boga, jumping onto Grievous' vehicle and wrestling him to the ground. In a knuckle-crunching brawl that followed, Grievous and Kenobi traded fierce blows on the General's secret landing platform. Grievous had the advantage of raw physical strength and an armored body. Kenobi was nearly bested, but in the course of the brawl, the Jedi had loosened the plates that protected Grievous' organic innards.

Snatching Grievous' blaster pistol, Kenobi fired at the General. The blast pierced Grievous' pressurized gut sac and burned its way through his vital organs. The General was dead. The Clone Wars were over.

But the betrayal of the clone forces had begun. Unbeknownst to Obi-Wan, back on Coruscant, Palpatine had put his master plan into motion. The Chancellor enacted Order 66, a secret command that turned every clone commander against their Jedi Generals. Absolutely loyal to the Republic, Cody believed that the Jedi were conspiring against the Republic. The clones opened fire on Kenobi. He barely escaped Utapau.

Fleeing the sinkhole planet aboard General Grievous' starfighter, Kenobi made contact with Bail Organa and Jedi Master Yoda. The loyalist Senator reported that the Jedi Temple had been attacked by clone forces, while Yoda also confirmed that the clones had turned against the Jedi all over the Republic. The emergency beacon contained within the Jedi Temple was calling all the Jedi home. This signal was luring the scattered Jedi into a trap. Yoda and Obi-Wan realized that they needed to shut off that signal if the Jedi order was to be preserved.

Returning to Coruscant, Kenobi and Yoda found the ruins of the temple. Dead Jedi littered the once polished corridors. The corpses were burned by blaster fire, but several exhibited slashes from a lightsaber. Kenobi realized the terrible truth, a suspicion verified by holographic records of the attack. Anakin Skywalker had caused this destruction. He had succumbed to the dark side. The Chancellor was Darth Sidious, and Skywalker was his new apprentice, Darth Vader.

Kenobi rushed to Padmé, to tell her this horrific news and determine Anakin's whereabouts. Padmé was shocked, and though she knew where Skywalker was headed next, she did not divulge this to Kenobi. She knew that Kenobi's next mission would be to stop Anakin -- perhaps even kill him. Protecting the man she loved and the father of her unborn children, Padmé secretly departed Coruscant to confront Anakin. Kenobi stowed away aboard her vessel.

Arriving on Mustafar, Kenobi emerged from Padmé's ship as the two lovers reunited. Padmé was distraught by Anakin's transformation. She pleaded for him to return from the dark side. When Anakin saw Kenobi aboard her ship, he snapped. Anakin accused Padmé of betraying him, and used the Force the strangle her. Kenobi witnessed the evil in Anakin, and attacked his former apprentice.

The lightsaber duel that followed was the stuff of legends. The two incredible warriors crossed blades throughout the barren industrial facility on Mustafar, oblivious to the volcanic danger surrounding them. The duel spilled over onto Mustafar's fiery surface, with Kenobi and Vader clashing atop automated platforms floating on the molten rivers of lava. The duel returned to solid ground as Kenobi leapt to the black-sand shores of one of the lava flows. He had the high ground, the tactical advantage. He urged Vader not to press on in a fight he could not win, but the Sith Lord's arrogance got the better of him.

Anakin leapt towards Kenobi, and Obi-Wan sheered off his legs and one of his arms in a single swipe. Anakin's maimed body rolled down the embankment, towards the river's edge. Obi-Wan was crushed. The supposed Chosen One was no more, but only after wreaking so much destruction on the galaxy. The Jedi were gone. The Chancellor now ruled the galaxy, and the young hero he had come to regard as his beloved brother lay dying on the charred gravel of a hellish world. The heat from the river washed over Anakin, and he burst into flames. His last words professed his utter hatred for Kenobi.

Kenobi picked up Skywalker's dropped lightsaber and returned to Padmé's starship. She was dying, but the life of the babies she carried within her still glowed brightly through the Force. They flew to the nearest refuge, the asteroid mining colony of Polis Massa. The alien medics tried to save her life, but it was no use. She died as she gave birth to twins: Luke and Leia.

Yoda, Bail and Obi-Wan were the only ones who knew of the children's fate. They recognized that should the Emperor ever discover that Anakin had offspring, they would be in danger. Obi-Wan was instrumental in hiding the children, so that the Dark Lords would not know of their whereabouts. He took the young boy, Luke, to live with Owen and Beru Lars, moisture farmers on Tatooine. The young girl, Leia, was taken to Viceroy Bail Organa of Alderaan.

As the Jedi's ranks were wiped out by the machinations of the emergent Empire, Obi-Wan went into hiding on Tatooine. He would stay there for decades, adopting the name of Ben. The locals would refer to him as a "crazy old hermit," and gave the eccentric old man a wide berth. During this time, Kenobi spent years communing with the Force. Through meditation, he made contact with the spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn. His former Master had discovered the secret of immortality, a way of preserving his identity in the netherworld of the Force. Obi-Wan studied from him, learning this ability.

During the height of the Galactic Civil War, Leia Organa secured plans to the Empire's most diabolical weapon -- the Death Star. Her mission was to contact Obi-Wan Kenobi, and bring both Kenobi and the plans to her adoptive father on Alderaan. Captured by the Imperial agents, Leia was unable to complete either goal. She instead placed the plans into the memory systems of an R2 unit, and dispatched the droid to Tatooine.

The droid R2-D2 and his companion C-3PO came into the ownership of Owen Lars. R2-D2 was adamant in continuing his mission of getting the plans to Kenobi, and fled the Lars Homestead. When Luke Skywalker pursued the little droid, he came face to face with Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan explained to Luke about his father, though the Jedi didn't reveal the whole truth to the lad. Uncertain that Luke would be ready for the burden, Kenobi explained to him that Anakin Skywalker was an amazing pilot, a great warrior and a good friend. Obi-Wan attributed Anakin's death to a rogue pupil of his, Darth Vader, who betrayed and murdered Anakin. Since, Kenobi reasoned, Anakin ceased to be upon the emergence of Vader, what he told Luke was true, from a certain point of view. Obi-Wan even gave Luke a gift from his father: Anakin Skywalker's blue-bladed lightsaber. Thus began Luke's journey into the world of the Jedi.

Obi-Wan tried to train Luke as much as he could in their short time together. As testament to the desperation of these dark times, Kenobi knew full well that Skywalker would never have been trained in the old days of the Jedi. He was far too old to begin training. Nonetheless, Kenobi saw a chance to redeem his fallen pupil through Luke.

Having taken the mission to rescue Princess Leia from the Empire, Obi-Wan and Luke hired Han Solo's Millennium Falcon as transportation to Alderaan. During the trip, Kenobi began Luke's lightsaber training. The brief session was cut short as the Falcon emerged from hyperspace to find Alderaan destroyed by the Death Star.

The tramp freighter was captured by the Empire and taken aboard the Death Star. Once aboard, it was Kenobi's mission to disable the tractor beam terminal responsible for holding the ship. Kenobi did so, carefully sneaking through the labyrinthine corridors of the battle station. Though his skill in the Force kept his presence a secret from stormtroopers and Imperial officers, it only served to draw the attention of Darth Vader.

The Dark Lord confronted Kenobi as the Jedi was returning to the Falcon. After decades of delay, Vader finally squared off against his former master. As a diversionary tactic to help the others escape, Kenobi sacrificed himself to Vader. The Dark Lord struck the Jedi down, and Kenobi became one with the Force. He left behind no body, just empty robes and his own Jedi weapon.

Kenobi's death strengthened Skywalker's resolve to serve both the Rebellion and the Force. At times of great trial, Kenobi's voice would reach out to Luke, offering counsel. Later, the spectral form of Kenobi would appear to Luke. The ghost-like image advised young Skywalker to venture to Dagobah, where he could complete his training under the guidance of Yoda.

Later, Kenobi appeared to Luke and revealed the truth of his lineage. Though Kenobi felt that the dark side could only be defeated by bringing about the deaths of Anakin and the Emperor, Luke strongly believed that his father still had good in him. Luke set out to turn Anakin away from the dark side and succeeded, though at a great price. Anakin suffered grievous wounds in his final battle, and died having returned to the light. His spectral form joined that of Kenobi and Yoda during the Rebel's celebration of the Empire's defeat.

Copyright © Wormie Skywalker. All Rights Reserved.