Obi-Wan may have met his end at the hands of Darth Vader in George Lucas's first Star Wars movie, however, it seems like the filmmaker didn't really want the Jedi Master to pass away so soon in his planned trilogy.
The Peter Mayhew Foundation just recently posted an early draft script of Star Wars: A New Hope, and the document offers one key revelation – Obi-Wan survives the confrontation with Vader.
In the theatrical release of Star Wars, Obi-wan guides Luke Skywalker on the Death Star to help rescue Princess Leia. After allowing the Millennium Falcon to escape the Death Star, Kenobi then faces Darth Vader in a lightsaber duel. He accepts death after warning Vader about how much stronger he'll become once he joins with the Force.
The death of Obi-Wan was a pivotal moment for George Lucas' original Star Wars trilogy. With Obi-Wan gone, Luke is forced to seek out Yoda on Dagobah to be trained in the ways of the Jedi.
The early draft of A New Hope, however, takes away that moment.
After disabling the tractor beam on the Death Star, Obi-Wan reaches the hanger to find himself face to face with Darth Vader and a group of oncoming Stormtroopers. Luke's group arrive not too long after, everyone hoping to escape in the Millenium Falcon. Though Obi-Wan is beaten by his former apprentice, the Jedi Master outsmarts Darth Vader by shutting in the blast door to separate them both. Han, Leia, Luke, and Chewie chase away the troopers, and a wounded Obi-Wan Kenobi is then assisted into the Millennium Falcon.
Is an interesting alternative, however, keeping Obi-Wan alive would mean an entirely different route for the franchise. Lucas needed to kill Obi-Wan to force Luke on to the path that he took in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.
The Skywalker saga is available for streaming on Disney+.
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