After the Star Wars prequels came out, one of the lasting issues (of many) that fans had were how they seemed to contradict things that were said in the original trilogy. Nowhere is this more on display than in the conversation Old Ben Kenobi has with Luke at the beginning of A New Hope.

He doesn’t recognize the droids he clearly should, he says he trained Luke’s father the way Yoda trained him, and he just generally seems to discuss a past that is not really what the prequels showed us. You can spend years trying to justify all of the apparent discrepancies (I know I have), but they are a real problem for many.

Unfortunately that means that some of the positive things the prequels added to the original trilogy gets lost, which is why this video of old Obi-Wan remembering the past as he talks to Luke is a good way to shine a light on the fact that the prequels gave greater weight to Obi-Wan’s story.

Obi-Wan was the old, mystical sage, with a calmness in his voice that undercut the obvious sadness of his life. His past as a Jedi Knight and the “death” of his friend Anakin Skywalker are understated in the original films. He is wistful, not angry or bitter. However, we know from the prequels just how horrible it all was: Obi-Wan is the real tragic hero of those movies, not Anakin. Even if he won’t tell Luke the truth, we know it, and it’s terrible, full of pain and sadness.

Using the music from The Leftovers in this video was a perfect choice too, because Obi-Wan is a leftover of a better time. He is the living remnant of his mistakes and what the world once was.

The prequels did a lot wrong, but Obi-Wan’s story is one thing they got very right.

What did you think of the video? Tell us in the comments below.

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Image: Lucasfilm