Despite acting as if he did not know the astromech droid, one theory holds that Obi-Wan Kenobi recognized R2-D2 in Star Wars: A New Hope. During Obi-Wan’s first meeting with Luke Skywalker in A New Hope, Luke explained that he was trying to return R2-D2 to his owner, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Since Obi-Wan had been in hiding, going by the name Ben Kenobi, he admitted that he was actually Obi-Wan. However, he denied owning R2-D2, acting as if he was not familiar with the droid.

When the first Star Wars movie premiered, none of the years of history and lore between Obi-Wan and R2-D2 was known, so this reaction made sense. However, the Star Wars prequel trilogy and the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars changed this. Throughout these stories, Obi-Wan frequently fought alongside R2-D2. Starting with Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan and R2-D2 helped free Naboo from the Trade Federation’s invasion. Later, both served in the Clone Wars with R2-D2 assigned to Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. Since Obi-Wan and Anakin often fought together, Obi-Wan was friends with R2-D2 as well. This means that although R2-D2 might not have immediately recognized Obi-Wan on Tatooine due to his age, Obi-Wan should have recognized the droid.

Related: Star Wars Confirms Yoda Recognized R2-D2 On Dagobah

This connection between Obi-Wan and R2-D2 created a plot hole that has puzzled viewers for years. However, one theory argues that Obi-Wan did recognize R2-D2, but he chose to pretend not to in order to avoid telling Luke the full truth. This would explain certain signs of familiarity between the Jedi and the droid and fit Obi-Wan’s pattern of subtly lying to Luke.

Obi-Wan R2-D2 Star Wars

According to one article (via Looper), Obi-Wan recognized R2-D2 but simply decided not to tell Luke. When Luke asked Obi-Wan about his father, Obi-Wan stated that Darth Vader killed Anakin, which later turned out to be a symbolic description for Anakin becoming Darth Vader. Similarly, Obi-Wan’s manner toward R2-D2 was another example of him “talking around the truth.” When Obi-Wan claimed that he didn't remember owning a droid, he was not lying. R2-D2 was always assigned to Anakin, not Obi-Wan. If Obi-Wan did recognize R2-D2 but did not want Luke to know, this would explain why Obi-Wan called R2-D2 his “little friend” while Luke was still unconscious. In addition, Obi-Wan remembering R2-D2 would explain how he knew the precise way to make R2-D2 play Princess Leia’s video again.

When Obi-Wan met with Luke in Star Wars: A New Hope, he could have told Luke about his relationship with both Darth Vader and Leia. However, Obi-Wan decided to keep both of these connections secret, believing Luke would be safer if he did not know about them. Most likely, this was Obi-Wan’s motivation for not disclosing the truth about R2-D2 as well. If Obi-Wan had admitted that he knew R2-D2 and that R2-D2 had belonged to Anakin, Luke may have started asking both of them more questions about his father. To prevent Luke from finding out the full truth before he was ready, Obi-Wan decided to tell more half-truths and pretend he had not known R2-D2 for years. While Obi-Wan’s interactions with R2-D2 seemed to create a plot hole in Star Wars: A New Hope, Obi-Wan choosing not to reveal his past relationship with R2-D2 fit his pattern of behavior and explained his familiarity with the droid.

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