Warning: Spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 4.

The Obi-Wan Kenobi show includes numerous scenes with Imperial stormtroopers, but one particular moment makes their helmet visibility seem worse than ever before. Imperial stormtroopers are meant to be elite soldiers within the Imperial Army (and they were part of their own separate military branch in the Legends continuity), but their notoriously poor marksmanship, seemingly useless armor, and low visibility within their helmets have made them the subject of mockery from viewers and even within the Star Wars universe. Obi-Wan Kenobi seemingly exacerbates this issue, but there may be an in-universe explanation for it.

In many Star Wars stories in both continuities, stormtroopers are fearsome and highly competent special forces soldiers who carry out their sinister orders unquestioningly. Not only do stormtroopers handily defeat the well-trained and well-equipped Rebel Troopers on Scarif and aboard the Tantive IV, but they also ruthlessly murder Luke Skywalker’s adoptive parents, Owen and Beru Lars. In most current depictions, however, stormtroopers are incompetent, bumbling, fools, comparable to Separatist Battle Droids.

Related: Obi-Wan Can Retcon A Hilarious Star Wars Stormtrooper Precision Line

Stormtrooper helmets are particularly singled out in many Star Wars stories, with dialogue from Luke in the first movie (an accidental ad-lib from Mark Hamill) and complaints from veteran clone officer Captain Rex in Star Wars Rebels noting that they obstruct their vision. This is taken further in Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 4 where Obi-Wan jumps into a hiding spot within a Fortress Inquisitorius hallway, having clearly been in the line of sight of two stormtroopers. The simplest and most likely explanation for this moment is that stormtrooper helmets are truly a significant hindrance to their wearers, but Kenobi might have subtly used the Force to conceal himself or distract the troopers as he moved into his hiding place.

Stormtroopers in Obi Wan Kenobi

There are in-universe explanations for the seeming incompetence of Imperial stormtroopers. Their armor, while inferior to both phases of clone trooper armor, provides excellent protection, but the Rebellion’s forces exclusively use illegal armor-piercing blasters. From a meta-perspective, the stormtroopers’ inability to blast characters like Leia or Han Solo, even at close range, is plot armor — though some viewers hypothesize that the stormtroopers missed their shots on purpose. These explanations allow the stormtroopers to be as competent or bumbling as the story or scene needs them to be, for better or worse.

A similar in-universe explanation could be applied to the Obi-Wan Kenobi series if one assumes that Obi-Wan is subtly and overtly using the Force to mask his presence as he sneaks through Fortress Inquisitorius, just as he does aboard the Death Star in Star Wars. Obi-Wan is already shown using the Force to create audio distractions in both productions, so he may be using a more subtle Force ability in Fortress Inquisitorius, allowing him to sneak through hallways — at times in plain sight of Imperials — without detection. Stormtroopers helmets’ poor visibility is noted in both Star Wars continuities, and while the Obi-Wan Kenobi show seems to take this problem to a ridiculous new level, the titular Jedi might be the reason for it.

Next: What Clone Troopers Actually See When Wearing Their Helmets

New episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi release Wednesdays on Disney+.

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