Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Aging Explained – Polygon

Since Obi Wan KenobiDisney Plus’ new Star Wars series, set between the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy, arrived in June, a question was asked ad nauseam on Twitter: Why does Obi-Wan see so much compared to the original trilogy older to the difference between the prequels and the new show?

The time span in the Universe between these periods is pretty much the same: about 10 years in between Vengeance of the Sith and Obi Wan Kenobiand about nine years in between Obi Wan Kenobi and A new hope. But the difference between the original Obi-Wan trilogy and the new Obi-Wan is stark, as many, many, many people are happily pointing out on social media.

Here at Polygon, we’re happy to answer the important questions. We’ve consulted the data with our world-class team of aging scientists and we have the answers you’re looking for.

Why is Obi-Wan Kenobi aging like this?

Because he is not real and is a fictional character played by different people.

Image: Fox of the 20th century

Credit: Lucasfilm/Disney

Obi-Wan Kenobi is played by Alec Guinness in the original trilogy. Guinness was 62 when he filmed A new hopeand he died in 2000. In the prequel trilogy and the Obi Wan Kenobi The character is played by Ewan McGregor, who was 26 when the series was filmed The Phantom Menace and is currently 51. These are two different people! Unbelievable!

Wait, so Obi-Wan Kenobi isn’t a real person?

Yes, Obi-Wan Kenobi is fictional and is portrayed by multiple actors who have each aged normally over the course of their appearances in these films and shows. Ah, cinema.