OneObi-Wan Kenobiline about the Sith inStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sithhas always been confusing to me, but I now understand that Obi-Wan was entirely right. Many ofObi-Wan’s most memorable quotes inStar Warsremain among the most popular in the franchise, from sillier lines like,“You want to go home and rethink your life"to the quip that eventually became his tagline,“Hello there.“In fact, Obi-Wan is arguably one of the most quotableStar Warscharacters, particularly given his range from hilarious to profound.
Yet, Obi-Wan’s lines have also consistently been called out for being a bit odd or making no sense. This is especially true in the prequel trilogy (which also faced plenty of backlash for its dialogue in general), including inRevenge of the Sith, in which Obi-Wan made several puzzling declarative statements.One such line regarding the Sith inRevenge of the Sithwas especially perplexing, but I now understand that it actually makes so much sense.
Obi-Wan Said Sith Lords Were Their Specialty, But That Made No Sense
InRevenge of the Sith, Palpatine warned Obi-Wan that he and Anakin were no match for Count Dooku because Dooku was a Sith Lord. In response,Obi-Wan said,“Chancellor Palpatine, Sith Lords are our specialty,“which has never made any sense. For one, the Jedi had believed the Sith were extinct for a millennium, so the idea that they could be any Jedi’s specialty was a bit of a stretch, even if Anakin and Obi-Wan were two ofStar Wars’most powerful Jedi. With one massive retcon inStar Wars: The Clone Wars, though, this became even more confusing.
The Jedi had believed the Sith were extinct for a millennium, so the idea that they could be any Jedi’s specialty was a bit of a stretch.
Specifically,withThe Clone Warsrevealing that Darth Maul had survived afterStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, this meant that Obi-Wan hadn’t killed a Sith Lord after all. In fact, not only did he not kill Maul, but he, Anakin, and even Yoda failed to kill Dooku inStar Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. Sure, Obi-Wan had a number of lines that made very little sense (“Only a Sith deals in absolutes"is another highly-criticized Obi-Wan line inRevenge of the Sith, for example), but this was a particularly perplexing one.
It Turns Out This Jedi Lineage Really Does Specialize In Sith
This One Lineage Of Jedi Faces Off Against Sith (And Survives) So Much More Than Any Other Jedi
Although the idea that Sith Lords were his and Anakin’s specialty was a bold statement (in typical Obi-Wan fashion), in retrospect,Obi-Wan really wasn’t wrong; his Jedi lineage specializes in fighting Sith in a way that no other Jedi lineage of this era did. Darth Maul didn’t die inThe Phantom Menace, but Obi-Wan faced off against a Sith Lord when he was a very young Jedi, and he lived to tell the tale. The same was true of Obi-Wan and Anakin during their battle with Count Dooku inAttack of the Clones.
Even Anakin’s Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, went toe-to-toe with Darth Maul and survived inThe Clone Wars. In fact, this incredible legacy persists even with the younger generations, as Luke Skywalker battled Darth Vader multiple times, and he also faced Vader and Palpatine together and still survived. Rey likewise fought Palpatine inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and she came out victorious. Given how rare the Sith have been inStar Warsmovies and TV shows, this is a staggering record that truly sets this Jedi lineage apart.
This Truly Is Star Wars' Most Incredible Lineage
This Line Of Jedi Is Unmatched, At Least In This Era Of Star Wars
Anakin Skywalker’s status asthe Chosen Onemade him exceptional, butthis entire Jedi lineage is unlike any other inStar Wars. Not only did this line face off against more Sith than any other Jedi of this era and live, but they also consistently saved the entire galaxy. This in part has to do with the immense power ofthe Skywalker family tree, but given Obi-Wan was the first to survive a lightsaber duel with a Sith in this line and Ahsoka also held her own against Maul, it’s clearly more than just that.
Of course, there’s a whole era many, many years before the prequel trilogy during which the Sith ran rampant, and there were likely countless Jedi who battled the Sith then. At this point inStar Wars, though, this Jedi lineage was in a league of its own, and they continue to be some of the only Jedi to fight Sith Lords and survive (though others, like Ezra Bridger, do exist). In that sense,Obi-Wan Kenobi’sconfusing line about specializing in fighting Sith really does make sense.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Cast
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith details the fall of the Jedi Order and Anakin Skywalker’s transformation under the influence of Darth Sidious. Released in 2005, the film explores Anakin’s internal conflict and the shifting political landscape, leading to the rise of the Galactic Empire.
