The following contains spoilers for Parts I and II of Obi-Wan Kenobi, now streaming on Disney+.
The galactic father of Star Wars, George Lucas, famously built his narrative structures off of Joseph Campbell's Power of Myth archetypes and Hero's Journey cycles. The original trilogy, the prequels and the subsequent sequels all follow the Hero's Journey storytelling cycle, starting with the call to adventure, the transformation and ending with the hero's return. Anakin was called to adventure when he was plucked from his home planet of Tatooine to begin a Jedi's life and underwent a transformation to the dark side before eventually returning to the good man that was Skywalker. His son, Luke, followed a similar journey, also receiving a call to adventure on Tatooine, transforming into a Jedi, and returning to the Rebellion a changed man.
Perhaps the most enduring and consistent hero of the saga, though, is Obi-Wan Kenobi. From the prequels through Obi-Wan's time spent as a Force ghost in the original trilogy, Kenobi lives out one of the fullest and most in-depth cycles of the Hero's Journey. Prior to the release of Obi-Wan Kenobi, though, the Jedi at the end of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope skips a few steps from the horrors of his revelation and transformation directly to a man returned, secure in his role and ready to level up to ultimate mastery. But now, in Obi-Wan Kenobi, those missing stages can finally be explored.
When Obi-Wan Kenobi picks up ten years post-Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan is deep in the atonement stage of the famed Hero's Journey following the events of Order 66, transforming him from the Jedi he once was. He's been stuck in this stage for about a decade and, if not for another exterior influence, he would likely continue to stay stuck. In the atonement stage of the Hero's Journey, Joseph Campbell further elaborates that it is an inner struggle with himself, atoning against the abyss of the father figure. Here, atonement requires the hero to abandon their attachment to ego itself -- cease being a slave to the past and their past selves.
The hero must find in themself once more faith in the mercy of the father figure and some greater power. In Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan has found himself cut off from his once-solid relationship with the Force. He's buried his and Anakin's lightsabers in the sand and disavowed himself of the ways of the Jedi. He also pleads to his own father figure, the spirit of his master Qui-Gon Jinn, to aid him through the Force, but he is met with silence. Because Obi-Wan is still struggling with the release of ego, of personal responsibility, and has not finished his atonement stage, he remains alone.
In the decade since Order 66, Obi-Wan has become all too comfortable in his atonement stage. Though haunted by recurring nightmares and memories of Anakin, he feels that a life of loneliness, hardship and exile is what he deserves and he has resigned himself to remain mired in a Hero's Journey only three quarters fulfilled. However, when young Leia Organa is kidnaped and Obi-Wan's old friend, Bail Organa, comes to beg him to be the Jedi he once was and go rescue Leia, Obi-Wan finally begins his journey out of the atonement stage and into the apotheosis phase of his cycle.
Apotheosis is the point of realization for the hero when greater understanding is achieved. In Obi-Wan's case, Bail finally gets through to him that more is at stake than just Obi-Wan's self-pity, and that Leia is every bit as important a part of the mission as Obi-Wan's excuse of watching over Luke. The first steps into apothesis are always momentous and require the final steps of sacrifice for atonement: sacrificing the ego and the self-first mindset in service of something greater. Newly armed with this understanding, acceptance and renewed perspective, the hero resolves to set out again on the more difficult stage of their ultimate adventure. In Obi-Wan's case, this means leaving the safety and anonymity of his Tatooine hovel and venturing out into a galaxy where he is the Empire's most-wanted fugitive.
In the remaining chapters of Obi-Wan Kenobi yet to air, the rest of his Hero's Journey will play out. The ongoing rescue mission and adventure he is on will complete his apotheosis stage. As seen in Parts I and II, this truly is Obi-Wan's most difficult journey. For the first time, he's acting on a mission utterly alone. His name and face are plastered everywhere and the entirety of an evil galactic organization is dedicating their resources to capturing him. Though the Clone Wars and other missions as a padawan certainly put Obi-Wan in danger, he was never fully alone in the universe. He always had either his master, Qui-Gon, his padawan, Anakin, or the entire Jedi Order in his corner. Now, he has no recourse, no help and no safety. His apotheosis stage is his biggest and ultimate test before he can cross back over the threshold from the unknown into the known once more.
It is also in this stage that the Third Sister explains another revelation to Obi-Wan: that Anakin didn't just fall to the dark side and die, he's lived and is now the galaxy's second-greatest villain. This completes Obi-Wan's task of achieving greater knowledge, though at a high emotional cost, and signifies the end of his atonement as he delves into a deeper layer of his quest. After Leia's eventual rescue that will come at the end of the series, Obi-Wan must deal with the psychological trauma of realizing and accepting who Anakin has become. By doing this, he can release himself from the shackles of guilt and accept the ultimate boon of relief. This will also likely coincide with another ultimate boon: the ability to finally communicate with Qui-Gon's ghost through the Force.
When Obi-Wan's story picks up again in A New Hope, he seamlessly enters the final stages of his Hero's Journey. His second call to adventure to rescue Leia again brings him back into the unknown a final time, which reinvigorates his character into whom he truly is, paving the way for the final stage that he will later play out: the return and, as one with the Force again, the eventual Master of Two Worlds. This also allows him to pass the torch at the start of the original trilogy by becoming the supernatural aid and mentor figure that will be the catalyst for the call to adventure for the next Hero's Journey: that of Luke Skywalker.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Parts I and II are streaming now on Disney+.
