Star Wars' Obi-Wan Kenobi death was originally supposed to be far more gruesome

According to a novelisation, Obi-Wan Kenobi’s death in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope should have been more gruesome.

No doubt, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope is one of the most beloved and iconic movies of all time packed with memorable moments, such as the 'who shot first' between Han Solo and Greedo in the Mos Eisley Cantina on Tatooine, the destruction of the Death Star, and the injustice of Chewie not being given an equally deserving medal only awarded to Luke Skywalker and Han Solo for saving the galaxy.

ICYMI: We recently sat down with The Acolyte's Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, and Rebecca Henderson.

We also had the fatal encounter between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi which led to Obi-Wan's sudden demise. At this time, we knew very little about these two character's connection, with Obi-Wan's death feeling a little underwhelming.

One could argue that Obi-Wan Kenobi intended to die at that moment, but let’s be honest, it could have at least been a little more dramatic. Instead, what we got played out like one of those social media videos where dog parents pretend to disappear behind a blanket.

Compare this to the deaths of Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace and Count Dooku in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, both of which lost some very important body parts in their demise. I know, special effects and budgets must have been a factor in A New Hope but surely something better than a robe being dropped on the floor could have been done, right?

Well, as reported by Looper, according to the novelisation of A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi was supposed to have died far more gruesomely. The section describing the encounter between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi reads that the man once known as Anakin Skywalker “lunged forward, feinting, and then slashing in a deadly downward arc with the saber. It struck home, cutting Kenobi cleanly in half.”

So by the sounds of it, Obi-Wan Kenobi would have had a death equally as gruesome as Darth Maul, which could have no doubt bumped that PG age rating of A New Hope. Regardless, I am a little surprised that George Lucas never attempted to re-edit this scene in the many remasters released for this movie over the years.

The most recent Star Wars live-action product is The Acolyte now available to stream on Disney Plus as is the entire movie saga.