on the wookiepedia page for obi wan Kenobis hut (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Ben_Kenobi's_hut) the very first picture shows the house has a smoking chimney. when you scroll down to the picture of the interior the stove is a wood burning stove. Why does obi wan have a wood burning stove on Tatooine?
I'm not even sure the stove is cooking or burning during the inside scenes (another reason I prefer the original, theatrical version). However, I side with the cooking stove theory, because of this scene from the very first draft for Revenge of the Jedi from June 1981, suggesting that Luke had sent Artoo and Threepio to get some parts from Obi-Wan Kenobi's hut: 13. INT. TATOOINE INN Luke snaps awake from a sound sleep, his head still ringing with Vader’s words. It takes a moment for him to focus on his surroundings. He is in a small rundown, tavern. Two vile, little dirty Jawas; ATETU and TWEETU, stare at him from across the room. They shake their cloak-covered heads and go back to cooking an odorous stew. The howling wind outside blows the door open with a loud crash. Luke reaches for his pistol, the Jawas hide. Out of the dust cloud emerge two familiar shapes, SEE THREEPIO and ARTOO DETOO. Luke relaxes as the angry Jawas come out of hiding, scolding the robots for not closing the door. Atetu waddles to the door and strains against the wind to close it. THREEPIO Master Luke, I beg you not to send us out in weather like that again…it’s unbearable out there. Artoo whistles his agreement. LUKE Were you able to get everything I asked for? THREEPIO An impossible task, but yes we have all of it….Artoo? Artoo beeps and one of his tiny arms pokes out of its hatch carrying a small box. The door to the hovel bangs open again giving everyone a start, including R-2 who drops the box of parts. There is another preproduction sketch with only the Jawas and the stove, where the stove resembles the one in Obi-wan's hut to such an extent that for years I believed it was from an abandoned scene that would have taken place inside Kenobi's hut.
Like most have stated, he had it to cook. It probably got hot as Hell in there, but I've tried the raw diet... and I think Obi/Ben was suffering enough during his hermit years. However, there did used to be a novel in the EU that reveals that Luke actually found his green lightsaber crystal in that stove, and then proceeded to use the stove to aid in constructing his lightsaber. As to why the crystal would be in the stove, I guess as a hiding spot incase anyone ever searched the place and knew the value of it. There was always a theory that the crystal was from Qui Gon's saber.
For what it's worth, the smoking chimney was first seen in the ANH: SE (1997). Also IIRC, the hut was modified/improved for the SE as well. In the original 1977 version of ANH, the hut looked different - and, there was no smoking chimney.
I'm interested in comparison pictures of the two huts from the original release and the SE. Are any available?
hey, the man might like his drink...but the guys gotta eat. Mos Eisley hasn't gotten a good track record of serving hygienic cuisine.
That's not a stove. It's his moonshine still. Sexless old hermit with no Netflix has to do something to pass the time. Does anyone seriously believe this is the walk of a sober man:
yeah i don't know how obi-wan can get water without his own moisture vaporator. good job, special edition!
I prefer the SE version too, besides the vaporator, the location is more secluded which makes sense for a hermit.