There's not a shred of evidence in the film to indicate that Obi-Wan knew Leia was present, but does that necessarily mean that he didn't? His dialogue and demeanor seem to indicate he has sensed Vader to be present, which is partly why he doesn't allow Luke to accompany him. He also mentions that Luke's path lies on a different one from his, and with what seems a foreshadowing of his own death, he parts ways. Luke then learns that Leia is there, and he chooses to rescue her. Having been in her presence before, I believe it's possible that Obi-Wan may have sensed Leia on the Death Star. And knowing that he couldn't deactivate the tractor beam, rescue Leia, and confront Vader, he leaves Luke to discover it on his own and figure out what the right thing to do is. Or, Obi-Wan is simply oblivious to Leia's presence and her rescue should be taken literally. Not taking into account plot elements that GL came up with as the trilogy (and the prequels) progressed, is it possible that in light of the entire saga, Obi-Wan knew Leia was aboard the Death Star, and intentionally left Luke so that he could rescue the galaxy's other last hope?
I feel that it's quite likely. Doesn't he know from the hologram message that she's run into Imperial trouble? edit: she says "my ship has fallen under attack", not "under Imperial attack", but I think Obi-Wan's smart and intuitive enough to figure it out from the circumstances. And it seems like Vader, as Palpatine's enforcer, has a special interest in suspected rebels, especially one as high-profile as an Imperial Senator. So having sensed Vader on board, he can probably figure out that Leia is being kept nearby.
You mean in the sense that Leia's capture was a reason for it, so she was probably somewhere around the weapon responsible?
Yeah. Obiwan knew Leia had come under attack, knew she was from Alderaan. Alderaan gets destroyed by the DS. Could well be Leia is not far from all this action.
I doubt that very much - considering that he and Yoda tried very hard to convince Luke not to try to rescue "the galaxy's other last hope" in ESB. Putting aside any quibbling about the ongoing story development, I'd still say no. Luke actually says to Han that Obi-Wan didn't know she was on the Death Star ("But he didn't know she was here!"), and you'd think that if he did, he would have done something other than leave Luke, Han, Chewie & the droids to sit around while he deactivated the tractor beam. Suggesting that he knew, but wanted Luke to figure out such a thoroughly important life-and-death matter as some sort of Jedi training exercise, or a a step along his journey, would be really, really reaching. And downright irresponsible, for that matter. It's one thing for Jedi masters and wizards to follow their instincts with odd decisions regarding seemingly inconsequential or ambiguous characters like Anakin Skywalker, Jar-Jar Binks and Gollum, but Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan? Forget it. If Obi-Wan knew Leia was on the DS, he would have said so, and done something about it.
He probably knew she was in some sort of trouble, but he didn't know she was actually onboard the Death Star until R2 informed them while hacking into the Death Star's computer. Knowing that Luke would want to try and save her, he left to keep even bigger trouble (ie, Vader) away from him, Han and Chewie. EDIT: Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Obi-Wan say something to Luke that pretty much implies that he was Leia's last chance of getting out alive? Considering the fact that Luke probably felt horrible about basically abandoning Beru and Owen to die at the hands of the Empire, Obi-Wan knew Luke wasn't about to let yet another innocent die if he could help it.
Obi-wan only says that Luke is to make sure that the droids make it to the Rebel base. He says nothing about Leia, but he does say that Luke's destiny follows a different path from his. It is possible that he knew she was there, but wanted Luke and Han to handle that while he dealt with the tractor beam by himself.
I think he was more worried about Vader than anything. Vader's presence would have overshadowed that of Leia's.
It wouldn't surprise me if by joining the dots he had an idea she was there, but I doubt she was a major factor in his thinking when he left Luke to follow his own path.
Well he probably didn't have an idea whether she was on board or not but he had to turn off the tractor beam to secure Luke's safety as he knew how important he was. Maybe that's why he said his destiny follows a different path. He might have felt her presence but there's no indication that he did Sent from The Millennium Falcon
That's how I interpret it. Other than keeping Vader away from Luke, there's really no good reason why he should go off alone. I doubt we can take what Luke thinks about Obi-Wan's state of mind as conclusive evidence.
I don't think he knew. If we are to take the whole trilogy into account (or even the six film saga for that matter), then he knew Leia was "the other", and therefore he knew she was an invaluable "plan B" for defeating the Empire. Therefore, if he actually knew she was being held captive on the DS, then he would've done something about it (and not just hoped Luke and Han would 'figure it out' while he went off to deal with the tractor beam/Vader). I don't know, I think it's a stretch to assume he knew they would get it all done, without so much as a nudge from him.
Perhaps the nudge would've been when Obi-Wan tells Luke that Leia needs his help. Sure, it could've been a ruse to get Luke excited about going to Alderaan, but it also could've been literal (from a certain point of view ). Obi-Wan knew Leia was taken captive, and given the discovery of the Death Star (where he sensed Vader to be), I don't think it's a stretch to assume he knew she was there.
No, but it's a stretch to think that he would have then done nothing, trusting that it'd all work out, though. Unless, of course, he was happy to risk the possibility of Leia rotting in a detention cell for a few days with the occasional bit of torture, and then her life ending as if she'd been on Alderaan.
Luke going after Leia was risky, as it could have potentially put both of them in jeopardy. Perhaps Obi-Wan had hoped he wouldn't attempt a rescue, so he stayed quiet. Or, perhaps he forsaw Luke's success. Many hypotheticals, I admit. But the possibilities are there.
Also consider Vader did not sense Luke, nor did he notice that Leia was strong in the Force, even after noticing her resistance to the mind probe. You'd think Vader would at least do a blood test..
