Owen Lars is Obi-Wan Kenobi's brother?

I read somewhere a while back that there is no solid proof that this is true. However after reading "Star Wars: The essential guide to characters", it appears this is definatly true. I cannot find any other posts on this. Does anyone have any info on this subject?

 

I never heard that. I know that Owen Lars is Shmi Skywalker's step son. She married his father after Anakin was taken to become a Jedi.

 

In the 1983 ROTJ novel, Obi-Wan tells Luke, after Yoda's death, when he's telling him about how Anakin is more mechine now than man, that he took Leia to live on Alderaan and Luke to Tatooine "to live with my brother, Owen."

So, that was the canon for a good number of years. That's why the character guide has it. A few other EU books (the JA) also refer to Obi-Wan as Owen's brother. It was only the release of AotC that put this fact into question. Lucas, I guess, decided that they weren't.

 

Obi-wan's ghost tells Luke that in the ROTJ novelization, which shocked the heck out of me, because I read the book for the first time after Episode II came out.

 

Nice one pallas, that's sure cleared up a few queries. Maybe he only discovered this fact after becmoing a force goast or whatever as he didn't seem to give a damn when they were slaughtered by stormtroopers.

 

Maybe he only discovered this fact after becmoing a force goast or whatever as he didn't seem to give a damn when they were slaughtered by stormtroopers.

LOL. Totally. At first I was sort of miffed at the change, but, when you really think about it, OT Owen and Obi-Wan don't really act like brothers. Owen: "He's a creepy old wizard." Obi-Wan: "Well, they're dead now. Too bad. Come on, I'll teach you about the Force."

Makes much more sense for Owen to raise Luke because he's his step-mother's grandson and resent Obi-Wan for his part in Anakin's death/turn.

 

The Essential Guide to Characters bases that assessment on a single line from the RotJ novelization by James Kahn:

Ben continued his narrative. "When you father left, he didn't know your mother was pregnant. Your mother and I knew he would find out eventually, but we wanted to keep you both as safe as possible, for as long as possible. So I took you to live with my brother Owen on Tatooine...and your mother took Leia to live as the daughter of Senator Organa on Alderaan."

Quite frankly, AotC and RotS void just about every detail mentioned here. Anakin does know Padme is pregnant, he just doesn't know the children survived. Padme didn't take Leia anywhere, rather Bail Organa took Leia to Alderaan. And AotC establishes that Owen is Anakin's stepbrother and has no concievable relation to Obi-Wan. The New Essential Guide to Charcters includes a number of figures from the PT and the NJO and revises this information. Although I have read a few fics where Obi-Wan was the son of Cliegg Lars who was sent to the Jedi Temple as an infant, making Obi-Wan, Anakin and Owen all related. Intriguing idea, but the cannon doesn't really support that. Officially, everything in the novels is cannon (of a higher level than say TTT) except where it is contradicted by the movies.

~Lurker

 

I don't beleve it! I... flat don't! I mean well okey here it gose. In the JA books I thank book 3 Obi-Wan has flash back of his family and he dose have brother named Owen. But its not Owen Lars. Its a different Owen! Other wise why would his last name be Lars? ITS! NOT! HIM!

 

I have the real info on Owen Lars here it is



Owen Lars had toiled to make a life for himself on Tatooine since a young age. The son of Cliegg Lars, a moisture farmer, he greatly valued the traditions of discipline and hard work. As a young man, he had a strong vision of what he wanted to make of himself, and that vision was firmly rooted on Tatooine. His goals were clear and attainable through discipline. He would turn the Lars homestead into a productive farm, and live there with his love, Beru Whitesun.

Complicating this simple life was his nephew. At the behest of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Owen and Beru were made the wards of Luke Skywalker, the son of Owen's stepbrother, Anakin. Lingering resentment over the actions of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi would color Owen's opinions for years.

Owen attempted to raise his nephew as a normal youth, keeping him from the fact that his veins coursed with Jedi blood and that his "dead" hero father was not simply a freighter navigator. The farmer tried to pass on his values to Luke. Though he was a caring guardian, Owen's demeanor was gruff and strict, which often led to tension between him and his daydreaming nephew. It usually fell to Beru to iron out the differences between Owen and Luke. He could not rein in Luke's drive for adventure, though. Young Skywalker longed to leave Tatooine and join the Imperial Academy, to live life among the stars. Lars forbade it, reminding Luke that he was needed on the moisture farm. Each year, more of Luke's friends would leave the desert planet for brighter futures. Though Luke felt Owen was stagnating his growth, in truth, the old moisture farmer didn't want to see Luke fall victim to Anakin's fate.

Skywalker would eventually leave the farm, but under tragic circumstances. Imperials searching for missing droids razed the Lars homestead and killed Owen and Beru. With nothing left to keep him on Tatooine, Luke left the desert planet and began down the path of Jedi Knighthood.

He could not rein in Luke's drive for adventure, though. Young Skywalker longed to leave Tatooine and join the Imperial Academy, to live life among the stars. Lars forbade it, reminding Luke that he was needed on the moisture farm. Each year, more of Luke's friends would leave the desert planet for brighter futures. Though Luke felt Owen was stagnating his growth, in truth, the old moisture farmer didn't want to see Luke fall victim to Anakin's fate.

Skywalker would eventually leave the farm, but under tragic circumstances. Imperials searching for missing droids razed the Lars homestead and killed Owen and Beru. With nothing left to keep him on Tatooine, Luke left the desert planet and began down the path of Jedi Knighthood.

 

I liked it as Owen and Obi-Wan being brothers... but yeah, AOTC just blew that whole thing out of the water.

 

anybody ever thought about that was 'Ben's', Obi-Wan's, cover as a hermit on Tatoointe to stay hidden from Vader, and they just didn't tell Luke that he was 'related' to keep Luek from learnign the Force.

Just a thought...

 

Brant_Flir what are you talking about? Explain.

 

Sorry. Okay, before i explain it, i want to say that this is purley an idea that popped into my head when i read this thread.

Okay, Obi-Wan uses the name Ben as an alias on Tatooine as everybody knows. What if when he thought of this alias he made himself be Owen's borther. (okay, Vader hunts down all Jedi but doesn't kill Yoda and his former mentor? There should be a reason for that) So, his name is Ben and he pretends to be Owen's brother. When Luke grows older Owen doesn't tell Luke that Ben is his 'brother' so that he won't get to know the Jedi and won't train in the Force. As i said, purely an idea. I guess it leaves a few blanks spots and probobly won't work, but it jsut popped into my head when i read this thread.

sorry.

 

OK, I have heard that both is ture. And as dearly as I love the whole Star Wars universe as a whole, it is very obvious that Lucas has never really concerned himself with consistancy throughout the series.

You can find 101 inconsistancies between the movies and the books. It would take forever to reference them all here. But I see this question as one of the major ones even Lucas didn't totally have figured out when he first did the OT.

I have read in the Essential guide that Obi-Wan and Owen were brothers that apparently had a falling out over the whole Jedi thing and the training of Luke. And personally I am quite glad that this has been disproven to an adequate degree.

Yes, Jude Watson does mention that Obi has a brother named Owen. I truly believe she did this to help smooth over what the old sources say as compared to what Lucas was doing now. In that smidgen of a flashback, Obi also recalls the fact that his home had grass and he felt the grass between his toes. Now as you all know Tatooine does not have grass (just sand .) Thus ending the Owen Lars/brother question because Owen says in the movie that he has always lived on Tatooine.

Like I said before Lucas has not been totally concerned with what the EU says. So at this point I believe it's up to the fans to decide one way or another.

I do not think they are brothers. And I'm happy with JA for giving me grounds for that belief.

Just figured I add my thoughts to the debate. It was a concept I struggled with for a while too. So I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who wasn't keen on this concept. Thanks.

 

Personally, i stand by my opinion that I think they are brothers. Though the point about him pretending to be his brother for his safety is a strong possibilty. Just re-reading the extract from my book, there is next to nothing on how they became apart from eaach other. What is does say though is this:

"When Luke crashed his T-16 skyhopper in Beggers canyon, Ben tried to give Luke his fathers Lightsaber. But Owen ran Kenobi off the property, telling him never to return".

So I'm assuming that's why you never need to see them as brothers in the movies as this all happened between episodes 3 and 4. Therefore Lucas left this out of the plot because there was no need to show this, as you don't see Luke growing up. Also, during AOTC, Kenobi has no idea why Anakin is on tatooine, and does not realise that Anakin has met the Lars's. It is just a huge conincidence Kenobi and Anakin's family were (if briefly) combined.

 

It was Canon for quite a while, and in JA, Obi-Wan is trying to hold onto his memories and remembers a brother named Owen (which I, being dyslexic, read as Qwen.) But I think GL has disowned that little piece. But also, since Obi-wan refers to Anakin is "My brother", maybe he is using the same honorific for Anakin's step-brother.

Or maybe it's just confuzling as heck.