'Star Wars: Brotherhood' Reveals Origin of ‘Ben Kenobi’ Name
“Well I don’t know anyone named Obi-Wan, but Old Ben lives out beyond the Dune Sea. He’s kind of a strange old hermit.” - Luke Skywalker
As expressed by Luke Skywalker in A New Hope, “Ben Kenobi” was a character initially shrouded in mystery. Introduced as a wistful old man with a peculiar vernacular and carefree attitude, we quickly discover that he is in fact Obi-Wan Kenobi, the former Jedi Knight whom Princess Leia has reached out to for help. We then learn that he was an old friend of Luke’s father and had fought alongside him in the Clone Wars until Darth Vader betrayed and murdered him along with the rest of the Jedi. Since that initial introduction, we have become so intimately familiar with Obi-Wan and his life that it is hard not to see him as family in a way. From The Phantom Menace to the recently finished Obi-Wan Kenobi series, Star Wars has seemingly explored every major aspect of Obi-Wan’s character. But there has always been one specific detail that the franchise has left unexplored. Where did he get the name “Ben” from?
Despite us first being introduced to Obi-Wan as “Ben Kenobi,” to this day the name “Ben” has never been given an official explanation in any on-screen media. Now, this is not to say the name has not been referenced in anything outside of A New Hope. In the aforementioned Obi-Wan Kenobi series, Owen Lars and Leia Organa (until she learns his true name) called him “Ben.” Later on, in the saga’s timeline in The Force Awakens, we discover that “Ben” is Kylo Ren’s given name, most likely due to Obi-Wan helping his mother as a child. Obi-Wan also noticeably calls himself “Ben” while undercover as the bounty hunter Rako Hardeen in an arc from Season 4 of The Clone Wars. Yet despite these and other references to Obi-Wan’s use of the name “Ben,” we did not get an official canon explanation for the origin of “Ben Kenobi” until this very year.
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Star Wars: Brotherhood is a canon novel by acclaimed science fiction writer Mike Chen. Brotherhood is set shortly after Attack of the Clones and follows Obi-Wan and the newly-knighted Anakin Skywalker as they investigate the bombing of a city on Cato Neimoidia. In the story, Obi-Wan seeks aid from his old friend Dexter Jettster, who informs him of Neimoidian culture and speaks with him about the current political situation surrounding the outbreak of the Clone War. During their first conversation, Dex explains to Obi-Wan why corporations like the Trade Federation have chosen to remain neutral in the conflict. Staying on the subject of neutrality, Dex references the neutrality of Mandalore as established by Duchess Satine Kryze, who Dex refers to as Obi-Wan’s “old friend.” When Obi-Wan feigns ignorance about who Dex could be referring to, Dex clarifies: “Oh, I don’t know. Dresses better than you. Striking eyes. Mandalorian royalty. Used to call you Ben, for some reason.”
This solidifies that Satine, Obi-Wan’s love interest, is the one who gave him the nickname “Ben.” It makes sense considering he was already using the moniker by the time of The Clone Wars. The fact that the name comes from someone Obi-Wan cares about like Satine also explains why the name holds so much value to him and why he would use it while in exile on Tatooine. You could even say this explanation gives more weight to Ben Solo’s name since that name now technically comes from Satine and her love for Obi-Wan.
Personally, I would say this is the best possible explanation for the name “Ben.” It is likely Obi-Wan’s pet name that Satine used to express her affection for him. In a way, you could see his adoption of the name as not only a tribute to Satine, but as a way to make his stay on Tatooine just a little bit more bearable. This is because every time someone calls him “Ben Kenobi,” it likely reminded him of one of the people who could always brighten his day.
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