Shadows of the Future is a Star Wars fanfic featuring the common storyline of Obi-Wan being sent back at his point of death to a point in the prequel series. In this case, he is killed earlier than in-canon on Mustafar rather than on the Death Star. From there, his consciousness is transported back to a few minutes after his master Qui-Gon Jinn returns from the surface of Tatooine with a little boy named Anakin...
It can be read here
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Shadows Of the Future features the following tropes:
- Alternate Universe: Anakin manages to win during the duel on Mustafar, killing Obi-Wan. However, that sends him back to a point immediately after he and Qui-Gon pick up Anakin.
- Ambiguous Ending: While there is no doubt that everyone involved is going to be in a better place, there are still some questions as to how the new universe plays out. Notably, the fic does not answer the question as to whether or not Anakin is going to be trained as a Jedi, with Obi-Wan's final vision ambiguous enough as to be possible regardless of whether they stay in the temple.
- Armor-Piercing Question: With his advance knowledge, Obi-Wan drops a few subtle but significant rhetorical questions to Anakin in the hope of stopping him being drawn to the Dark Side before it's too late. For example, when Anakin comments that it might be better if the Senate just had one figure with absolute power, Obi-Wan asks him if he'd really want a society that relied on just one man telling everyone what to do as it essentially amounts to a new form of slavery.
- Brick Joke: One thing that tips Qui-Gon off to the fact that there is something wrong with Obi-Wan is the fact that he doesn't snore anymore, despite being one of the worst snorers Qui-Gon has ever come across. A few chapters later, once the story is told from Obi-Wan's point of view, the audience learns that Qui-Gon is one of the worst snorers Obi-Wan has ever come across. The joke gets even better when Obi-Wan's point of view reveals that he didn't actually snore at all, just manipulated himself into doing so to get even with Qui-Gon.
- Cheerful Child: Anakin, who is even more adorable and enthusiastic in this than he is in the film. Much of it has to do with the warmer reception he receives from Obi-Wan, which makes it easier for him to be separated from his mother.
- Cuddle Bug: Anakin again. He spends a lot of time hugging/sleeping cuddled up next to/being carried around by Obi-Wan in particular.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Obi-Wan absolutely wipes the floor with Darth Maul.
- Everybody Lives: Though the beginning starts with Obi-Wan's death on Mustafar, this kicks in after Obi-Wan is sent back, with no one else dying for the duration of the fic. It's also heavily implied that in the new timeline, Shmi Skywalker won't die on Tatooine, while Padmé will not die in childbirth.
- Future Me Scares Me: Anakin eventually finds out what he will become and is so horrified, he asks why Obi-Wan doesn't just kill him.
- Mental Time Travel: What causes the AU to kick in.
- In Spite of a Nail: In one of Obi-Wan's visions, Anakin and Padmé still get together and have twins, who are still named Luke and Leia.
- The fic still ends with Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon duelling a powerful Sith, just as their original adventure did. Which Sith, however, has changed.
- Peggy Sue: Of the mental time travel variant. Obi-Wan Kenobi as he is in the middle of The Phantom Menace suddenly gains all of the experience and memories he had when he went to confront Anakin on Mustafar.
- Power Trio: Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon and Anakin serve as one in the fic, which focuses on the three almost exclusively. Especially pronounced during the final battle.
- Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Anakin, Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan respectively.
- Precrime Arrest: Discussed in principle once Obi-Wan shares his full knowledge of the future with the Jedi Council; one apparently recent appointee protests that they can't train Anakin because of the risk of him "becoming that monster all over again", although another points out that it would be unfair to judge Anakin on anything beyond what they saw in his interview, and Obi-Wan affirms that he already feels that this Anakin is better-adjusted than the Anakin of his original timeline.
- Raise Him Right This Time: Obi-Wan is determined to have this happen with Anakin. Based on his early successes, it's almost inevitable that this will happen.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: A few of these, in minor or more significant ways;
- When Obi-Wan has to return some books to the Jedi library late, the librarian assures him that no fines will be incurred as they understand why he couldn't return them earlier.
- Once Obi-Wan shares his full knowledge of the future with the Jedi Council, various members accept that they should judge Anakin based on who he is at present rather than automatically condemn him for Vader's crimes in the original future.
- Set Right What Once Went Wrong: Obi-Wan is sent back to do just that. He succeeds spectacularly.
- Spotting the Thread:
- Obi-Wan initially assumes that his appearance in the past is an elaborate psychological game being played by Vader, but abandons that idea when he realises that his old lightsaber (which he lost in his first duel with Maul) retains a slight imbalance in its design that he was never able to correct, as there's no record of that flaw and therefore no way anyone could have duplicated it.
- When Anakin learns about Obi-Wan's time-travel and hears reference to Obi-Wan taking an apprentice, he recalls how Obi-Wan occasionally slipped and called him "Padawan" and realises that he was the future apprentice.
- Took a Level in Badass: Twenty-five-year-old Obi-Wan, who goes from a decent senior padawan with great potential to someone with the skills and experiences of a Jedi Master after gaining his consciousness. As a result, Maul goes down very quickly when they duel, and he even manages to go toe-to-toe with Palpatine.
- Underestimating Badassery: While Palpatine senses Obi-Wan's new power, he still assumes that a "mere" Jedi apprentice will be no match for two Sith. Obi-Wan attributes this to part of the reason he defeated Palpatine in the final duel, as well as other such advantages as this Palpatine lacking the experience he had in Obi-Wan's time.
- Wise Beyond Their Years: Obi-Wan, despite being just twenty-five, has the wisdom, experience, and maturity level of a Jedi Master rather than a senior padawan thanks to his mental time travel.
- Worf Had the Flu: Obi-Wan admit that he basically suffered a self-inflicted version of this when he lost his duel with Anakin on Mustafar, acknowledging that he didn’t actually want to fight Anakin so wasn’t putting his full focus into the confrontation. By contrast, when he confronts Palpatine (Palpatine expecting him to be an apprentice on the verge of being knighted rather than a Jedi Master with years of experience fighting a war), Obi-Wan does a far better job, ending with him forcing Palpatine to surrender by performing a move that only didn’t cut Palpatine’s head off because Obi-Wan stopped at the last moment.
- Wouldn't Hurt a Child: Upon accepting he's in the past, Obi-Wan initially contemplates the idea of killing Anakin now to stop his fall in the future, but swiftly rejects that idea, affirming that he could no more kill Anakin than he could cut off his own foot even before he was sent back in time.
