Star Wars: Obi-Wan & Anakin is a 2016 Marvel Comics Star Wars mini-series written by Charles Soule and art from Marco Checchetto and Andres Mossa. It is set between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones and deals with the early years of Anakin's training in the Jedi Order.
Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and his young Padawan Anakin Skywalker travel to the distant world of Carnelion IV to answer a distress signal appealing for help from the Jedi. Reaching the planet the two Jedi are forced to crash land on the surface. Soon after they find themselves pulled into an ongoing war when they rescue two women from the wreck of an airship. Unfortunately for them, the rescued locals not only prove suspicious, but they have never even heard of the Jedi...
Tropes featured in this comic include:
- Absolute Xenophobe: The Open want to kill all Closed. The Closed want to kill all Open. Sera wants to kill everyone and let their children sort out the mess.
- Action Girl: Pran is a heavily armed woman who doesn't hesitate to reach for a gun or knife when faced by someone threatening (her companion Kolara is much more timid.)
- After the End: Carnelion IV was all but destroyed by a global war generations before Obi-Wan and Anakin arrive. The wrecks of starships litter both orbital space and the ground and Obi-Wan is astonished to encounter any survivors at all.
- Armor-Piercing Question: When Grecker tries to insist the Open were the ones to start the war and destroy the planet, Obi-Wan asks him if it matters.
- Ask a Stupid Question...: Played for Drama. Anakin points out that Qui-Gon's asking him if he wanted to be a Jedi was this. He was a slave living in a desert being offered to be taught magic by a man armed with a sword made of light. There wasn't much of a choice to make there, which is causing his current discontent, as he's been seemingly locked in to the Jedi Order for life.
- Badass Boast: Anakin gives one for Obi-Wan.Mother Pran: He'll be slaughtered.
Anakin: I doubt it. That is my master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. There is no one better. - Berserk Button: A pair of Padawans calling Anakin a slave to his emotions provokes him into hovering their lightsabers above their heads, asking what emotion they are currently feeling.
- Big Damn Heroes: Obi-Wan resolves the conflict by calling in a Republic fleet to force the Open and Closed to stop fighting, banking on a forced peace growing into a real one.
- Call-Forward: Senator Colandrus
is a Tarsunt, an alien species officially introduced in The Force Awakens. - Dramatic Irony: Anakin asks why can't the Jedi arrest Senator Colandrus despite all the evidence of corruption right in front of them, though Palpatine says he can't order the Jedi to do so since that would be turning the Republic into a dictatorship. Anyone familiar with Palpatine's scheme knows he has very good reason to do that since the Jedi will try to kill him to seize power and ruin his hard work. Plus, the Jedi don't have to arrest corrupt Senators. The Clones do that right after the day the Empire was founded, arresting 63 senators who previously signed the Petition of 2,000 in a misguided attempt to stop Palpatine's growing popularity with the people.
- Enemy Mine: Pran and Grecker both agree to work with each other and the Jedi to reach safety. Both Obi-Wan and Anakin are suspicious of this since they had been at each others throats until Obi-Wan mentioned that the Jedi had been called to the planet by a mysterious distress signal. They knew that the signal had to be coming from Sera, whom both Open and Closed wanted dead.
- Flashback: While the main plot is taking place in the 'present' on Carnelion IV a secondary storyline deals with Anakin recalling his earliest meetings with Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and the interest and advice the Chancellor has given him.
- Fling a Light into the Future: What Sera does with her kites, the intent being to inspire the youths of the world to stop fighting to regain everything they've lost.
- Foregone Conclusion: Obviously, Obi-Wan and Anakin will survive their mission and Anakin won't actually leave the Jedi Order.
- Foreshadowing: Obi-Wan mentions that Carnelion IV isn't part of the Republic, as there's nothing there the Senate would want. He claims the atmosphere contains a high amount of Tibana gas, a valuable resource, to call in a Republic fleet to stabilize the planet.
- Gadgeteer Genius: Anakin, as usual. Being on a world of scavengers makes this a very valuable skill, valuable enough to kidnap him.
- Guns Akimbo: Pran wields two lethal looking 'bangers' (shotgun like projectile weapons.)
- Jedi Mind Trick: In #2 Obi-Wan uses one on the suspicious Pran to get her to lower her weapons. It works and she starts to obey but the group is interrupted by an attack from the Closed airship.
- Manipulative Bastard: Palpatine, true to form. His scheme in the comic is to coax Anakin away from the Jedi and make him more comfortable with bending the rules to achieve results by pointing out the flaws in the Republic's system and using his compassion to tempt him into underhanded behavior. It would have worked, had not Obi-Wan shown Anakin what being a Jedi truly means. Of course, it also works out in Palpatine's favor, since Anakin will eventually struggle with the Jedi's teachings and look to him for advice.
- Martial Pacifist: According to Obi-Wan, "Jedi, whenever possible, they spare everyone." He then goes out to fight a small army of Closed.
- Mirroring Factions: The differences between the Open and the Closed are superficial at best. Sera views them both as mindless killers who won't stop until the other side is wiped out, but her plan to resolve the situation is to call down a "Jedi" to just kill people until everyone who wants to keep fighting is dead.
- Mythology Gag: The record Sera has depicts a Jedi wielding a red lightsaber, with Obi-Wan drawing the obvious conclusion. Prior to Attack of the Clones (which established that Jedi lightsabers are exclusively blue and green), Jedi lightsabers were presented in the Legends comics as being all colors, including red.
- Schizo Tech: The natives of Carnelion IV formerly had an advanced technological civilization with space travel. Now they are reduced to fighting with airships, slugthrowers and knives.
- Teens Are Monsters: The padawan pair that mock Anakin behind his back, calling "just a slave [to his emotions]." Though Anakin's response to this affront doesn't exactly make him much better and serves as one of earliest indicators of what he'll eventually become...
- 10-Minute Retirement: Anakin proposes this, leaving the Jedi Order to start being more proactive about doing good and returning eventually to complete his training. Though reluctant, Obi-Wan is willing to let him go but first Yoda insists they complete one last mission on Carnelion IV first.
- True Companions: Obi-Wan and Anakin. To the point that when Anakin wants to leave the Jedi Order, Obi-Wan tries to dissuade him but quickly comes to accept his decision even though his oath to Qui-Gon means he will also have to leave to keep training Anakin.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Discussed. Obi-Wan describes his and Anakin's relationship as this. They bicker and argue, but no more than is natural for a master and student.
- Wham Line: "Why... red I believe. Does it matter?"
