Obi-Wan Kenobi continues to pull on the heartstrings when it comes to the Jedi Master’s relationship with his former apprentice. Brought together by Qui-Gon and growing up as brothers-in-arms, their connection informs everything Darth Vader has become since his fall to the dark side. More is revealed about both Vader in “Part 5”, and we also learn more about Reva’s motivations as well as what her connection is to Kenobi. The Jabiim base features some very obscure Jedi names written on the walls, too. Legends fans will be delighted. Here are all the Star Wars references, easter eggs, and cameos we spotted in this episode..
Coruscant
The planet Coruscant, which appears throughout the flashback through a view port in the sparring room, was a central location during the Prequel Trilogy. It was the capital world of the Republic in those movies and now serves as the center of power for the Empire. This location is also one of the few Expanded Universe concepts to be brought whole cloth into the movies for a major appearance. While George Lucas included an Imperial capital planet in early drafts of his Original Trilogy film scripts, the name “Coruscant” first appeared in the classic Legends novel Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn. The writer continues to have a big influence on Star Wars canon today since he also created Grand Admiral Thrawn, who’s bound to show up on The Mandalorian shows any day now.
Corwin Shelvay
Like in episode 3, Obi-Wan Kenobi brings a few other obscure Jedi from the Legends continuity back to canon. Several names are scribbled in Aurebesh on the Jabiim base’s cave walls. The first is Corwin Shelvay, who first appeared as an NPC in the Galaxy Guide 9 supplement of the classic West End RPG from the ’90s. He’s a character game masters could potentially add to their custom adventures. Shelvay was trained as a Jedi in the years after the Purge, learning the ways of the Force in secret from a Sullustan Jedi Master named Darrin Arkanian who was hiding out as a tutor at Shelvay’s university. When Arkanian was eventually hunted down by the Empire, Shelvay became driven by revenge and nearly fell to the dark side. But he found a new calling, joining the Rebel Alliance, where he worked alongside popular Expanded Universe characters like Kyle Katarn. After the fall of the Empire, Shelvay became part of Luke Skywalker’s New Jedi Order.
Tiberus Anderlock
This is another Legends deep cut that requires some digging. The name “Tiberus” carved on the wall could refer to Tiberus Anderlock, a Jedi pilot from the online PC game Star Wars Galaxies, which ran from 2003 to 2011.
Drake Lo’gaan
In the early 2000s, StarWars.com supported The Clone Wars with a variety of webcomics posted on Hyperspace, the official Star Wars fan club online portal. The name Drake Lo’gaan on the cave wall is from one of those comics, a Jedi Padawan from the story “Reversal of Fortune” who, after fighting alongside Anakin during the Clone Wars, survived Order 66 and later clashed with Vader. He also interacted with several The Clone Wars characters, including General Grievous, Aayla Secura, and Barriss Offee.
Garel
The planet Garel gets a shoutout this week, adding to its lengthy list of mentions, if not outright appearances. Portrayed in Rebels as well as mentioned throughout a variety of books and comics, Garel was the site of a Phoenix base, home to a rebel cell key to some of the early decisions that turned a scattered network of anti-Imperial fighters into an organized Rebel Alliance.
“Other Ways to Fight”
Obi-Wan’s assertion that “There are other ways to fight” is a slight variation of Sir Alec Guinness’ line “There are alternatives to fighting” in A New Hope. There’s irony here, since the quote was originally said shortly before Obi-Wan confronted Darth Vader. It’s also been incorporated into Jedi philosophy in general since then, such as when Luke tosses away his lightsaber in Return of the Jedi or confronts Kylo Ren only as a Force projection in The Last Jedi.
Force Powers Unleashed
Pulling down a spaceship with the Force as Vader does in this episode has been depicted several times in Star Wars, most famously in the video game The Force Unleashed. It’s also reminiscent of Rey’s failed attempt to do the same thing in The Rise of Skywalker.
