Editor's note: The below article contains spoilers for Episode 4 of Obi-Wan Kenobi.Though seemingly insignificant, references to the mysterious planet of Jabiim in Episodes 3 and 4 of Obi-Wan Kenobi come from a memorable part of Star Wars lore. In Episode 3, when Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) first meets Tala (Indira Varma), she tells him she will take Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair) to safety on the planet Jabiim. It turns out that “The Path,” a network that helps Jedi and other force-sensitive individuals escape the Empire, leads to Jabiim. Of course, Leia is kidnapped before this can happen; however, in Episode 4, Tala takes Obi-Wan to Jabiim to heal from his encounter with Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen/James Earl Jones). They additionally plan Leia's rescue there before heading to Nur, the water moon that’s home to Fortress Inquisitorius where Leia is being held. These are the first instances in which Jabiim has been mentioned or made an appearance in Star Wars canon. Nevertheless, it played a significant role in the history of the Clone Wars in the Legends canon that existed before Disney acquired Lucasfilm – and one in which Obi-Wan had a large part as well.

In overtly mentioning and bringing Jabiim back into canon, Obi-Wan Kenobi refers to comics published in the early 2000s by Dark Horse Comics. Though now part of Star Wars Legends, the comics tell the story of a major battle in the Clone Wars which takes place on Jabiim. The story begins in Star Wars: Republic #55, also called The Rainmaker, by Haden Blackman and Brian Ching. Issues 55-59 were collected into the trade paperback Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume 3: Last Stand on Jabiim, published on February 25, 2004. The battle occurs early in the Clone Wars, when Anakin is still Obi-Wan’s Padawan.

In the comics, by the time the Clone Wars have begun, the Congress of Jabiim is taken over by the planet’s nationalist faction. This faction is led by a man named Alto Stratus. After their takeover, Stratus allies Jabiim with the Confederacy of Independent Systems, also known as the Separatist Alliance. This results in a Civil War between Stratus’ nationalist faction and the Republic loyalists. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine authorizes the use of force to protect the loyalists from the nationalist army. Peace talks being unsuccessful, war on Jabiim between Republic and Separatist forces is deemed inevitable. Senator Bail Organa takes the position of hoping casualties could be avoided; shortly after his statement, however, Obi-Wan Kenobi, then a General in the Jedi army, is put in charge of the military campaign.

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Image via Dark Horse Comics

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Obi-Wan arrives with his Padawan/First Lieutenant Anakin Skywalker to find that most of the locals have sided with the separatists, leaving the Republic outposts vulnerable to attack. As resources diminish and casualties mount, Obi-Wan leads an attack on the enemy. However, the rain and mud work against the Jedi and their clone regiment, and they are without air support of any kind. Obi-Wan is presumed dead after an explosion; in reality, however, he is kidnapped by Count Dooku’s apprentice Asajj Ventress. As a result, Anakin is transferred to the “Padawan Pack” – a squad of other Padawans whose masters have died. He is thrown into rage and despair over Obi-Wan’s apparent death. After fighting alongside the other apprentices, he begins to find some semblance of peace; however, the Padawan Pack soon faces an overwhelming attack at the hands of the Separatists which promises to be their final battle.

Issue 58 sees Jabiim finally falling to the hands of the separatists. The situation is bleak: Obi-Wan is missing, and all of Anakin’s fellow Jedi are now dead. The final command, therefore, now rests on Anakin’s shoulders. The choice facing him is whether to fight to the last man alongside the loyalists or to retreat and save as many of his remaining troops as possible. Only one of the three transports sent by the Republic manages to land on the planet’s surface, and there aren’t enough ships to evacuate both the clones and the loyalists off Jabiim. With the weather getting quickly worse, a decision must be made. Ultimately, Anakin that the clones be evacuated, and the loyalists left behind. The loyalists are shocked by the Republic’s betrayal seen through Anakin's actions; in response to their rage and threats to confiscate the Republic transports, Anakin begins strangling their leader with the force. He stops, apologizes, and then proceeds with the evacuation – with the loyalists cursing the Skywalker name and promising to take revenge on the Republic for its betrayal.

Considering the fraught history of Jabiim, and its hatred for the Republic following Anakin's actions, it’s intriguing that the same planet would now be central to aiding the Jedi who wreaked havoc on the planet. Why this sudden change of heart? Is it a change of heart at all? The Jabiimi were specifically enraged against Anakin Skywalker, whose decision was to abandon them. The Inquisitors, who seek to exterminate or capture the Jedi or force-sensitive individuals who survived order 66, are under the command of Darth Vader. It is unclear how well known it is that Darth Vader was once Anakin Skywalker. However, the members of the Path have a pretty expansive network, and one that, by definition, trades in secrets and clandestine information about the new empire. But then again, you don’t have to have liked the Republic to hate the Empire…especially considering that the man who ruled over the first now rules the second as well.

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Image via Disney+

Bringing Jabiim into live-action also raises the exciting possibility of Star Wars bringing more of its Legends canon into Disney canon. When Disney purchased Lucasfilm, they officially rendered the Expanded Universe non-canon and rebranded it as Legends. Instances such as the inclusion of Jabiim show that Star Wars, despite Disney’s official de-canonization of the expanded universe, is still looking to those stories as inspiration. Since Disney’s acquisition, Lucasfilm has actually reintroduced many details from the Legends canon. Grand Admiral Thrawn of Star Wars Rebels fame was formerly only a Legends character. Given that Jabiim is so important to Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s shared history, it seems possible that at least parts of the brutal campaign that took such a toll on the planet could become part of the canon universe as well.

Even if Jabiim is never referred to again, however, for those who know of the planet, it bears the scars of not only a fraught history but of a broken friendship. It is now a beacon of hope for any force-sensitive individual looking for an escape from the clutches of the Empire. The endless campaign waged there, meanwhile, was defined by its brutal hopelessness. Ultimately, it had a tragic conclusion, ending with not only the loyalists’ betrayal and defeat, but in the loss of their convictions as well. Despite this ugliness, however, Obi-Wan and Anakin still had their friendship, and much of the arc’s despair is in Anakin’s inability to cope with the seeming loss of his beloved master. When Obi-Wan is on Jabiim now, he is running from this same padawan, who is now a deadly Sith lord.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is both about Kenobi’s defeat following the loss of his order and the loss of his best friend – a loss which both he and Anakin feel is his fault. And it is on Jabiim that the series draws a visual parallel between Kenobi and Vader to show how strong the bond still is between the two men: as Kenobi heals in the bacta tank, the camera cuts to Vader out of his suit, his mutilated body in a bacta tank of its own. Kenobi’s reaction in the tank after the camera cut seems to show that each man senses the other. Both characters have an intense awareness of one another that spans star systems – ultimately proving just how powerful their connection remains.

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