Kiersten White’s ‘Star Wars: Padawan’ is a Must-Read Coming-of-Age Tale About Obi-Wan Kenobi
Prequel Era Star Wars fans have been blessed this year with not only Mike Chen’s phenomenal Star Wars: Brotherhood novel and the Kenobi series that reunited Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, but also Kiersten White’s Star Wars: Padawan, which introduces readers to a much younger Obi-Wan Kenobi who is trying to figure out where he belongs within the Jedi Order. With this adventure, we see Obi-Wan Kenobi in a much more innocent and vulnerable point in his life that lays the groundwork for the eventual Jedi Master that we all know and love.
The High Republic publishing initiative has been such an unbelievably bright spot within the franchise and White weaves its golden threads throughout Padawan, reinforcing the connectivity between all of Star Wars’ eras in innovative and fascinating ways. When we were first introduced to the Wayseeker Orla in The High Republic, I instantly thought about how her particular brand of observing the Jedi Order felt more in line with Qui-Gon Jinn’s beliefs and to see that connection made by Obi-Wan Kenobi may have brought tears to my eyes. Qui-Gon’s physical presence in Padawan may be sparse, but the long shadow of his tutelage of Obi-Wan is felt throughout his adventures on Lenahra.
While we get plenty of time with Obi-Wan Kenobi at the Jedi Temple—and even get to see him getting playfully bullied by his peers—the majority of Padawan is set on the mysterious and mostly inhospitable planet of Lenahra. After discovering the coordinates of the planet from Orla’s old research, Obi-Wan sets off on an unsanctioned adventure with the belief that the Force is sending him there for a special purpose. It’s such a rare delight to see Obi-Wan Kenobi be an impulsive teenager, much like the Chosen One that will one day become his Padawan. This little outing sheds a new light on why Obi-Wan turned a blind eye on a lot of Anakin’s own flights of fancy—he was convinced that he would come back to the Order the same way that he did. On Lenahra Obi-Wan Kenobi meets a small group of younglings who have been left behind to fend for themselves including: Audj, Zae-Brii, Casul, Amyt, Gremac, Jarper, Tumber, Trill, Whistle, Shush, Nesguin, and Mem. Their planet offers them something they call the “Power” that is reminiscent of the Force, but eventually, Obi-Wan learns that it is markedly different from the unseen Force connecting all living creatures to each other.
At its core, Padawan is a coming-of-age story for Obi-Wan Kenobi and White expertly delves into each stepping stone in that journey. Obi-Wan grapples with uncertainty about his future, he considers a future where he abandons the Jedi Order, and even questions where his more intimate interests lay. So much of his experience on Lenahra feels like it lays the groundwork for the kind-hearted General we really get to know during the Clone Wars. Even when things get difficult, Obi-Wan doesn’t want to fight his way out of a situation—he’d much rather negotiate and find a way that works for everyone. He may be only sixteen years old in Padawan, but he gains valuable insight into what life is like beyond the reach of the Jedi Order that makes him wise beyond his years. With the foresight that this adventure is only a short time before he meets Duchess Satine, there are so many little thoughts he has and comments he makes that makes their eventual tryst even more satisfying.
When the Expanded Universe got de-canonized with the Disney acquisition, we lost a lot of Star Wars adventures and fan-favorite characters, but with Padawan, one particular character gets brought back into the canon. Siri Tachi was a prominent character in the Jedi Apprentice and Jedi Quest novels, and a close ally of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s throughout his early years in the Jedi Order. Early on in Padawan she appears as one of the group of Padawans that Obi-Wan is friendly with and he even longs for the closeness that they once had. While Siri’s inclusion was certainly unexpected, White also gifts us with another unexpected and very familiar character: Dexter Jettster. Before Dexter was serving up scrumptious grub on Courscant, he and Obi-Wan Kenobi met on Lenahra!
White has a keen understanding about what makes Obi-Wan Kenobi tick. She sticks to what is known while about the young Jedi, while introducing new aspects that inherently strengthens the stories that have already come to pass. It’s a perfect marriage of an adventure-filled young adult romp, with a character-rich tale of introspection and growth.
The final pages of the Padawan will have you desperately hoping that she’ll revisit the fledgling bond between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn, and dig deeper into Qui-Gon’s own fragile connection to his own former Master. Of course, Claudia Gray’s Star Wars: Master & Apprentice is set roughly a year after the final pages of Padawan, but still you want more of this little piece of Star Wars that White has carved out for her muses to play in.
Star Wars: Padawan hits bookstands on July 26th.
FINAL VERDICT: A+
