“I don’t seem to remember ever owning a droid,” Obi-Wan Kenobi ponders in an early scene from Star Wars: A New Hope. He’s talking about R2-D2, who crossed the sands of Tatooine to deliver Princess Leia’s message, and who Luke assumes is the old hermit’s property. At the time, the comment — and Obi-Wan’s seeming inability to recognize Artoo — didn’t appear significant. However, the film’s unprecedented success, and the subsequent need for backstory, raised some difficult continuity issues that have only fitfully been addressed in the decades since.
The perceived oversight is more than forgivable. After all, the success of Star Wars surprised even its creator, George Lucas. And with Obi-Wan both a key player in Anakin Skywalker’s life and quite dead by the end of the original movie, his past was a logical place to expand the Star Wars universe. That meant studiously avoiding the old Jedi’s perceived inability to recognize R2-D2, who, with the prequels and The Clone Wars animated series in place, became one of Obi-Wan’s most stalwart companions before their renewed acquaintance on Tatooine.
Obi-Wan Was Pretending He Didn’t Know R2-D2
Star Wars a New Hope- Obi-Wan wasn’t saying he did not recognize R2, he said he never OWNED a Droid. His statement is not to convey secrecy but respect from FanTheories
The base assumption in light of the prequels is that Obi-Wan is playing dumb in A New Hope to downplay the importance of the droid’s arrival. A 2017 Reddit theory posted by u/mybustersword adds to that by connecting to the notion of a “companion.” It explains that Obi-Wan carefully praises Artoo rather than plays dumb, suggesting that he doesn’t “own” R2-D2 in the manner that Luke is describing. It’s effective not only in smoothing over the bumpy continuity but in illuminating Obi-Wan’s infamously casual relationship with the truth.
Shortly after claiming to have never owned a droid, Obi-Wan tells Star Wars’ most hotly debated lie by claiming Darth Vader “betrayed and murdered” Luke’s father, Anakin. His defense in Return of the Jedi was to insist it was true “from a certain point of view,” a perspective fans debate to this day. Regardless of the veracity of Obi-Wan’s position, it provides elegant cover for additional lies and allows him to feign ignorance over R2-D2. The Jedi Master could justify that lie by claiming Luke simply isn’t ready for the burden of his destiny — and he would likely be right — which saved the entire scene from the potential continuity trap created by the prequels.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Is R2-D2’s Friend, Not His Owner
The Reddit theory goes one step further by extending Obi-Wan’s “certain point of view” to R2-D2 and droids in general. The galaxy views droids as a servant class — to be used, bought and sold like any other object. Luke buys into the social norm, at least in A New Hope, by treating R2 and C-3PO as servants rather than equals. Neither droid is apt to correct him, especially after his kindness becomes apparent.
Obi-Wan, however, has more respect for them, or at least for Artoo. By claiming he’s never owned a droid, he applies the same tactic as he did with his embellishment about Anakin. He hasn’t owned a droid because R2-D2 is his friend. No one can “own” him, and to claim to have done so disrespects the countless ways the little astromech has saved the galaxy. If the theory applies, then Obi-Wan cleverly makes note of that while simultaneously hiding his past companionship with R2-D2.
The scenes in A New Hope are vague enough to allow the entire affair to slide by, regardless. Fans long ago accepted the film’s unexpected success meant going easy on any continuity problems that might arise. The theory is simply a more thoughtful means of weaving through the potential incongruities. It adds a layer of personality to Obi-Wan during one of his more quietly challenging moments as a character and, in the process, makes him just a little more interesting.