Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi’s surprising emotional bond with Duchess Satine Kryze played a significant part in shaping him as a character, as seen in the series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Star Wars comics provide the perfect space to explore this secret relationship, offering deeper insight into Obi-Wan’s past and motivations.

If the name “Kryze” sounds familiar to fans who have not watched The Clone Wars or Star Wars Rebels, it is because Bo-Katan Kryze made her live-action debut in season 2 of the Disney+ series, The Mandalorian. Bo-Katan, portrayed in live action and animation by Katee Sackhoff, is sister to Satine Kryze, the deceased leader of Mandalore.

Though Satine has yet to be mentioned in any of the Star Wars live action projects, she played a crucial role in the period between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, not only due to her politics, but her impact on Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The History Between Obi-Wan and Satine Kryze Dates Back To Their Youth And Ends During The Clone Wars

The Satine/Obi-Wan Relationship Is A Significant Arc In The Clone Wars Series

Satine and Obi-Wan’s relationship began when they were both young and Obi-Wan was still Qui-Gon Jinn’s padawan. The pair of Jedi were assigned a year-long mission to protect Satine during the Mandalorian Civil War after Bo-Katan and Satine’s father was killed, making the elder Satine the rightful Mandalorian heir. Due to her importance, Satine’s life was constantly threatened to the point where she required the two Jedi to survive. During the year on the run and fighting for their lives, Obi-Wan and Satine developed feelings for one another.

Years later, when Satine ruled over sovereign Mandalore as a pacifist regent, she and Obi-Wan came into each other’s orbit once more. As Mandalorians were traditionally a warrior people, Satine’s peaceful policy caused a schism between traditionalists who believed Mandalore should return to their martial roots, and pacifists like Satine, who believed the only way for Mandalore to survive was to evolve. This ideological difference led to the creation of the “Death Watch,” a group of Mandalorian traditionalists who actively attempted to end Satine’s reign. Among the of Death Watch was Satine’s own sister, Bo-Katan.

With Satine’s life threatened once again, Obi-Wan became her protector for the second time; only this time, Satine was less willing to hide her true feelings, openly itting her love to Obi-Wan. In response, Obi-Wan itted that he would have left the Jedi Order for her in an instant when they were younger, should she have asked him to. However, the two recognized that their adult lives had become part of a higher purpose: hers to protect Mandalore and maintain peaceful neutrality and his to protect the Republic and democracy.

Despite knowing they could not be together as adults, both Satine and Obi-Wan shared dreams of peace and continued to express feelings for one another. Ultimately, Obi-Wan’s deep love for Satine was used as a tool by Darth Maul to break the Jedi, whom he deemed his greatest enemy due to their complicated history dating back to The Phantom Menace, as Maul fatally wounded the Duchess and left her to die in Obi-Wan’s arms. Satine’s death was tragic for all of Mandalore, but most personally for Obi-Wan.

An Exploration Of Obi-Wan’s Experience With Love Would Only Enrich His Own Characterization And His Relationship With Anakin

Obi-Wan Can Relate To Anakin More Than Anyone Knew

Obi-Wan consistently preached the Jedi Code of emotional detachment to his own padawan, Anakin Skywalker. Anakin’s relationship with Pe parallels what Obi-Wan and Satine’s relationship could have been if the two chose to act on their feelings when they were younger. Obi-Wan and Satine’s year together in their youth is a vital piece of Obi-Wan’s history that has been completely unexplored. Even in The Clone Wars, the mission during the Mandalorian Civil War is only discussed as a past event when Obi-Wan recounts details to Anakin.

[...] Obi-Wan itted that he would have left the Jedi Order for her in an instant when they were younger, should she have asked him to.

The Star Wars comics have delved deeper into beloved characters, expanding their rich histories and making them all the more craftily developed individuals with their own motives, hopes, fears, and emotions. A series focusing on Obi-Wan and Satine falling in love with one another during the year-long mission would not only greatly expand the already rich and beloved Obi-Wan, but would give more significance to the way he advised Anakin to navigate his own emotional turmoil. Furthermore, it would show a side of Obi-Wan that fans have rarely seen; one who is not only in love, but willing to leave the Jedi Order.

Even James Arnold Taylor, the actor who voiced Obi-Wan in The Clone Wars, openly advocates for more of Satine and Obi-Wan's backstory. In an exclusive interview with ScreenRant, Taylor discussed the topic:

ScreenRant: Are there any other Obi-Wan stories that you've never gotten a chance to tell that you've always still wanted to?

James Arnold Taylor: I'm pretty vocal about it, and I'm waiting for Lucasfilm to go, “James, stop.” But I would really love for them to tell a story in animated form of Duchess Satine and Obi-Wan when they were younger and how they met, because we've talked about it throughout Clone Wars.

Anna Graves and I are very talented voice actors, so we could pull that off! [Laughs] I could be a younger Obi-Wan Kenobi, and she could be a younger Satine. I would love to see that story - selfishly, yes, but also because I think the fans would love it too. There's a beautiful, wonderful group of fans that I see at every ComicCon. They dress up as ObaTine - that's what they call Satine and Obi-Wan together, and I love that story.

With both the actors and the fandom fully invested in learning more about Obi-Wan and Satine’s romance, the comics are a perfect medium to bring that largely untold story to life.

A Story Focusing On Obi-Wan And Satine’s Youthful Love Affair Could Also Give Greater Significance To Qui-Gon’s Mentorship

The fact that Qui-Gon Jinn was also an integral part of the mission to protect Satine during the Mandalorian Civil War would only further expand a comic storyline. It would be interesting to see how Qui-Gon reacted to the burgeoning romantic relationship between his padawan and their charge. As Qui-Gon was a notoriously unconventional Jedi who advocated for other Jedi to embrace attachments, his guidance to Obi-Wan during such a formative time would ultimately shape Obi-Wan’s own emotionality.

For Obi-Wan to love Satine so deeply, to it that he would have left the Jedi Order for Satine, Qui-Gon certainly would have noticed and had opinions on the dynamic between Obi-Wan and the Duchess. Would Qui-Gon encourage Satine and Obi-Wan’s feelings? How would he advise his own padawan in the midst of war while on the run? These questions can easily be answered in a comic format that would be compelling while having an undertone of tragedy knowing Obi-Wan and Satine’s ultimate fate.

As Qui-Gon was a notoriously unconventional Jedi who advocated for other Jedi to embrace attachments, his guidance to Obi-Wan during such a formative time would ultimately shape Obi-Wan’s own emotionality.

With Bo-Katan playing a more integral role in the live-action Star Wars universe, the popularity of Clan Kryze will only continue to rise among fans. When Satine is finally mentioned in live-action, it is impossible not to discuss her relationship with Obi-Wan to at least some degree. As the roots of Obi-Wan and Satine’s love story is largely unexplored and the final chapter of their relationship is limited to The Clone Wars, Marvel’s Star Wars comics have the perfect opportunity to detail a masterful story of love and duty.