Caution: Spoilers Ahead for Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 5.
Where was Obi-Wan during Anakin’s attack on the Jedi Temple? Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 5 revisits Order 66 and reveals Reva’s secret past, her connection to Obi-Wan, and her plans regarding Darth Vader. A key moment in the episode brings up Obi-Wan’s whereabouts during the night of Anakin’s infamous youngling slaughter, an answer which lies in the prequel films.
Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 5 pits Reva (Moses Ingram), newly appointed as Grand Inquisitor, against Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor), young Princess Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair), and a band of Rebels on the planet Jabiim. Trapped at the base, Obi-Wan attempts to negotiate with Reva, who calls out his absence the night that Order 66 first went into effect, when she watched Anakin (Hayden Christensen) murder her fellow younglings at the Jedi Temple. This event has spurred her to enact revenge on the Sith Lord himself.
While Obi-Wan isn’t able to answer Reva, long-time Star Wars viewers will know that he was off-planet during the Jedi Temple siege. As seen in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan was fighting Separatist General Grievous on Utapau. Shortly after Obi-Wan killed Grievous, Commander Cody (Temuera Morrison), who was assisting Obi-Wan, received word of Order 66. This happened in tandem with Anakin Skywalker, flanked by an army of Clone Troopers, storming the Jedi Temple and killing the younglings. Reva, a Jedi-in-training at this point, thought Anakin was there to help them. When she witnessed his true intentions, Reva pretended to be dead and hid among the bodies.
Meanwhile, Obi-Wan narrowly escaped the attack and joined Yoda and Bail Organa aboard Organa’s ship. The trio headed to Coruscant, where Obi-Wan and Yoda discovered the massacre and the security hologram of Anakin becoming Darth Vader and subsequently attacking the temple. It’s unclear what happened to Reva between the Jedi Temple massacre and Obi-Wan visiting Coruscant. It’s possible that she, like many others, went on the run from the emerging Empire, or that the Empire found her in the rubble and trained her as an Inquisitor.
Anakin’s cruelty and Obi-Wan’s absence have left their mark on her, since she believes the Jedi Master should have been around to stop his Padawan and protect the younglings. But it’s unlikely that Obi-Wan would have survived Order 66 and saved the rest of the Jedi had he been in the temple at that time, considering the attack happened so quickly. Regardless, Reva has been traumatized and is willing to play the game to avenge the deaths of her only family.
The Star Wars timeline, at least when it comes to Reva’s transformation into an Inquisitor, remains a mystery for now, but that doesn’t mean it won’t receive clarification in a future episode. The events of Order 66, especially through her eyes, is harrowing partly due to Obi-Wan being absent. It does provide greater insight into Reva’s motives and raises Obi-Wan Kenobi‘s stakes even more, especially now that her allegiance to the Empire has been a sham all along.
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