Star Wars fans work out how Obi-Wan and Yoda aged so quickly between episodes 3 and 4

If you didn’t know, Star Wars’ Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope are set around 18 years apart.

Revenge of the Sith takes place in 19 BBY while A New Hope is set in 0 BBY.

With this in mind, one aspect of the franchise that’s always confused fans is how rapidly Obi-Wan Kenobi aged during that time period.

He is, of course, portrayed by Ewan McGregor in Revenge of the Sith, and very much looks like a man in his 30s.

In A New Hope, it’s the iconic Alec Guinness in the role, who looks more like he’s in his 60s.

The question has always been how can a man age by 30+ years in a 20 year time gap?

Let’s get the basics out of the way first as I know someone’s going to try and be pedantic.

Naturally, when Alec Guinness was cast in that original film, George Lucas could not have foresaw the franchise’s longevity and thus likely never contemplated such a conundrum but alas, here we are.

Well, fans have a pretty compelling answer to explain the age-up. Whether it’s true or not can perhaps only be answered by someone like Lucas or Dave Filoni.

ICYMI: Take a look at our interview with the cast of The Acolyte.

Previous theories touch upon Obi-Wan being affected by the stress of The Clone Wars or the guilt felt about Anakin’s downfall.

Reddit user vendo_23 suggests a very different theory though, and it relates to Master Yoda’s unique aging.

“Both Yoda and Obi-Wan were selected to participate in special training to retain their consciousness after death,” the user began.

“What if there is something about that training that causes one to advance towards death far more quickly than they normally would have? What if, in the SW universe, this training involves connecting a part of yourself to the ‘afterlife’ (or the Cosmic Force)?”

They continued, “Wouldn't that naturally cause one to approach death quicker, as it seems in the SW universe death is just a transition? Isn't it possible?”

I have to say, it’s a very interesting suggestion.

“I can dig it, there's a form of mummification called Flesh Body Bodhisattvas where monks would basically desiccate themselves while alive in order to preserve their bodies after death..I mention this because there's a lot of similarity between Jedi and Buddhism philosophies so this could be a good link,” replied BabushkaNinja.

Personally, the jump has never bothered me but if you’re someone who needs answers, this is one of the most convincing theories out there.