Star Wars (2015) 15

Star Wars 15: From the Journals of Old Ben Kenobi is the fifteenth issue of the Marvel comic book series Star Wars. The issue, released on January 20, 2016, is written by Jason Aaron, with art by Mike Mayhew.

Publisher's summary
FROM THE JOURNALS OF OBI-WAN KENOBI
 * Another tale of Obi-Wan's exile on Tatooine!
 * Owen Lars took Luke in&hellip;but he refused to let Ben be part of his life. Why?
 * What trouble could have been stirred up by Ben protecting Luke?

Plot summary
The journal starts off summarizing the year following the Great Drought on Tatooine, as conditions have returned to normal and regular life has resumed. Luke Skywalker is racing his family's T-16 Skyhopper across the desert terrain, as his friends, including Biggs Darklighter, cheer him on from the ground. As he comes up on Beggar's Canyon, Biggs advises Luke to turn around for his own safety, but the boy, in his overconfidence, brushes aside his friend's suggestion, proclaiming that "[he] was born for this." From a distance, Obi-Wan Kenobi watches Luke fly the airspeeder into the canyon. He muses over the many similarities between Luke and his father, primarily their strong Force sensitivity and exceptional piloting skills. Luke enters the canyon with rapid speed, and again disregards his friend's warning. To Luke, mastering his piloting abilities key to leaving Tatooine one day, and once he conquers Beggar's Canyon, his next stop will be the stars. Just then, he wrecks the ship.

Back at the Lars homestead, Uncle Owen scolds Luke for damaging the vehicle, and as punishment, grounds him. With the Skyhopper damaged, the family is a speeder short and lacks the funds for the necessary repairs, of which Luke offers to pay for if Owen lets him enter the race at Anchorhead. Despite his insistence, Owen refuses out of fear for the boy's safety, and proclaims that as long as he lives, Luke will never fly again. Once more from afar, Obi-Wan watches over the family. At sunset, he begins a long journey across the landscape. Since his scuffle with Jabba the Hutt's thugs, he has been driven deeper into seclusion, avoiding any appearances in town as the Hutt searches for the man who had defied him. To maintain a low profile, he'd have to seek help from those who were already lowly.

Upon reaching his destination, a lone Sandcrawler, he reveals himself to a group of Jawas and proposes an offer that will benefit them both. At dusk, Kenobi sits outside the Sandcrawler, patiently awaiting the routine raid upon the Jawas by Tusken Raiders. While he waits, he meditates on how Qui-Gon Jinn believed Anakin Skywalker to be the Chosen One, and thinking that, in a way, maybe he was, and that if Luke shows the same abilities, there may still be hope. At last, the Tusken Raiders descend upon the Sandcrawler and Kenobi, who force pulls a gaderffii stick from one of them to defend himself. He knows his interference could put Luke in danger, but that he also won't be able to protect him forever, and at some point, will need to fend for himself, which includes knowing how to fly. As dawn sets in, the brawl ends and Kenobi is victorious, sending the invaders fleeing. He reflects on needing to create an easier method to frighten the Sandpeople off in the future, but for now, it was worth it, as he felt like a Jedi again.

At a market, Owen takes Luke with him to purchase several droids. As Owen is busy deciding upon his purchases, two Jawas approach Luke and give him a box filled with the parts needed to fix the Skyhopper. Luke, believing it to be a gift from his uncle, thanks him and rushes off, leaving Owen confused, and and a hidden Kenobi smiling.

Back at his home, Kenobi prepares supper. Suddenly, there is a knock at the door. As he gets up to answer it, he summons his lightsaber to him with the Force. The guest, however, is Owen Lars, who brings with him the box of Skyhopper parts. Furiously, he tells Kenobi to stay away from his family, and seeing pass the Jedi Master's faux cluelessness, reveals that he knows Kenobi has been secretly meddling in their lives; preventing raids, and now, sending Jawas to Luke. He drops the box at his feet and demands that the hermit cease his activities, stating that he will not let Kenobi "warp" Luke as he did his father, and that it was his responsibility to protect Luke from danger, including the Jedi. Kenobi interjects that Luke "has the potential to become something...truly remarkable," similar to his father. An enraged Owen asserts that Anakin's "death" was Kenobi's fault. Before leaving, he states that if Luke ever does leave Tatooine, he won't return, and thus, things would be better off if Kenobi kept to himself, as he only attracts danger. Owen then leaves a somewhat defeated Kenobi, who ultimately agrees with his claims. Kenobi, however, insists that no harm will befall Luke, not while he lives, and that fortunately, he's developed a knack of escaping death.

At Jabba's Palace, the Hutt, via his protocol droid, requests to see a demonstration of an assailant's skills before agreeing to pay his high asking price. The demonstration begins, and the individual takes out all of Jabba's guards in barrage of blaster fire, nearly hitting the Hutt himself. Jabba quickly puts an end to the show and says that he will pay half now and the rest later, when the man who ambushed the Hutt's water tax collectors during the Great Drought has been found. As a bonus, the bounty hunter is offered extra payment for bring the man back alive. The droid asks if the terms are agreeable, and the bounty hunter—who is Black Krrsantan—roars in response.