Obi - Wan Kenobi impersonator The impersonator of the Galactic Republic Jedi Master Obi - Wan Kenobi was an Imperial actor altered by plastic surgeons to resemble Obi - Wan Kenobi , under orders from Darth Vader . Biography . The unknown actor , recruited by Lord Vader , underwent plastic surgery to resemble Kenobi . He also received technological gimmicks to approximate Force powers and make his resemblance to Kenobi more than physical . The impersonator appeared on the Expansion Region desert planet of Aridus , where he befriended the native reptilian Chubbit s — whom Imperial forces had long mistreated — and took a leadership role in their rebellion against the local Imperial garrison . Hover trains were ambushed while Imperial Military and mining posts were raided . In one particular skirmish , the fake Kenobi saved a Rebel Alliance agent from being apprehended by Imperial troops . The gunrunner spread news of his rescue to the Rebel base on the jungle moon of Yavin 4 , which was under siege by an Imperial fleet . The young Rebel pilot Luke Skywalker — who had witnessed his mentor ' s death on the first Death Star during a fight with Darth Vader and was curious about this mysterious reappearance — departed for Aridus with C - 3PO on his Rebel smuggling ship . On Aridus , they witnessed a group of poorly equipped Chubbits attacking a heavily armored Imperial hover train . Seeing his fellow Rebels in trouble , Luke and C - 3PO threw two bags containing proton charges from their transport at the hovertrain , destroying it . However , flying debris knocked Skywalker unconscious , as they were too close to the train . Luckily , the Kenobi impostor — who had been leading the Chubbits — arrived on the scene and tended to Skywalker . Skywalker was fortunate to have only a slight concussion resulting from the flying debris . He soon recovered , and he and his droid joined forces with the Chubbits and Kenobi , whom he had not yet realized was an impostor . Later , they continued their journey through the deserts of Aridus on a locally built wind - runner . Continuing their insurgency against the Empire , the Chubbit rebels attacked an Imperial outpost and laid waste to it . Using technological gimmicks to substitute his lack of Force power , the Kenobi imposter won the admiration of the Chubbits and Luke Skywalker . Following the raid , the Kenobi impersonator contacted Lord Vader himself via a holoprojector . He informed his master that everything was going as planned and that Skywalker had joined him , not having realized that he was an impostor . As part of the plan , the impostor was to lead Luke to the Iron Tower where Vader would be waiting . Then , Skywalker would be a prisoner of the Sith Lord . However , the impersonator began to have doubts about his mission . The respect shown by the Chubbits and the awe in Skywalker ' s eyes indicated to him that Obi - Wan Kenobi had been a great Jedi Master and that he was little more than a cowardly actor willing to serve under an oppressive Sith - led Galactic Empire . Later , he and Skywalker departed for the Iron Tower alone with their Droffi steed s on a mission to destroy the automated power transformer and signal amplifier whose powerful ultra - strong frequency waves crippled the nervous systems of the Chubbits . On their way , their Chubbit allies defeated an Imperial patrol speeder . When they arrived at the Iron Tower , the pair split up as intended by Lord Vader . The Dark Lord of the Sith contacted the Kenobi impersonator and ordered him to lure Skywalker into his trap . However , having seen the Empire ' s true colors , he refused to obey the Sith Lord and pulled a control lever that started a power overload in the Tower ' s upper levels , destroying the structure and effectively shutting down most of the Imperial operations on the planet . The resulting explosion severely wounded the Kenobi impostor , and he died in Skywalker ' s arms . Before he passed away , he informed Skywalker that he had destroyed the Iron Tower and confessed that he had merely been an impostor .