Not many Star Wars fans might know it, but Obi-Wan Kenobi wasn’t just supposed to cut off Ponda Baba’s hand in the Cantina scene in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. He was actually supposed to cut off the alien’s head.
A behind-the-scenes photo taken from the set of A New Hope has been making the rounds on Reddit recently and in it, we get to see Baba’s chopped off head on the edge of a mat meant for the Cantina.
For those who don’t remember the character, Ponda Baba was an Aqualish thug who was a patron at Chalmun’s Cantina on Tatooine. While drunk, Baba decided to pick a fight with Luke Skywalker in the bar. His friend, Dr. Cornelius Evazan, escalated the conversation by threatening the boy without hesitation. The two soon caught the attention of Obi-Wan Kenobi though and while Skywalker’s guardian attempted to ease the tension in the group by offering to purchase the two some drinks, Evazan refused to back down.
The thug tossed Skywalker out of his way and together with Baba, the two of them faced Obi-Wan with their pistols. Before the duo could even try to fire their guns though, the hermit ignited his lightsaber, cut off Baba’s right arm and slashed Evazan across his torso. It’s a pretty memorable scene, so much so that Evazan and Baba were both given extensive backgrounds in the franchise. And this lesser-known behind the scenes photo puts a whole new light on the moment, showing just how graphic Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope could have been.
Tell us, though, would you have liked to see this side to Obi-Wan in the Original Trilogy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below.