The following contains spoilers for the first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi, streaming now on Disney+.

While Star Wars fans are well aware that Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader are one and the same, that fact was not widely known within the Star Wars universe itself -- at least not during the reign of the Galactic Empire. With Anakin thought dead after the Clone Wars, no living soul had any reason to believe he was actually the Sith Lord commanding the Imperial Fleet -- save for a privy few.

It has long been debated among Star Wars fans whether Owen Lars, step-brother of Anakin and uncle of Luke Skywalker, was among those who knew the truth. After all, for years, it was never explicitly stated one way or the other, though some of Uncle Owen's dialogue in the original Star Wars film seemed to suggest he knew more than he let on. However, thanks to Disney+'s Obi-Wan Kenobi, we finally have a definitive answer: Owen was just as in the dark as anyone else.

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Uncle Owen Lars

In 1977's Star Wars (aka Episode IV: A New Hope), Uncle Owen was shown to be rather cagey when Luke asked about his father. Owen was also insistent that Luke stay away from Obi-Wan Kenobi -- then going by the alias Ben Kenobi -- as he, in Owen's words, was "just a crazy old man." When Owen's wife, Beru Lars, pointed out that Luke was a lot like his father, Owen replied, "That's what I'm afraid of."

Of course, Luke ultimately did meet up with Obi-Wan, who claimed that Luke's father was "betrayed and murdered" by Darth Vader. This was later proven to be a lie -- or, more accurately, a coping mechanism crafted by Obi-Wan -- in 1980's The Empire Strikes Back, when Vader revealed that he was indeed Luke's father. With that in mind, it's easy to see why the now-deceased Owen was worried about Luke being too much like Anakin.

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Owen Lars Meets Anakin Skywalker

However, the Prequel Trilogy recontextualized things a bit. 2002's Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones revealed the nature of Owen's relationship with Anakin -- or rather his lack thereof. The fact of the matter is the two were step-brothers who are only known to have met in person one time, when they were both already young men. In fact, Owen probably didn't hear anything pertaining to Anakin again until 2005's Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, when Obi-Wan showed up to leave Luke on his doorstep.

It can be inferred that Obi-Wan told Owen and Beru that Anakin was dead, which he himself actually did believe to be true at the time. (That said, he probably conveniently left out the part where Anakin turned to the dark side, and he left him to burn to death in a pool of lava.) That brings us to the first episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi, which confirms once and for all that as far as Owen knows, Anakin Skywalker is dead and gone.

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Joel Edgerton as Uncle Owen in Obi-Wan Kenobi

In the episode, Owen confronts Obi-Wan and tells him to stay away from Luke. Obi-Wan states that when the time comes, Luke must be trained in the ways of the Jedi. Owen is having none of it, harshly replying, "Like you trained his father?" Luke's uncle then asserts, "Anakin is dead, Ben. And I won't let you make the same mistake twice." We also know for a fact that Owen is not simply subscribing to Obi-Wan's belief that Anakin "died" when Darth Vader was born -- because at this point in the timeline, even Obi-Wan thinks Anakin is actually dead.

Obi-Wan always knew Anakin's Sith name was Darth Vader, as he heard Darth Sidious christen him as such in Revenge of the Sith. But for a time after their battle on Mustafar, Obi-Wan really did think Anakin was dead. In Legends, that period of time was very short. According to the epilogue of the 2005 novel Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, Obi-Wan learned Anakin was still alive upon hearing word that Vader had conquered Kashyyyk. The book takes place in 19 BBY, the same year as the events of Revenge of the Sith.

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Anakin and Obi-Wan from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

Meanwhile, Obi-Wan Kenobi confirms that in the new Star Wars canon, Obi-Wan believed Anakin to be dead for 10 whole years after their fateful duel. He only learns the truth at the end of the show's second episode, during a game of cat and mouse with the Inquisitor known as Reva, aka the Third Sister. Reva reveals that the Inquisitors work for Vader himself, with Obi-Wan being understandably shocked by this revelation.

Granted, there technically is still time for Owen to be clued in. At this stage, however, it seems more unlikely than ever that Luke's uncle knew the truth about Darth Vader's identity -- if he even knew who Darth Vader was at all (Tatooine is pretty backwater, let's not forget). First of all, Owen made it pretty clear that he doesn't want Obi-Wan coming near him or his family. Secondly, Obi-Wan very deliberately hid the truth from Luke in A New Hope, so it stands to reason that he hid it from Owen as well, even after his encounter with Reva.

Owen may have raised Anakin's son as his own. At the end of the day, though, the former Jedi Knight was merely a step-brother that he never truly knew, as much as Owen probably would have liked for that to be different.

New episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi drop Wednesdays on Disney+.