How does Ben Kenobi support himself on Tatooine?

[tailonkae]

Good point Ani...Ben could have had a ny number of ways to provide some sort of currency flow or a barter system with the Jawas or any of the locals.....especially since he knew Mos Eisley pretty well....and I am sure he could have remembered where Mos Espa was from the pod races too....either way, ol' Ben managed to keep him self hidden but busy from imperial eyes long after the purge..

[tanzanlinnear]

I suspect that Bail might have given aid to Obi-Wan over the years, as suggested above, possibly as goods and provisions rather than money. Don't forget, Obi-Wan spent his entire life (untill ROTS) as a Jedi and owning nothing but his lightsaber and the clothes he stood up in. That kind of ingrained lifestyle is not going to disapear over night, so I suspect he was probably quite capable of living on what he was sent, and had little need for material posessions. Also, with regards to an 'address', perhaps communication took place over the holonet, and as with online communities, people might have a rough idea where someone is from, they probably wouldn't know exactly where they were located, so Obi-Wan and Bail probably intentionally kept Obi-Wan's exact location from each other for security reasons, and then when the time came (ANH) Obi-Wan might have sent a 'My address is...' message.

[jayden]

observing obiwan's housing he had a moisture vaperater so he could have sold a little water for what little he needed. and the livestock on tat could have sustained him for quite a while too. being able to use the force he could slow his matabalizam (?) down so he would not have to eact as often as a normal human would.

[Ani-Chay Pinn]

I don't think Bail Organa would have sent much more than messages to Ben on Tatooine, if he even sent that. The large the package he would have sent, the more chances of people asking questions, not to mention that Tatooine is a notoriously corrupt planet and any goods sent would have been vulnerable to pilfering in transit. It would have been a lot simpler and more direct for Obi-Wan to do some discreet gambling for the little money he needed every now and then.

I think Ben's vaporator would have been only for his own use. He still needed to drink water himself. Slowing his metabolism sounds interesting. Ben, um, wan't exaxtly thin in ANH, so he might have done that a little too well.

[obiwanron]

I think he opened the first Tatooine pizza delivery business.

Bantha Hut.

His signature pies were the Krayt Dragon and deep dish Sith.

[Ani-Chay Pinn]

Nyaaaaaaaah, it would have to be called Pizza HUTT. ;D

[Cem-Ji Pobroo]

LOL, you two are just way too funny. I was thinking he might've waited tables or was a busboy at the cantina or worked as a mechanic in the hangar.

[kivaanzion]

Once a week he would make his way to Mos Eisley, mind-trick two of its "scum and villainy" into beating each other senseless, and take their wallets while they were still unconscious.

He would then have a drink.

To be serious I would have to agree that mild gambling (in which he would rig the game using the Force) is the most likely answer. He did seem to know his way around Mos Eisley Spaceport pretty well.

As for any contact between Bail and Obi-Wan during his 19 years in exile, I don't think there was any. As has been said, Leia's message gives the impression that they (Bail & Obi) had not been in contact since the events of Ep III. Shipments of supplies or funds could be tracked. Considering he was staying on Anakin's homeworld (good planning there Yoda ) I'm sure he would have kept as low a profile as possible.

R2 may not have necessarily needed Obi-Wan's address- he had been on Tatooine before (at the Lars residence no less- explaining why he knew to go a particular way when 3PO wanted to go in the opposite direction in ANH). I'm sure he could locate Obi-Wan with his sensors once he was at Luke's homestead (or at least be able to go in the general direction).

[himiko sabbrawrra]

Well I think Bail knew where Ben was going to be at anyway. it was logical that he knew where at least one Jedi Master would be at.

[tailonkae]

THat may be true...but then again..Obi wan did not want to draw too much un-wanted attention to himself...after all Order 66 was still in effect and the Emperor had hands scouring the galaxy for Jedi as well as Vader...I mean after all..Maul found qui gon and obi wan on Tatooine..why couldnt a dark jedi or hand find obi wan there as well...

[jedi12]

that is very true

[Starkindler (The Naked Jedi)]

NAH.
Ben was hiding.
he'd just stroll into the local cantina when he needed some eats and say "I already paid you." when it was time to leave. Maybe hand him a few small pebbles so others wouldn't be suspicious.
same for trading for what he needed...."You do need one of these since their resale value is so high."
Ben would have been KING JAWA OVERLOARD with tricks like that!

[tailonkae]

But ben was more resourseful than to rely just on the force...after all Jedi were taught to survive....

[Ani-Chay Pinn]

I think Ben would only use the Force as little as possible while he was living on Tatooine. He wouldn't use it in a public place where everyone could see him, but in a darkened gambling den he could use just enough to win a little bit and get enough to live on without using the Force otherwise.

The only other time he would have been really using the Force was when he was 'training' with Qui-Gon.

He was casual about using the Force on the stomtroopers because I think clones are easy to trick and he knew he wasn't coming back to Tatooine anyway.

[Cem-Ji Pobroo]

Good point Ani. My favorite line is Obi-Wan from the cantina, "This little one here's not worth it, let me get you something"<hum>...