Is There a ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Moulin Rouge’ Connection? Sort of, but It Was on Accident
There are always fun Easter eggs to find within the Star Wars galaxy, whether it’s the first time or the hundredth. But when you get into Star Wars: The Clone Wars, there are so many Easter eggs and nods to the movies that it’s fun to rewatch just for those alone.
But when it comes to Obi-Wan Kenobi’s love interest, there’s an intriguing connection to a Moulin Rouge character. Given the other connection to that movie, was it on purpose? Supposedly, no.
‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ introduced the character, Duchess Satine, in Season 2
Obi-Wan Kenobi is nothing if not the model Jedi Knight. He was a Padawan well into his 20s, he obeyed his masters as best he could, he taught Anakin as best as he could, and he stuck to the code like a fly to paper. He stuck to the code so well that even faced with undying love, he turned it down for the Jedi Order.
In Season 2 of the series, Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore is introduced and she’s a lot like Senator Padmé Amidala in her leadership skills and no-nonsense politics. She leads a pacifist regime on Mandalore, which is staunchly against the pro-warrior Mandalorians of Death Watch.
It’s revealed that back when Obi-Wan was still a Padawan, Satine was under attack and had to go into hiding with Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon Jinn. That’s when Kenobi and Satine started to experience feelings for each other. It’s unclear how close they got, but they both decided that they had duties that didn’t involve them continuing a relationship. It’s all very dramatic and full of longing, of course. And in Season 2 their relationship is full of banter and the type of annoyance that comes with being attracted to someone you can’t have.
Even though ‘Moulin Rouge’ came out first, it was apparently just by coincidence
So, even though Ewan McGregor doesn’t portray the Clone Wars version of Obi-Wan Kenobi, he does still portray the version right around this time. And would have been the Kenobi version that fell in love with Satine (and was still in love with her in Revenge of the Sith, and probably for the rest of his life).
And McGregor played another famous character in love with a Satine in Moulin Rouge. Alongside Nicole Kidman, McGregor played Christian to her Satine in the Bohemian fantasy that took place in 1900s Paris. That film came out in 2001 and The Clone Wars came out in 2008, with Satine’s first episode premiering in 2010. That can’t be a coincidence, right? Well, Dave Filoni didn’t think it was at first either.
“It was the funniest thing… I had no idea that people drew a connection between the Ewan McGregor is Obi-Wan Kenobi [thing] and the woman being named Satine,” the showrunner and co-creator of the show told IGN when they asked about it in 2010. “I didn’t realize that at all.”
Filoni did say that he called and asked Henry Gilroy, a screenwriter and the person who named Satine, about it. He apparently said no. But Filoni was still shocked at all the questions he got about it after the trailer dropped and was a bit suspicious still.
“It had nothing to do with that. I guess it’s just synergy? I don’t know,” he continued. “It’s very bizarre. I still wanna question Gilroy about that, because I’m like, ‘Come on, really? I mean, out of all the names, really?’ It’s pretty weird, I’ll give you that.”
Satine and Obi-Wan’s story is only played out in ‘The Clone Wars’ and has a tragic ending, just like in ‘Moulin Rouge’
It is a weird coincidence since it’s not a common name like “Jessica” or “Suzy,” although those aren’t Star Wars names either. The fact that out of all the names, Satine exists in this galaxy far, far away for a Mandalorian duchess and for a 20th century Bohemian “actress” and courtesan is a little too much of a coincidence.
But, they say there’s no connection or purposeful meaning between the projects beside the same name, so there’s that. However, both Satine’s receive an unfairly short life and tragic ending, dying in their lovers’ arms. Both portrayed in some way (again) by McGregor.
Satine, the courtesan, contracted tuberculosis which got worse as the film progressed and she succumbed to the disease as the curtain closed on her final performance. “Come What May” will never not be sad because of it. And Satine, the leader of Mandalore, was murdered by Maul to get back at Obi-Wan Kenobi for, you know, cutting him in half in The Phantom Menace.
While Christian goes and withers away in his apartment, writing his grand love story now that he’s finally experienced love, Obi-Wan Kenobi has to go on with Jedi business because Jedi cannot feel attachment. Therefore they cannot grieve the same as others. But, it’ll be interesting if his years alone on Tatooine will change that and if his new series — with McGregor — will show that.
