Great entry. CS, I meant to ask two things :
1 - Did Ani maintain a relationship with his step-brother?
2 - Did Obi-Wan age any better for not being in Tatooine's harsh climate for 20 years?
A subtlety that now also struck me : The Death Star was the weapon of a confirmed power. A power that was still fighting other powers might want a different kind of super-weapon--maybe one that blanketed an entire system with a tech-killing EM Pulse?