Was Obe Wan really her only hope?

I was going to nerd out on you, pointing out that he commissioned the Millenium Falcon, pairing Luke and Han together and getting R2D2, with the death star plans, off Tatooine, where they would have been found when the stormtroopers tracked down the droids to Luke's uncle's farm.
Thank god I stopped myself.

Its classic exanple of aged out workers. Made to feel valuable prior to forced retirement? Probably the actors union.

I think originally he was supposed to live and train Luke. Yoda was made in later drafts

No obi wan, no millennium falcon on its way to the Death Star, no assault on the detention deck, and no escape