Obi Wan Kenobi

Obi-Wan Kenobi, (57 BBY Stewjon-0 BBY Death Star) also known as Ben Kenobi, is a fictional character in the saga. Star Wars. Kenobi is a Jedi Master of the former Galactic Republic, and the teacher of Anakin and Luke Skywalker. Obi-Wan is a key figure in the Clone Wars, where he was known as "The Negotiator"; in the near extinction of the Jedi, in the fall of the Galactic Republic, and in the Rebel Alliance's fight against the later Galactic Empire.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is considered one of the best, most popular and charismatic characters in the Star Wars universe.

«And now, goodbye, I loved you like a child, as a student and as a friend. Until we meet again, the Force will accompany you. » Obi-Wan Kenobi as a force ghost to Luke Skywalker

Creation and development

The character of Obi-Wan Kenobi was composed as a mix of a samurai, the Wizard Merlin and an ancient medieval knight. The aesthetic conception of him was in charge of the artist Ralph McQuarrie, who was summoned by George Lucas to express his ideas about the characters he planned to incorporate in a science fiction film.

According to Lucas, "When words couldn't express my ideas, I could always point to Ralph's exceptional illustrations and say, 'Do it like this.'"

Lucas had thought a priori for the role of the character, in the Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune, but he would have rejected the role because the character, although it was based on the legendary samurai, warriors to whom Mifune had already given life on the screen, I had doubts about the level of quality of the special effects that would be used in this fictional film; At the same time, the respect he had for the samurai made him think that their image would be partially discredited in a fictional film.

It was then that Lucas decided to offer the role to English actor Alec Guinness, who along with Peter Cushing would add some luster to a cast made up of little-known actors until then. Guinness also came close to turning down the role when he learned that his character died in the film, though he accepted due to being offered a salary that was double his acting income at the time.

In an early draft of the original Star Wars film, Obi-Wan's first meeting with Luke Skywalker is taken directly from The Hobbit, acknowledging Gandalf as a source of inspiration. Lucas originally planned for Obi-Wan to live through the original film, but found the character had nothing to do during the climactic battle sequence. Lucas later reflected that he felt "it would be so much more powerful and satisfying and interesting if Darth Vader killed him and he went into a different form."

For the three films that make up the prequels to Episode I, II and III, the actor who played the character was Ewan McGregor.

Appearances

Movies

Original Trilogy

Obi-Wan Kenobi is introduced in the original Star Wars (A New Hope) film living as a 57-year-old hermit under the name Ben Kenobi on the planet Tatooine. When Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) travel through the desert in search of the missing R2-D2 (Kenny Baker), Obi-Wan rescues them from a band of Tusken Raiders. At Obi-Wan's house, the now found R2-D2 plays a recording of Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) saying that R2-D2 contains the plans for the Galactic Empire's superweapon the Death Star. Leia asks him to deliver R2-D2 and the plans safely to his home planet of Alderaan to help the Rebel Alliance. Obi-Wan reveals his secret identity to Luke and explains that he is a Jedi, a member of an ancient group of Force-sensitive warriors. He explains that the Jedi were hunted down and exterminated by the Empire with the help of his former apprentice, Darth Vader (played by David Prowse, voiced by James Earl Jones), the apparent killer of Luke's father. He gives Luke his father's lightsaber and asks him to come with him to Alderaan and take Jedi training. Luke, at first, refuses; but after discovering that his aunt Beru (Shelagh Fraser) and his uncle Owen (Phil Brown) have been killed by Imperial stormtroopers, he decides to go with Obi-Wan to Alderaan and train as a Jedi.

In the settlement of Mos Eisley, Obi-Wan uses the Force to trick Imperial troops into letting them through a military checkpoint. They enter a local saloon and meet bootleggers Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew). Obi-Wan and Luke make a deal to travel to Alderaan aboard Han's ship, the Millennium Falcon. During the mission, Obi-Wan begins instructing Luke in lightsaber combat. He suddenly senses "a great disturbance in the Force," and when the ship goes out of lightspeed, he and the others discover that the Empire has destroyed Alderaan. The Hawk then encounters an Imperial TIE Fighter. They chase the TIE fighter to the Death Star and subsequently get caught in the space station's tractor beam. Aboard the Death Star, Obi-Wan ventures out and disables the tractor beam. Moments later, Vader confronts him and they engage in a lightsaber duel. Obi-Wan uses the duel to distract Vader while Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2 escape to the Falcon. Obi-Wan allows Vader to take him down and his body mysteriously disappears as he dies. In the climax of the film, during the Rebel attack on the Death Star, Obi-Wan speaks to Luke through the Force to help him destroy the Imperial station.

In The Empire Strikes Back, Obi-Wan Kenobi appears several times as a spirit through the Force. On the ice planet Hoth, he appears to direct Luke to go to the planet Dagobah to find the exiled Jedi Master Yoda (Frank Oz). Despite Yoda's skepticism, Obi-Wan convinces his former master to continue Luke's training. Obi-Wan later appears to plead with Luke not to leave Dagobah to try and rescue his friends in Cloud City, though Luke ignores this advice.

In Return of the Jedi, Obi-Wan reappears before Luke after Yoda's death on Dagobah. Obi-Wan acknowledges that Darth Vader is in fact Luke's father, revealed by Vader himself in the previous film and confirmed by Yoda on his deathbed, and also reveals that Leia is Luke's twin sister. He urges Luke to confront and defeat Vader. After the Rebels destroy the second Death Star and defeat the Empire, Obi-Wan appears at the celebration on Endor, along with the Force ghosts of Yoda and the company of the redeemed Anakin Skywalker, the father of Luke and Leia. (Sebastian Shaw; in later re-releases, Shaw is replaced by Hayden Christensen.)

Prequel Trilogy

Born on the planet Stewjon he was taken in as Qui-Gon Jinn's Padawan learner. Like most Padawans of his generation, he too received instructions from Master Yoda, who trained the Jedi for centuries.

In Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, set 32 years before A New Hope, 25-year-old Obi-Wan Kenobi appears as the apprentice Padawan of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson). He accompanies his master in negotiations with the corrupt Trade Federation, which is blockading the planet Naboo with a fleet of spaceships. They fight off a swarm of battle droids and stow away on a landing craft en route to Naboo. Once on Naboo, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon rescue 14-year-old Queen Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), with the help of Gungan native Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best), and escape in a spaceship to the capital. of the Republic on Coruscant. Their ship is damaged in the escape, causing the hyperdrive generator to malfunction, and they land on Tatooine, where they discover nine-year-old slave Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd). Qui-Gon believes that the boy is the "Chosen One"; prophesied to bring balance to the Force. Anakin joins the group as they travel to Coruscant. As they leave Tatooine, they are attacked by Darth Maul (played by Ray Park, voiced by Peter Serafinowicz), a member of the Sith, a dark side cult long thought extinct.

When Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan return to Naboo to defeat the Trade Federation, they encounter Maul again, who engages the two in lightsaber combat. When Maul mortally wounds Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan storms in to duel the Sith lord, nearly killing him. However, Obi-Wan manages to turn the tables and defeat Maul, cutting him in half. He vows to fulfill Qui-Gon's dying wish to train Anakin as a Jedi, with or without the council's blessing. Yoda proclaims Obi-Wan a Jedi Knight and reluctantly allows him to take on Anakin as his own Padawan.

In Attack of the Clones, set 10 years later, Obi-Wan is now a respected Jedi Knight and the teacher of Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen). Over the years, Anakin has grown powerful but arrogant, and he believes that Obi-Wan is "holding him back." After saving Padmé, now a senator, from an assassination attempt, Obi-Wan sets out on a solo mission to track the would-be assassins involved to the planet Kamino. He learns of a massive clone army that the planet's inhabitants are building for the Republic. The template for the clones is bounty hunter Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison), and he and Obi-Wan fight once the latter deduces that Fett must be behind the assassination attempt. Fett escapes to the planet Geonosis with his clone son Boba (Daniel Logan), unaware that Obi-Wan has pursued them.

On Geonosis, Obi-Wan discovers that a conspiracy of star systems bent on revolutionizing the Republic is led by Jedi-turned-Sith Lord Count Dooku (Christopher Lee), Qui-Gon's former master. After sending a message to Anakin, Obi-Wan is captured, interrogated, and sentenced to death by Dooku. Anakin and Padmé arrive with a group of Jedi and the clone army, just in time to prevent the executions. Obi-Wan and Anakin confront Dooku, but the Sith Lord overpowers them both. Yoda intervenes and saves their lives, at the cost of Dooku's escape.

In Revenge of the Sith, set three years later, Obi-Wan is now a Jedi Master and member of the Jedi Council, as well as a General in the Grand Army of the Republic. Anakin, now a Jedi Knight, remains Obi-Wan's partner, and the two have become war heroes and best friends. The film opens with the two on a rescue mission to save Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) kidnapped by cyborg Separatist commander General Grievous (Matthew Wood) aboard his cruise ship. Dooku confronts the Jedi once more, knocking Obi-Wan unconscious; while Obi-Wan is unconscious, Anakin defeats Dooku and kills him in cold blood on Palpatine's orders. Shortly after returning to Coruscant, Obi-Wan travels to the planet Utapau to track down Grievous.

After finding the Separatist camp, Obi-Wan fights Grievous and kills him with an abandoned blaster. When Palpatine, who is secretly the Sith Lord Darth Sidious and the mastermind of the war, issues Order 66 for the clone troopers to turn on the Jedi, Obi-Wan survives the attempt on his life and escapes, reuniting with Yoda. and Senator Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits) of Alderaan aboard Organa's ship, Tantive III. Returning to Coruscant, he and Yoda discover that all the Jedi in the Jedi Temple have been killed. After sending a beacon to all surviving Jedi to scatter across the galaxy and stay hidden, a heartbroken Obi-Wan views security footage that reveals it was Anakin, who is now Sidious's Sith apprentice, Darth Vader, who led the chaos. Yoda says that he will face Sidious and accuses Obi-Wan of fighting Vader. Obi-Wan hates fighting his best friend, but reluctantly agrees when Yoda says that Anakin Skywalker no longer exists, having been "consumed" by Vader.

Obi-Wan visits Padmé to inquire about Vader's whereabouts and realizes that Vader is her husband and the father of her unborn child. When Padmé sets off for the volcanic planet Mustafar to confront her husband herself, Obi-Wan secretly hides aboard her ship. After arriving on Mustafar, Obi-Wan reveals himself and confronts Vader, who accuses Padmé and Obi-Wan of conspiring against him and uses her dark side to strangle Padmé unconscious. A long and fierce lightsaber duel ensues between Obi-Wan and Vader, ending with Obi-Wan severing Vader's legs and left arm. Obi-Wan watches in horror as Vader slips too close to a lava flow and catches fire; he then takes the lightsaber from his former friend and leaves him to die. Unbeknownst to Obi-Wan, Vader is rescued by Sidious moments later and rebuilt into the cyborg as first seen in the original trilogy.

Obi-Wan takes Padmé to the asteroid Polis Massa, where she dies after giving birth to twins Luke and Leia. Afterwards, Obi-Wan helps hide Luke and Leia from the Empire. As Leia is adopted by Bail Organa and his wife, Yoda instructs Obi-Wan to deliver Luke to Anakin's stepbrother Owen Lars (Joel Edgerton) and his wife Beru (Bonnie Piesse) on Tatooine. Yoda then reveals that Qui-Gon's spirit will teach them both to become one with the Force after death. On Tatooine, Obi-Wan delivers Luke to his adoptive family and goes into exile to care for the boy and wait until the time is right to challenge Sidious and the newly created Galactic Empire.

Sequel Trilogy

In The Force Awakens, set 30 years after Return of the Jedi, protagonist Rey (Daisy Ridley) hears Obi-Wan's voice as he touches the saber of light that previously belonged to Luke. Obi-Wan says Rey's name, before echoing the words of encouragement he gave Luke during his training on the Millennium Falcon : "These are your first steps." & # 3. 4;. James Arnold Taylor first recorded the lines for this scene, but his recordings were replaced by Ewan McGregor's voice acting. Obi-Wan's "King" is an edited voice recording of Alec Guinness saying 'fear'.

In The Last Jedi, Luke indirectly mentions Obi-Wan while talking to Rey about the fall of the Jedi. He is also mentioned in Leia's message when R2-D2 touches him in an attempt to inspire Luke to help the Resistance against the tyrannical First Order. According to the film's writer-director Rian Johnson,

I would have loved having Ewan McGregor in the movie, but it was just a matter of narration. The original relationship with Obi Wan: obviously, if Alec Guinness were still with us, that would have made sense. But we never saw Luke interacting with Obi Wan's Ewan version, so there's less emotional connection and it could have been a little weird... so it made sense for Yoda to come back and kick Luke's ass a little bit.

In The Rise of Skywalker, Rey hears the voice of Obi-Wan along with other Jedi from the past as she battles a resurrected Palpatine, revealed to be her grandfather and the mastermind of the First Order. Obi-Wan tells him: 'These are your final steps, Rey. Rise up and take them... King... Rise up". The voices of McGregor and Guinness are used, again with a recording of Guinness saying 'fear'; and is reused to say "King".

Television

Clone Wars (2003) and The Clone Wars (2008–2014; 2020)

Obi-Wan Kenobi is a main character in the animated microseries Star Wars: Clone Wars and the CGI animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, voiced by James Arnold Taylor. In both series, Obi-Wan is a general in the Clone Wars, and he and Anakin (voiced in each series respectively by Mat Lucas and Matt Lanter) have many adventures fighting the Separatists. During this time, Obi-Wan's diplomatic skills earned him the nickname 'The Negotiator'. due to his reputation for preventing and stopping battles without the use of weapons. The latest series highlights his numerous clashes with General Grievous, his adversarial relationship with Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress (voiced by Nika Futterman), his romance with Duchess Satine Kryze (voiced by Anna Graves), and the return of his old enemy Darth Maul.

Rebels (2014-2018)

In Star Wars Rebels, set five years before A New Hope, Obi-Wan appears as a hologram in the pilot episode, "Spark of Rebellion& #3. 4;. In the season 3 episode 'Visions and Voices', protagonist Ezra Bridger (voiced by Taylor Gray) discovers that Obi-Wan is alive on Tatooine; Obi-Wan's old nemesis, Darth Maul, also finds it. In the episode " Twin Suns & # 34;, Obi-Wan finds Ezra while he is lost in the desert and lets him know that Maul intended to use him. At that moment, Maul attacks them, and Obi-Wan orders Ezra to stand down. Obi-Wan mortally wounds Maul during a final lightsaber duel; With his dying breath, Maul asks Obi-Wan if he is protecting the "Chosen One", and Obi-Wan says yes. After Maul's death, Obi-Wan is seen watching over Luke Skywalker from a distance.

In Rebels, Obi-Wan was voiced by Stephen Stanton, who replaced James Arnold Taylor. Rebels creator Dave Filoni, who worked with the character for the entire duration of Star Wars: The Clone Wars , said he considered asking McGregor to reprise and voice paper. However, a voice recording of the late Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi was used in a 2018 episode.

The Bad Batch (2021)

Obi-Wan appears in a non-speaking cameo in the premiere episode of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Aftermath. He is shown in the prologue rescuing Palpatine with Anakin.

Tales of the Jedi

Obi-Wan appears in the Practice make Perfect episode of Tales of the Jedi. He is shown attending Ahsoka's training at the Jedi Temple.

Novels and comics

Obi-Wan Kenobi appears briefly in the novel Dark Disciple (2015), based on unfinished episodes of The Clone Wars. He develops a friendship between himself and Quinlan Vos.

In the novelization of The Last Jedi (2017) written by Jason Fry, Luke hears Obi-Wan's voice as he becomes one with the Force, telling him to "let go& #3. 4;.

Marvel Comics' five-issue miniseries Obi-Wan and Anakin focuses on the main characters between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. In the 2015 Star Wars comic book series, Luke Skywalker goes to Obi-Wan's abandoned home on Tatooine and finds his journal, which tells of stories from Obi-Wan's past..

Obi-Wan appears as a main character in the novel Master and Apprentice (2019) by Claudia Gray, set before the events of The Phantom Menace. The book details his relationship with his Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Jinn. He is also a main character in Mike Chen's novel Brotherhood (2022), set at the beginning of the Clone Wars. Obi-Wan appears as the protagonist of the novel Star Wars Padawan (2022) by Kiersten White, which explores the character's early years as an apprentice.

Powers and abilities

Sir Alec Guinness played Obi Wan in episodes IV, V and VI of the Star Wars saga

“Obi-Wan is a great mentor; as wise as Master Yoda, and as powerful as Master Windu.”

With these words Anakin Skywalker describes his Jedi master during "Attack of the Clones".

Obi-Wan is one of the most skilled and powerful Jedi, having risen to his level through his own merit. In recognition of his merit, he was granted a place on the Coruscant Jedi Council. Like other Jedi, Obi-Wan possesses a knowledge of the Force that grants him telepathic abilities, the use of Jedi mind tricks, clairvoyance, telekinesis, and the ability to perform great leaps, the latter sometimes as part of the various techniques of lightsaber combat he has learned.

Within both the Star Wars Canon Universe and the Expanded Universe, Obi-Wan has defeated a long list of enemies, ranging from Trade Federation droids, gangsters, and bounty hunters, to more powerful foes like Darth Maul, General Grievous and the young Darth Vader, among others.

In addition, during his exile on Tatooine, he learned the method of becoming one with the Force and achieving immortality.

Actors who played Obi Wan in film and television

Scottish actor Ewan McGregor played Obi Wan in Episodes I, II and III of the saga.

In the original Star Wars trilogy (Episodes IV, V and VI) Obi Wan was played by British actor Sir Alec Guinness. Later in the prequels (Episodes I, II and III) the role was played by Scottish actor Ewan McGregor. Other actors who provided the voice for the character in animated series and films are Seth Green (Robot Chicken - Star Wars), James Arnold Taylor (Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and Samuel Vincent (Lego Star Wars, Yoda chronicles).

Obi-Wan in other media

Obi-Wan's character is mentioned along with other Star Wars characters throughout the different seasons of the animated series The Simpsons. In the chapter "Mayored to the Mod" Known in Spanish-speaking countries as "Encuentro con la mafia", Mark Hamill attends a fan convention dressed as Luke. Later, a great stir is unleashed among the people, when Hamill announces that he is going to represent a part of a scene from Star Wars and asks for a volunteer for the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Obi-Wan is the main character of the Xbox video game of the same name. He is also one of the playable characters of the PS1 video game titles "Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles" and "Star Wars Episode I", also appearing as a minor non-playable character, in other titles such as Super Nintendos Star Wars.

Obi Wan spin-off

Movie

For a long time there was speculation that the Obi-Wan character could get his own movie or even a spin-off trilogy. This speculation would have arisen from the enormous popularity that the character would achieve, after the prequels created by George Lucas together with the Clone Wars series where Obi-Wan Kenobi is a leading figure.

By January 2018 there was still no official confirmation that said film was going to be made, although more speculation and some controversy arose from a video edited with scenes of Ewan McGregor in the film "Last Days in the Desert".

Even more recent rumors indicate that the film about Obi-Wan could enter the development stage as of the second half of 2019. Neither Disney nor Lucasfilm have officially confirmed this news, but the US portal Movieweb, the film would remain in pre-production while filming on Star Wars: Episode 9 is taking place at that time of year. In this way, the recordings of the Obi-Wan Kenobi Spin Off would begin in the second half of 2019. Many fans of the saga hope that Ewan Mcgregor, an actor who played Obi-Wan in the prequels and will also make a short cameo with his voice in Star Wars Episode VII, is the actor chosen to embody the character again, although McGregor himself declared that he is not yet aware of the project. It is also speculated that the actor Liam Neeson, who stated that he would like to reprise the role of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, could co-star in the Spin Off, although as in the case of McGregor, until June 2018 he has not had an official confirmation from Lucasfilm.

Series

Finally, in 2020, following the immense success of The Mandalorian series, Disney confirmed that they were developing a television series about the Obi-Wan character. This series will star McGregor and will be released on Disney+, presumably on May 25, 2022. The series will have six one-hour episodes each and will be set 10 years after the events narrated in Episode III. Filming officially began in April 2021, thus ending on September 21 of the same year.

Significance within the Star Wars universe (canon)

Obi-Wan is a character who shaped the history of Star Wars, being a participant in most of the transversal events that shaped the galaxy even after his death. Kenobi was the first Jedi Knight to defeat a Sith in a millennium when he ripped Maul in half, taking training from the Chosen of the Force, whom he tutored in the Jedi arts and achieved a brotherly relationship. Obi-Wan would discover the clone army that would be the army of the Republic for the so-called clone wars. He was a transversal figure of the clone war, so much so that he himself was the one who ended the war when together with Anakin Skywalker he managed to finish off Dooku and ending it in its entirety when he assassinated Greveous. Kenobi would also be one of the few Jedi to survive Order 66, taking refuge with Yoda and separating to individually face the two monarchs of the empire, Obi-Wan would face Darth Vader and obtain victory, while Yoda would not be able to defeat Sidius., causing both of them to go into exile in order to train a future Jedi who will be able to defeat the emperor. Obi-Wan would instruct Luke Skywalker who would ultimately redeem Anakin by taking down Sidius and both Death Stars.

Teacher Succession Line

Appearances

Out of canon: