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| “ | I sense a great disturbance in the Force...as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror...and then suddenly silenced. I feel that something terrible has happened. | „ |
| ~ Obi-Wan's famous reaction to the destruction of Alderaan |
Obi-Wan Kenobi (also known as Ben Kenobi) was a Jedi Master in the Star Wars franchise. He was one of the few main characters to appear in all six movies and helped to train Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Force in the original trilogy, while becoming the deuteragonist of the prequel trilogy. Obi-Wan is also the deuteragonist in the TV show Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He was the apprentice of Jedi master, Qui-Gon Jinn, and later the master of Anakin Skywalker.
He appeared in all three films in the original trilogy, serving as the secondary tritagonist in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope and a posthumous character in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of The Jedi. He also appeared in all three films in the prequel trilogy, serving as one of the two main protagonists of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, and the deuteragonist of Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.
He was also the deuteragonist of the 2008 Star Wars: The Clone Wars film and series.
He was portrayed by the late Alec Guiness as the elder Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original trilogy, Ewan McGregor as a younger Obi-Wan Kenobi in the prequel trilogy and voiced by James Arnold Taylor in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars 2008 film and TV Series.
History
The Phantom Menace
In 32 BBY, twenty-five year old Kenobi and his Master Qui-Gon Jinn headed for the planet Naboo on a mission to resolve a trade dispute. They arrived on the Trade Federation flagship Saak'ak where they were betrayed by the Trade Federation Viceroy, Nute Gunray. The two Jedi escaped to Naboo's surface and eventually met the Otolla Gungan outcast, Jar Jar Binks. Binks agreed to take the two to safety in his underwater home city of Otoh Gunga (A.K.A. Gunga City) where they were taken to Boss Rugor Nass. Jinn persuaded Boss Nass to let them go and were given both Binks (Binks swore a life debt to Jinn for saving his life) and transportation to Theed, the capital city of Naboo.
While there, they rescued Queen Amidala from the Trade Defense Force and departed for Coruscant, the Galactic Republic's capital planet, to ask for help from the Senate. An astromech droid named R2-D2 managed to repair the Queen's starship and they narrowly escaped an attack from Federation battleships.
Due to the damage the ship's hyperdrive sustained in the attack, the Queen's party was forced to land on the desert planet of Tatooine for repairs. Jinn decided to head to the nearest city, Mos Espa, leaving Kenobi to guard the Queen and her servants. A couple days later, Jinn returned with the necessary components for the hyperdrive and a little nine year old boy named Anakin Skywalker. Before they could reach the ship, Jinn was openly ambushed by Darth Maul (Darth Sidious' Sith apprentice) and escaped on the ship, presumably leaving Maul stranded on Tatooine. Afterwards, Jinn officially introduced both Skywalker and Kenobi.
When the ship finally made its way to Coruscant, Jinn and Kenobi were greeted by Republic Senator Palpatine and were taken to the Jedi Temple, where they informed the Jedi High Council of Anakin's powerful connection to the Force. The Council then requested that Anakin be brought before them in order to judge if he was worthy to join the Jedi Order. After performing various test on Anakin, they refused to recruit him in the Order on account of him being too old to join. Jinn then decided to train him as his unofficial padawan, despite the protests of both the Council and Kenobi. While this was going on, Queen Amidala decided to return to Naboo and confront the Trade Federation.
Amidala, accompanied by Jinn, Kenobi, and Skywalker, pleaded for assistance from the Gungans. Agreeing to help, the Gungans volunteered to battle the droid army on the front lines while the rest infiltrated Theed Palace.
Upon successfully storming the Palace, the queen, her troops, and the Jedi were halted by Darth Maul. Jinn and Kenobi offered to face against Maul while the rest confronted Viceroy Gunray (An offer the Queen quickly accepted).
As the fierce duel ensued, Jinn, Kenobi, and Maul were separated by a force field in the entrance to the Generator Room. When the force fields deactivated, Jinn and the Sith continued their battle while Kenobi remained divided from the battle by one force field when they all reactivated. Maul suddenly hit Qui-Gon Jinn on the chin with his lightsaber handle, stunning him, and then rammed his lightsaber straight into Qui-Gon's chest, mortally wounding him.
Heartbroken, Kenobi redoubled his assault upon Darth Maul and chopped Maul's lightsaber in half, but the Sith almost killed Kenobi when he Force-pushed him to the edge of a melting pit. Kenobi saved himself from falling when he manages to grab onto a pipe protruding from the wall of the pit. Darth Maul then kicked the Jedi's lightsaber into the pit and prepared to finish him off. Struggling to maintain his grip, the Padawan calmed himself, using the Force to jump out of the pit and summoned his fallen Master's lightsaber to his hand. Within an instant he landed behind the surprised Maul and cut him in half, leaving the Sith's body falling into the pit.
Just before passing away, Qui-Gon instructed Obi-Wan to train Anakin to become a Jedi as a promise. Obi-Wan gave his word that he will. The newly-elected Chancellor Palpatine arrived to congratulate Queen Amidala on her victory, as Nute Gunray was sent to stand trial for his crimes.
After the battle, the Jedi Council named Obi-Wan a Jedi Knight. Kenobi conveyed his Master's wish regarding Anakin Skywalker to Jedi Grand Master Yoda, who reluctantly allowed him to become Obi-Wan's apprentice.
During Qui-Gon Jinn’s funeral, Kenobi reassured Anakin that the latter will become a Jedi under Kenobi’s tutelage.
Attack Of The Clones
Fourteen years after the duel of Darth Maul and Qui-Gon's death, Obi-Wan Kenobi is now a respected Jedi Knight and the master of Anakin Skywalker. The two have formed a close friendship, although Anakin is arrogant and believes his master is "holding him back". After they save Senator Padmé Amidala from an assassination attempt, Obi-Wan goes on a solo mission and traces the bounty hunters involved to the planet Kamino. There, he learns of a massive clone army that the planet's inhabitants are building for the Republic. He is introduced to bounty hunter Jango Fett, the clones' template, and the two fight after Obi-Wan deduces that Fett must be behind the attempted assassination. Fett escapes to the planet Geonosis with his clone son while Obi-Wan is in pursuit.
On Geonosis, Obi-Wan discovers that a conspiracy of star systems bent on secession from the Republic is led by Sith Lord Count Dooku, Qui-Gon's old master. After sending a message to Anakin, Obi-Wan is captured, interrogated and sentenced to death by Dooku. A cadre of Jedi arrive with the Kaminoan clone army just in time to prevent the executions. Obi-Wan and Anakin confront Dooku during the ensuing battle, but are defeated in a lightsaber duel. Yoda intervenes and saves their lives, at the cost of Dooku's escape.
Clone Wars movie
Clone Wars series
Revenge Of The Sith
Three years after dueling Dooku on Geonosis, Obi-Wan was piloting his starfighter with Anakin to rescue the Chancellor from Grievous and was almost killed by Buzz droids until Anakin saved him and help him make a safe landing in the Invisible Hand. When R2 operated the elevator to go down he told R2 that they need to go up not down. When the elevator went up he draws out his blade only to realize its Anakin not an enemy. When Dooku attempts to stop the rescue of Palpatine Obi-Wan was knocked out unconscious by Dooku and was knocked out until after Dooku dies and the trio is in the Elevator tunnel.
When they try to escape the Invisible Hand they were trapped by a Ray-shield and brought to Grievous where they escape capture and was about to make Grievous surrender until the cyborg threw the magnaguard staff at the glass and the Separatist general escapes while the Jedi tries to make the doomed cruiser do a safe landing. After Palpatine was saved Kenobi heads back to the Jedi Temple just to report that Grievous has escaped and during one of the Jedi councils meetings the Jedi order made Anakin spy on Palpatine and Kenobi goes on a hunt for Grievous on Utapau. When Anakin and Kenobi say their goodbyes Kenobi and his clone commander Cody heads to Utapau to search for Grievous. Kenobi ordered his men to don't attack until he confirmed that Grievous is there.
When he arrived on the Separatist controlled planet the people there told Kenobi they are being held hostage with over thousands of battle droids and Obi-Wan ordered his droid to pilot his starfighter back to the fleet. When Kenobi found his arch-enemy Grievou he heard the Separatist council is being moved to Mustafar and after they leave he destroyed 4 Magnaguards by making a huge object fall on them and used his lightsaber to cut one of their heads off and prepares to battle the cyborg. Despite the generals 4 arms he managed to gain the upper hand while his clone troopers attacked the battle droids. Grievous eventually heads on a wheeled vehicle to try to escape with Kenobi chasing him down.
Eventually the two made it to Grievous' starfighter and after exposing the Generals organs beneath his armor he used the force to pull his blaster towards him and shoot the general five times till Grievous explodes in a fiery doom. After the generals demise and receiving his lost lightsaber from Cody the clones turned on him by ordering an AT-TE to shoot him but they missed and Kenobi escapes Utapau by using Grievous' starfighter to get off the planet and contact Bail about his clones turning on him and learned that the other Jedi suffered from the clone troopers' betrayal. He and Yoda head to the Jedi temple and learned about how Anakin massacred everyone including the younglings till there is no Jedi alive in the temple. Kenobi wants Yoda to send him after the Emperor because he says Anakin is like his brother but Yoda told him the boy he trained and raised is gone and consumed by Darth Vader and Kenobi isn't strong enough to fight Sidious.
He then heads to Padme to tell her the bad news and learned that Anakin is the father which caused her to find Anakin on Mustafar only for Kenobi to secretly stowaway with her on her starship. After he reveals himself to Padme and her husband Vader strangles his wife with the force and then fought Obi-Wan in a battle of the men across the lava filled planet. When Obi-Wan warned Vader to not to do it Vader jumped near Kenobi and resulted in Vader got defeated when Kenobi cut off his legs and his left hand and left him to burn by the lava while Kenobi collects his former Padawans lightsaber and leave just to try to save Padme and her twins.
After the birth of Leia and Luke Padme told Kenobi that there is still good in Vader before dying and Kenobi decided that to keep the kids safe from Vader they had to be separated from each other with Bail Organa care for Leia while Kenobi watches over Luke after he delivers him to Owen and Beru Lars.
Rebels
A New Hope
Nineteen years after the Duel on Mustafar and delivering Luke to the Lars family, he exiled on Tatooine to watch over Luke. Tusken Raiders were attacking Luke and Obi-Wan made the sound of a Krayt Dragon, a creature that the sand people (AKA Tusken Raiders) are afraid of. When Luke asked if he knew Obi-Wan Kenobi he explained that he did and in fact was him. Obi-Wan then took Luke, R2-D2 and C-3PO to his house for protection. R2 had secret Death Star plans and a message for Obi-Wan by Leia Organa which said to send R2-D2 to Alderaan to Senator Bail Organa. Obi-Wan then gave Luke his father's Lightsaber.
Obi-Wan and the others travelled to Mos Esley Spaceport to find a pilot to take them to Alderaan. Hopefully they found Captain Han Solo, and Chewbacca, Han's first mate. Han and Chewbacca took Obi-Wan, Luke and the droids to their ship The Millennium Falcon. On the Millennium Falcon Obi-Wan gave Luke Basic Jedi Training.
In the meantime, The Millennium Falcon was being tractor-beamed by the Death Star. While Luke and Han rescue Leia disguised as Stormtroopers, Obi-Wan manages to disable the tractor-beam. Obi-Wan then encounters his former apprentice, Darth Vader on the Death Star and they dueled. While Luke and the others are able to flee from the Death Star, Obi-Wan decides to sacrifice himself for Luke and Vader cuts him down as his body disappears leaving only his robe and lightsaber and Luke is forced to flee as the Millennium Falcon leaves the Death Star and Luke mourns the loss of Obi-Wan.
During the battle on the Death Star, Obi-Wan tells Luke to use the force as a spirit to help him not give up before Han returns to tell Luke to destroy the Death Star once and for all. After the destruction of the Death Star, Obi-Wan tells Luke that the force will always be with him before Luke returns to Yavin IV.
Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back
He reappears as a force ghost to Luke and tells him to find Yoda to continue his training in the ways of the Jedi. Obi-Wan later tried to advise Luke to stay in Dagobah but Luke refused to listen.
Star Wars VI: Return Of The Jedi
One year after the Battle of Hoth, he reappear to Luke and explained why he lied to Luke about his father. Luke still believed that his father has some good in him. This was proven true when Darth Vader saved Luke Skywalker from Palpatine only to die himself. Obi-Wan watch Luke and the rebels celebrate their victory with Yoda and Anakin Skywalker. He is last seen with Yoda and his apprentice, Anakin bidding farewell to Luke and Leia.
Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens
Thirty years after the destruction of the second Death Star and bidding Luke and Leia farewell as a force ghost along with Yoda and Anakin, Obi-Wan is referenced when Rey hears his voice as a guide, telling her that these are her steps.
Personality
Young Obi-Wan Kenobi
In his youth, Obi-Wan exhibited a dry sense of humor and sarcastic wit, with a rebellious nature and had to deal with much emotional anxiety.
In his later years, Obi-Wan became brave, humble, modest, soft-spoken, loyal, moral, honorable, calm, level-headed, patient, peaceful, selfless, cautious, kind, caring, serious, responsible, discipline, and slightly headstrong, though he retained some of his former cynicism. He had an habit of repeating the Jedi Code mentally to himself as this brought him peace and calmed his thoughts. Despite his many commendable attributes, he was also hypocritical and slightly arrogant, as he often criticized and lectured those who violated the Jedi Code, especially his then-apprentice Anakin Skywalker. However, he once did it himself when he had a romantic relationship with Satine Kryze; a romance that the Jedi High Council were unaware of. He also held a strong belief that "only a Sith deals in absolutes", but this belief itself was an absolute.
Despite his honor and good morals, Obi-Wan rarely did the right thing due to blindly following rules and orders.
As a Jedi, Obi-Wan was intelligent and wise. However, like most Jedi Masters, he was somewhat short-sighted, as he apparently did not realize that his constant lies and deceit towards Anakin, as well as keeping secrets from him, was slowly turning his best friend against the Jedi Order. Obi-Wan never defended him from the Jedi Council in his presence, even when Anakin was right and they treated him unfairly. However, unknown to Anakin, Obi-Wan did defend him from the Council, after he would leave the council chamber.
During his exile, Obi-Wan came to believe that what had happened to Anakin was largely his fault, and that it had been arrogant of him to think that he could have trained Anakin as well as Yoda could have. He believed that his shortcomings as a teacher left Anakin vulnerable to the Emperor's influence.
In his final days, Obi-Wan retained his traits of patience, virtue and foresight as well as gaining some of the boldness reminiscent of his youth.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- The Force: Obi-Wan was extremely powerful and had an extremely strong connection to the Force. Although he was not quite as powerful as Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan was still one of the most powerful Force-users in the history of the galaxy. During a conversation with Padmé Amidala, Anakin described Obi-Wan as being "as wise as Yoda and as powerful as Mace Windu".
- Telekinesis: Obi-Wan was highly skilled in the use of Telekinesis and utilized it either as offensive or defense.
- Force push: Obi-Wan utilized Force push to send his opponents flying through the air, causing them serious injury or temporarily incapacitating them/knocked them unconscious.
- Force pull: Obi-Wan utilized Force pull to pull his opponents or objects towards him.
- Force Crush: Obi-Wan utilized Force Crush to crush objects or droids.
- Force jump: Obi-Wan utilized Force jump to jump or leap at great distances.
- Force Dash: Obi-Wan utilized Force Dash to move great distances in short bursts of amazing speed.
- Mind trick: Obi-Wan utilized Mind trick to control the minds of other sentient beings, however, it did not work on individuals who have very strong wills.
- Beast Control: Obi-Wan utilized Taming beasts to control the minds of other animals.
- Force sense: Obi-Wan utilized Force sense to sense another sentient being's emotions, the future, ripples in the Force caused by momentous or traumatic events, impending danger and the presence of the Dark side.
- Force Ghost: Obi-Wan learned how to retain his identity through the Force from Yoda and the disembodied spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn, who in turn learned it from the Force Priestesses. He became a Force spirit upon being struck down by Darth Vader and retained his identity through the Force, allowing him to become immortal.
- Telekinesis: Obi-Wan was highly skilled in the use of Telekinesis and utilized it either as offensive or defense.
Abilities
- Lightsaber Skills: Obi-Wan was extremely skilled in lightsaber combat and a highly gifted duelist. Although he was more than capable of using offensive and counter techniques, he focused more on defensive techniques. Despite this, he was still one of the greatest lightsaber duelists in the history of the galaxy, prior to the events of A New Hope, being responsible for the defeats of Sith Lord Darth Maul and infamous Jedi Killer General Grievous, respectively. He was also able to defeat his former apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, now the ruthless Sith Lord Darth Vader, in a massive duel on Mustafar; despite being on the defensive throughout the fight, Obi-Wan was eventually able to gain the high ground over Vader and dismembered the rage-filled Sith Lord when he recklessly jumped towards him; indeed, Obi-Wan's plan in defeating opponents such as Vader focused on exploiting their weaknesses in an area of the battlefield where Obi-Wan was at his strongest and they at their most vulnerable. However, by the events of A New Hope, having gone for approximately nineteen years without a duel or practice, Obi-Wan's strength and skills had greatly diminished and atrophied. In his final confrontation with Vader, he was only able to hold his own against his former apprentice for a relatively short period of time; due to his age, lack of practice, and the sheer physical force of Vader's attacks, Obi-Wan quickly became exhausted. Realizing his death was inevitable as well as the fact that he could not defeat Vader and would only be able to hold him at bay, he willingly left himself wide open for an attack and sacrificed himself to allow Luke to escape.
- Form III: Obi-Wan was a master of Soresu; in fact, he was so skilled at it that he was considered by many to be not a master of Soresu, but the master of Soresu.
- Form IV: Obi-Wan was extremely skilled in Ataru.
- Form V: Obi-Wan was highly skilled in Shien/Djem So.
- Form VI: Obi-Wan was highly skilled in Niman.
- Jar'Kai: Although Obi-Wan usually used only one lightsaber, he was highly skilled in Jar'Kai. Although not a master of the technique, he was skilled at it enough that he was able to hold his own very well against the combined might of Darth Maul and his brother Savage Oppress, slicing off the latter's arm.
- Expert Hand-To-Hand Combatant: Obi-Wan was highly skilled in unarmed combat.
- Expert Marksman: Obi-Wan was extremely proficient in the use of firearms. Ironically, despite his skill as a marksman, Obi-Wan was fairly disdainful of blasters in general, considering them "clumsy", "random" and "uncivilized".
- Skilled Pilot: Obi-Wan was very skilled in piloting most speeders and most types of flying crafts. Ironically, despite his piloting skills, Obi-Wan openly disliked flying, claiming "flying is for droids".
- High-Level Intellect/Master Tactician/Leader: Obi-Wan was highly intelligent; his intelligence and wisdom was surpassed only by Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Yoda and Palpatine. As a Jedi General, Obi-Wan was a highly skilled tactician and a capable leader. His formidable mind allowed him to easily adapt to and exploit an opponent's weaknesses in battle, especially when combined with his masterful dueling abilities. In his final confrontation against Vader, Obi-Wan attempted to exploit the latter's weaknesses; however this completely backfired, due to the fact that his former apprentice learned from his mistake on Mustafar and used Obi-Wan's own tactics against him.
Weapons and Equipment
Lightsabers
Obi-Wan's valued weapon and possession was his blue-bladed lightsaber, he had only had three lightsabers and one temporary lightsaber.
- First Lightsaber: Obi-Wan used a blue-bladed lightsaber as a Jedi Padawan. It resembles Qui-Gon Jinn's lightsaber, but with a ball-shaped end. He used it throughout The Phantom Menace, but lost it in a fight with Darth Maul who kicks it into the hole in the refinery complex chamber. That made him have to use his mentor's green-bladed lightsaber, although he's not seen again with it.
- Qui-Gon's Lightsaber: Obi-Wan used Qui-Gon's lightsaber temporary between the events of The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones until he rebuild his blue-bladed lightsaber.
- Second Lightsaber: Obi-Wan rebuilt his blue-bladed lightsaber, using it throughout Attack of the Clones until he is captured by the Separatists. It's design is very identical to his previous one from the events of The Phantom Menace. He was last scene using it while fighting off battle droids and being overwhelmed by them in a holographic message. He was given another spare blue-bladed lightsaber in the battle of Geonosis by a Jedi. He fought Dooku with this weapon and gave it to Anakin, who was given a green-bladed lightsaber when his was destroyed. Anakin used this lightsaber with his spare green-bladed lightsaber, which he then lost. This spare blue lightsaber was dropped and presumably recovered by the Jedi after Anakin himself was defeated by Dooku.
- Third Lightsaber: By the time of the events of Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan had built a new blue lightsaber, this time designed differently from the last two, which he uses to fight Count Dooku a second time, General Grievous and Anakin twice, the second time he was fighting Anakin as Darth Vader. He continued to use it during his 19-year exile on Tatooine until his final duel with Darth Vader on the Death Star during their rematch in A New Hope. It remains unknown what happened to the weapon after Obi-Wan's death. It's possible that Vader took it with him as a trophy, had it destroyed or if not then it was destroyed with the Death Star. Luke Skywalker's second, green-bladed lightsaber would greatly resemble this weapon, as he had used its schematics as the base for making his own.
Trivia
- In the Prequel Trilogy, Obi-Wan had light brown hair when he was young while in the Original Trilogy, he has gray hair, due to his aging.
- Both actors who portrayed Obi-Wan disliked the role.
- He returns in the Angry Birds: Star Wars. His actor is Bomb, and he can fire a burst of energy that causes objects to fly in the direction it headed.
