Here' Obi-Wan's greatest Star Wars moments (from our certain point of view)
Luke Skywalker once referred to Obi-Wan Kenobi as ‘Old Ben’ which belies the truth of the greatness that rests on the shoulders of one of the few Jedi that actually, truly made a difference in the struggle to bring balance to the Force. Indeed Han and Leia named their son Ben.
Obi-Wan has appeared in every Star Wars movie in some shape or form so he’s had plenty of opportunities to get in on the action.
Here’s what are our favorite moments of the character, be they quotes, saber fights or misdirection.
By the time Obi-Wan and Luke visit Mos Eisley's Chalmun's Cantina bar, we haven't quite got the measure of Obi-Wan. He's demonstrated some smarts with dealing with the Sand People and showed us a Jedi mind trick to great effect.
But he's just a creaky old man right?
Not so, my young Padawan!
As Ponda Baba and his mate Dr. Evazan try to pick a fight with Luke, Obi-Wan politely intercedes with a friendly, "this little one's not worth it" which brings no result. As Ponda presses further Obi-Wan cuts his arm off with his own lightsaber.
We learn at that moment Obi-Wan was a take no prisoners kind of guy and to be regarded quite seriously.
Fun fact: Empire's assassin droid IG-88 was made from recycled Cantina bar parts!
Here’s what are our favorite moments of the character, be they quotes, saber fights or misdirection.
This little one's not worth it
By the time Obi-Wan and Luke visit Mos Eisley's Chalmun's Cantina bar, we haven't quite got the measure of Obi-Wan. He's demonstrated some smarts with dealing with the Sand People and showed us a Jedi mind trick to great effect.
But he's just a creaky old man right?
Not so, my young Padawan!
As Ponda Baba and his mate Dr. Evazan try to pick a fight with Luke, Obi-Wan politely intercedes with a friendly, "this little one's not worth it" which brings no result. As Ponda presses further Obi-Wan cuts his arm off with his own lightsaber.
We learn at that moment Obi-Wan was a take no prisoners kind of guy and to be regarded quite seriously.
When he took down General Grievous
Grevious had been fairly successful in his turn as Supreme Commander of the Droid Army during the much vaunted Clone Wars so much so that he was a feared opponent for all those taking part in the Clone Wars.
So it would have been hugely pleasing for General Kenobi to have beaten him in their fight in Revenge of the Sith.
If Jedi were to have feelings, that is.
We think this fight with Grevious was great as it was a battle of wills, featured some badass saber movies by Grevious and ending with Kenobi delivering a classic line about guns being "So uncivilized".
Fun fact: Grevious' walk was inspired by the film vampire, Nosferatu.
When he took down Darth Maul
Admit it, you felt pained when Darth Maul killed Qui-Gon Jin in The Phantom Menace.
But you damn well loved it when Obi-Wan did a Force flip, grabbed his saber and split Maul in two.
Arguably one of the best sword movements in Star Wars, it was a standout moment in TPM.
Arguably one of the best sword movements in Star Wars, it was a standout moment in TPM.
The two fellows had a rematch of sorts in The Clone Wars but it just wasn't the same for this viewer.
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As a young child watching Star Wars for the first time, I was briefly confused when Kenobi appeared to give up his fight with Vader when he saw Luke.
Why would you do that?!
I was even more surprised when Kenobi's body seemed to have disappeared as if by some magic. Turns out that was the Force, yolo!
As an older child, I understood the look that Old Ben had.
He knew he was about to become more powerful than Vader could have ever imagined and in doing so he would be able to guide and inspire young Luke. And so he gives Darth Vader this telling look and adds a wry smile to it.
That took balls.
And anyway, like 13 seconds later Obi-Wan is telling Luke to "Run Luke, Run" via the Force... so it paid off.
The passing of the torch in a sense. Kenobi's world had fallen apart, his Jedi life over, his friends all dead.
He was going to ‘watch over the boy’ and this moment gave way two the final shot of ROTS, Luke’s two new guardians against the background of Tatooine’s two suns setting– echoing the famous scene of Luke doing the same in A New Hope.
It's great to know someone is looking out for her. This call from the Force echoes prior calls Obi-Wan made to Luke and also how Qui-Gon Gin reached out to Anakin in Attack of the Clones.
That 'look' he gave Vader just after he saw Luke on the Death Star
As a young child watching Star Wars for the first time, I was briefly confused when Kenobi appeared to give up his fight with Vader when he saw Luke.
Why would you do that?!
I was even more surprised when Kenobi's body seemed to have disappeared as if by some magic. Turns out that was the Force, yolo!
As an older child, I understood the look that Old Ben had.
He knew he was about to become more powerful than Vader could have ever imagined and in doing so he would be able to guide and inspire young Luke. And so he gives Darth Vader this telling look and adds a wry smile to it.
That took balls.
And anyway, like 13 seconds later Obi-Wan is telling Luke to "Run Luke, Run" via the Force... so it paid off.
"Use the Force Luke!"
This was the summation of every part of Obi-Wan in A New Hope. He had taught Luke as much as he could in the short time they had together.
In the knowledge he could become a Force ghost to watch over him, he had died in the hope that it (c)would spur Luke on to defeat the Evil Empire.
His guidance at this very moment in the Battle of Yavin directly led to Luke bringing down the Death Star and setting him on a path to assist with Vader's ultimate redemption (though he probably now believed Luke was actually the Chosen One).
Then you are lost!
The final saber duel between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader in Revenge of the Sith was the culmination of three movies that explained how Darth Vader become Darth Vader. And at the end of the day, one moment of anger and rage and fear lead to Anakin thinking he could best his mentor even though it was clearly explained to him that Obi-Wan had the higher ground.
Obi-Wan had no choice but to defend himself and so cut off Anakin's legs and arm. And then he picked up Little Orphan Annie's saber and walked away leaving him to die.
That was brutal.
In the knowledge he could become a Force ghost to watch over him, he had died in the hope that it (c)would spur Luke on to defeat the Evil Empire.
His guidance at this very moment in the Battle of Yavin directly led to Luke bringing down the Death Star and setting him on a path to assist with Vader's ultimate redemption (though he probably now believed Luke was actually the Chosen One).
When he fought Vader for the second time and left him for dead
Then you are lost!
The final saber duel between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader in Revenge of the Sith was the culmination of three movies that explained how Darth Vader become Darth Vader. And at the end of the day, one moment of anger and rage and fear lead to Anakin thinking he could best his mentor even though it was clearly explained to him that Obi-Wan had the higher ground.
Obi-Wan had no choice but to defend himself and so cut off Anakin's legs and arm. And then he picked up Little Orphan Annie's saber and walked away leaving him to die.
That was brutal.
He also was not dealing in absolutes.
A classic line that became mocked by many fans for being very incorrect as the original trilogy showed the stormtroopers were pretty bad shots. But at that point in the movie, it served a purpose to show how strong willed and evil the Empire was.
If you'd managed to live through 'Order 66' like Obi-Wan had, you could forgive him for thinking about stormtrooper precision when being confronted with the Empire for the first time in nearly 20 years.
"And these blast points, too accurate for sand people. Only Imperial stormtroopers are so precise"
A classic line that became mocked by many fans for being very incorrect as the original trilogy showed the stormtroopers were pretty bad shots. But at that point in the movie, it served a purpose to show how strong willed and evil the Empire was.
If you'd managed to live through 'Order 66' like Obi-Wan had, you could forgive him for thinking about stormtrooper precision when being confronted with the Empire for the first time in nearly 20 years.
When he passes Luke to Aunt Beru at the end of Revenge of the Sith
The passing of the torch in a sense. Kenobi's world had fallen apart, his Jedi life over, his friends all dead.
He was going to ‘watch over the boy’ and this moment gave way two the final shot of ROTS, Luke’s two new guardians against the background of Tatooine’s two suns setting– echoing the famous scene of Luke doing the same in A New Hope.
Rey! These are your first steps...
We are throwing in Obi-Wan's brief words to Rey during her flashback sequence as it was so unexpected in The Force Awakens.It's great to know someone is looking out for her. This call from the Force echoes prior calls Obi-Wan made to Luke and also how Qui-Gon Gin reached out to Anakin in Attack of the Clones.
When he lied to Luke
We did not know it at the time but when Obi-Wan took Luke to his home on Tatooine, he lied to Luke about the nature of his father's death.
Obi-Wan told Luke that his pupil Darth Vader killed his father Anakin.
The sequel proved this to be a lie, and the so called Dark Father naming conspiracy began.
Obi-Wan told Luke that his pupil Darth Vader killed his father Anakin.
The sequel proved this to be a lie, and the so called Dark Father naming conspiracy began.
For clarity, Old Ben did not lie when he said he couldn't recall owning any droids.
As he didn't. He never owned R2 nor C3PO.
As he didn't. He never owned R2 nor C3PO.
And of course, he wouldn't so readily give the 'game' away to Luke.
More things Kenobi:
- So how did they get Obi-Wan Kenobi into The Force Awakens?
- Was Gandalf the inspiration for Obi-Wan Kenobi?
- Is Wedge Antilles really Obi-Wan Kenobi's Uncle? Yes, from a certain point of view.
- Is the best ever cosplay of Obi-Wan Kenobi?
- The best Obi-Wan quotes this side of the galaxy (it’s far, far away)
- This is the last time Anakin and Obi-Wan spoke as friends
- Nothing to do with Kenobi, but this is the chronological order of the films.