Obi-Wan Kenobi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Obi-Wan Kenobi |
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| Star Wars character | |
Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
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| First appearance | Star Wars (1977) |
| Created by | George Lucas |
| Portrayed by |
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| Voiced by |
as Ben Kenobi:
Other:
as Obi-Wan Kenobi:
Other:
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| Information | |
| Aliases | Ben Kenobi Old Ben |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Jedi |
| Affiliation | |
| Title |
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| Masters | Qui-Gon Jinn
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| Apprentices | |
| Homeworld | Stewjon |
Obi-Wan Kenobi is a very important character in the Star Wars stories. He is a wise Jedi Master who uses a special power called the Force. In the first Star Wars movies, called the original trilogy, Obi-Wan is an older mentor. He is played by the English actor Alec Guinness.
Later movies, called the prequel trilogy, show a younger Obi-Wan. Here, he is one of the main heroes, along with Anakin Skywalker. Scottish actor Ewan McGregor plays the younger Obi-Wan.
In the original movies, he hides from the evil Empire and uses the name Ben Kenobi. He teaches Luke Skywalker about the Jedi ways. Even after he sacrifices himself in a fight, Obi-Wan continues to guide Luke using the Force.
In the prequel movies, which happen much earlier, Obi-Wan starts as a Padawan (a Jedi student) to Master Qui-Gon Jinn. He then becomes the teacher and friend of Anakin, who later turns to the dark side of the Force and becomes Darth Vader. Obi-Wan's voice also appears briefly in the newest Star Wars movies, the sequel trilogy. He is a main character in many other Star Wars stories, including the TV show Obi-Wan Kenobi, where Ewan McGregor plays him again.
Alec Guinness was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Obi-Wan. This is the only acting nomination for a Star Wars movie so far! Ewan McGregor also received praise for his performance in the prequel movies.
Obi-Wan's Adventures
The Skywalker Saga Films
Original Trilogy (1977–1983)
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Obi-Wan Kenobi first appears in the original Star Wars film as a 57-year-old man. He lives as a hermit (someone who lives alone) on the desert planet Tatooine. He uses the name Ben Kenobi to stay hidden.
One day, he saves 19-year-old Luke Skywalker and his droid C-3PO from some Tusken Raiders. At Obi-Wan's home, another droid, R2-D2, plays a message from Princess Leia. She asks Obi-Wan to deliver R2-D2, who carries secret plans, to her home planet of Alderaan. The plans are for the Empire's giant battle station, the Death Star.
Obi-Wan tells Luke that he is a Jedi, a warrior who uses the Force. He explains that the Empire hunted down and defeated the Jedi. He also says his former student, Darth Vader, helped the Empire and supposedly killed Luke's father. Obi-Wan gives Luke his father's lightsaber and asks him to join him to Alderaan for Jedi training.
Luke first says no. But after Imperial soldiers kill his aunt and uncle, he decides to go with Obi-Wan. In a town called Mos Eisley, Obi-Wan uses the Force to trick Imperial guards. They meet smugglers Han Solo and Chewbacca and arrange to travel to Alderaan on Han's ship, the Millennium Falcon.
On the ship, Obi-Wan starts teaching Luke how to use a lightsaber. Suddenly, Obi-Wan feels a big disturbance in the Force. They discover that the Empire has destroyed Alderaan. The Falcon is then caught by the Death Star's tractor beam.
Inside the Death Star, Obi-Wan goes to turn off the tractor beam. Darth Vader finds him, and they have a lightsaber duel. Obi-Wan fights Vader to distract him, allowing Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewbacca to escape. Obi-Wan lets Vader strike him down, and his body disappears. Later, during a Rebel attack on the Death Star, Obi-Wan speaks to Luke through the Force, helping him destroy the battle station.
In The Empire Strikes Back, Obi-Wan appears as a Force spirit. He tells Luke to go to the planet Dagobah to find the wise Jedi Master Yoda. Obi-Wan convinces Yoda to continue Luke's training.
In Return of the Jedi, Obi-Wan appears to Luke again after Yoda's death. He confirms that Darth Vader is Luke's father and that Leia is Luke's twin sister. He tells Luke to face Vader. After the Rebels defeat the Empire, Obi-Wan appears at a celebration with the Force spirits of Yoda and Anakin Skywalker (who was Vader).
Prequel Trilogy (1999–2005)
In Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, which takes place 32 years before A New Hope, Obi-Wan is 25 years old. He is a Padawan (Jedi student) to Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. They go to the planet Naboo to negotiate with the Trade Federation. They fight battle droids and rescue Naboo's 14-year-old Queen Padmé Amidala.
They escape to Coruscant but land on Tatooine for repairs. There, they meet nine-year-old slave Anakin Skywalker. Qui-Gon believes Anakin is the "Chosen One" who will bring balance to the Force. On Tatooine, they are attacked by Darth Maul, a member of the Sith, who are dark side users thought to be gone.
Back on Naboo, Maul fights Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. Maul badly wounds Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan then fights Maul and defeats him. Before Qui-Gon dies, Obi-Wan promises to train Anakin as a Jedi. Yoda makes Obi-Wan a Jedi Knight and allows him to take Anakin as his own Padawan.
In Attack of the Clones, 10 years later, Obi-Wan is a respected Jedi Knight and Anakin's master. Anakin has grown powerful but is sometimes arrogant. After saving Senator Padmé from an attack, Obi-Wan investigates. He finds a huge clone army being built for the Republic on the planet Kamino. The clones are based on the bounty hunter Jango Fett. Obi-Wan fights Fett, who then escapes to the planet Geonosis.
On Geonosis, Obi-Wan discovers that a group of star systems wants to leave the Republic. This group is led by Count Dooku, a former Jedi who became a Sith Lord. Obi-Wan is captured. Anakin and Padmé arrive with other Jedi and the clone army to save him. Obi-Wan and Anakin fight Dooku, but he is too strong. Yoda saves them, and Dooku escapes.
In Revenge of the Sith, three years later, Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master and a General in the Republic army. He and Anakin are war heroes and best friends. The movie starts with them rescuing Supreme Chancellor Palpatine from the cyborg General Grievous. Dooku fights them again, and Anakin defeats him.
Obi-Wan goes to the planet Utapau to find Grievous. He fights and kills Grievous. Meanwhile, Palpatine reveals he is the evil Sith Lord Darth Sidious. He orders the clone troopers to turn on the Jedi. Obi-Wan survives and meets Yoda and Senator Bail Organa.
They return to Coruscant and find that all the Jedi in the Jedi Temple have been killed. Obi-Wan watches security footage and sees that Anakin, now Darth Sidious's Sith apprentice Darth Vader, led the attack. Yoda tells Obi-Wan that he must fight Vader. Obi-Wan is heartbroken but accepts.
Obi-Wan visits Padmé and realizes she is Anakin's wife and expecting his child. When Padmé goes to the volcanic planet Mustafar to confront Anakin, Obi-Wan secretly goes with her. On Mustafar, Obi-Wan reveals himself and confronts Vader. Vader chokes Padmé, thinking she betrayed him. Obi-Wan and Vader have a long, fierce lightsaber duel. Obi-Wan defeats Vader, cutting off his legs and one arm. He watches in horror as Vader falls too close to lava and catches fire. Obi-Wan takes Vader's lightsaber and leaves him. Unknown to Obi-Wan, Sidious rescues Vader and rebuilds him into the cyborg seen in the original movies.
Obi-Wan takes Padmé to an asteroid where she gives birth to twins, Luke and Leia, and then dies. Obi-Wan helps hide Luke and Leia from the Empire. Leia is adopted by Bail Organa. Yoda tells Obi-Wan to take Luke to Anakin's stepbrother Owen Lars and his wife Beru on Tatooine. Yoda also says that Qui-Gon's spirit will teach them how to become one with the Force after death. On Tatooine, Obi-Wan gives Luke to his family and goes into hiding, watching over the boy until the time is right.
Sequel Trilogy (2015–2019)
In The Force Awakens, set 30 years after Return of the Jedi, the hero Rey hears Obi-Wan's voice when she touches Luke's lightsaber. He says her name and encourages her. Both James Arnold Taylor and Ewan McGregor voiced lines for this scene.
In The Rise of Skywalker, Rey hears Obi-Wan's voice, along with other Jedi, as she fights a returned Darth Sidious. Obi-Wan tells her to "Rise and take them." Both McGregor's and Guinness's voices are used.
Other Star Wars Stories
Television Shows
Obi-Wan Kenobi is a main character in the animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He is voiced by James Arnold Taylor. In both shows, Obi-Wan is a general during the Clone Wars. He and Anakin have many adventures fighting the Separatists. Obi-Wan is known as "The Negotiator" because he often tries to stop battles without fighting. The series shows his fights with General Grievous, his rivalry with Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress, his relationship with Duchess Satine Kryze, and the return of his old enemy Darth Maul.
In Star Wars Rebels, set five years before A New Hope, Obi-Wan appears as a hologram. Later, the hero Ezra Bridger finds out Obi-Wan is alive on Tatooine. Darth Maul also finds him. In a final duel, Obi-Wan defeats Maul. Maul asks if Obi-Wan 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.
Obi-Wan also appears briefly in the first episode of Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022 TV Series)
Ewan McGregor returned to play Obi-Wan in Obi-Wan Kenobi, a live-action series on Disney+. This show takes place between the prequel and original trilogies. It was announced in 2019, and McGregor was happy to finally talk about it after keeping it a secret for years. The series has six episodes. Hayden Christensen also returned as Darth Vader. The show is set ten years after Revenge of the Sith.
Tales of the Jedi (2022)
Obi-Wan appears in an episode of Tales of the Jedi. He is shown watching Ahsoka's training at the Jedi Temple.
Novels and Comics
Obi-Wan Kenobi appears in many Star Wars books and comic books. The novel Master and Apprentice (2019) tells about his relationship with his Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, before The Phantom Menace. The novel Brotherhood (2022) is about Obi-Wan at the beginning of the Clone Wars.
In the 2015 Star Wars comic series, Luke Skywalker finds Obi-Wan's diary on Tatooine. This diary tells stories from Obi-Wan's past.
Legends Stories
Before 2014, many Star Wars stories outside the main movies and The Clone Wars TV show were part of the Expanded Universe. These stories are now called Legends and are not part of the main Star Wars story.
In these Legends stories, Obi-Wan's life before The Phantom Menace is shown in the Jedi Apprentice series. This series follows his adventures as Qui-Gon's Padawan. The Jedi Quest series tells about his adventures with Anakin before Attack of the Clones.
His life between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope is shown in The Last of the Jedi series. These books show Obi-Wan living as a hermit on Tatooine and watching over Luke. He also learns that Vader is still alive.
Obi-Wan appears as a Force ghost in many Legends novels set after Return of the Jedi. He guides Luke and says goodbye to him, explaining he must move on to a higher plane of consciousness.
Video Games
Obi-Wan Kenobi appears in many Star Wars video games, including:
- Battlefront II
- Disney Infinity 3.0
- Fortnite Battle Royale
- Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
- Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
- Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga
- Lego Star Wars: The Video Game
- Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
- Star Wars Battlefront II
- Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron
- Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
- Star Wars: Empire at War
- Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles
- Star Wars: Obi-Wan
- Star Wars: Renegade Squadron
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Jedi Alliance
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Lightsaber Duels
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
- Super Star Wars
Obi-Wan's Impact
Obi-Wan Kenobi is a very popular character. Alec Guinness was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing him.
In 2003, the American Film Institute named Obi-Wan Kenobi the 37th greatest movie hero of all time. He is also considered one of the top Star Wars characters.
In 2004, a street in a small village in Poland was named "Obi-Wana Kenobiego" after him.
Obi-Wan has also been parodied (made fun of in a funny way) in many shows and movies, like Mad magazine, Family Guy, and Thumb Wars.
Relationships
Jedi Mentorship Tree
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See also
In Spanish: Obi-Wan Kenobi para niños
