There is perhaps no Jedi quite like Obi-Wan Kenobi. When Star Wars first hit theaters in 1977, fans were immediately enthralled by Alec Guinness’ performance as the character. Ewan McGregor played a younger version of the Jedi in 1999’s The Phantom Menace and the subsequent prequel trilogy. Now, 17 years after he put the lightsaber away, Ewan McGregor is back for the Disney Plus series, Obi-Wan Kenobi.
As one of the most iconic Jedi to exist in the Star Wars franchise, it would be no surprise to all to see that this Jedi Master has many iconic moments. With such a rich history in comics, films, and TV shows, there’s a true bounty of Kenobi content.
10 Battling Maul & His Brother
Star Wars: The Clone Wars teased Maul’s reappearance into the Star Wars canon for a while, and when he entered the show, he certainly delivered. Alongside his brother, Savage Opress, the duo were strong with the force, deadly with their lightsabers, and wanted one thing: for Obi-Wan Kenobi to suffer.
Obi-Wan encountered the brothers of Dathomir a few times during the Clone Wars, but their most notable duel was when Kenobi had to team up with former apprentice to Count Dooku, Asajj Ventress. Their battle was truly one for the ages, and one of the most gripping scenes in the animated series.
9 Jedi Detective
In Attack of the Clones, Obi-Wan embarks on his adventure to try and find who orchestrated the assassination attempt on Padmé Amidala. Obi-Wan’s detective work takes him to the planet Kamino, where the arrival of a Jedi had been anticipated for the mysterious request of a clone army, with infamous bounty hunter Jango Fett being the template of all the clones.
There’s a great battle in the thunder and rain on Kamino, in which Obi-Wan fights Jango against a barrage of gunfire, rockets, and a flurry of kicks and punches. Their confrontation begs the question whether Boba will hold a grudge against Kenobi, and hunt for him in Obi-Wan’s Disney Plus series.
8 Battle With Black Krrsantan
From the journals of old Ben Kenobi comes a recollection of a battle of Jedi vs Wookiee in this Marvel comic. Issue 20 of the 2015 run of Star Wars has Luke Skywalker reading the journals of Obi-Wan Kenobi, after the events of A New Hope. In this comic, Black Krrsantan, seen in live-action in The Book of Boba Fett, is hunting on Tatooine for Kenobi.
The battle shows just how dangerous the galaxy is for Kenobi: even after hiding out on the desert planet, he is still being hunted. This makes protecting Luke even harder. The climactic battle ends shortly after Kenobi strikes Krrsantan’s left eye with his lightsaber, scarring the Wookie, as seen in the Disney Plus Boba Fett series.
7 “Sith Lords Are Our Speciality”
The opening sequence of Revenge of the Sith feels like a live-action Clone Wars episode. Anakin and Obi-Wan battle across the war-torn space above Coruscant, and engage in a duel against Count Dooku to rescue the Supreme Chancellor, Sheev Palpatine. The battle highlights how far Obi-Wan and Anakin have come, and how close they are.
The Jedi fight Dooku together, but Obi-Wan is subdued, and it is up to Anakin to complete the fight. This moment is reinvigorated in Clone Wars Season 7, when Obi-Wan tells Ahsoka of the events that transpired. Together the pair worries about their old friend, and Palpatine's influence after he murders the disarmed prisoner, Dooku.
6 “Hello There”
Initially, “hello there” was known as the first line spoken by Alec Guinness in A New Hope, but since Revenge of the Sith, it has been more well-known and used almost daily in greetings by fans of Star Wars. This is due to the iconic delivery by Ewan McGregor, as Obi-Wan drops from the rafters on Utapau to confront General Grievous and his droid army.
The back and forth between Grievous and Kenobi is great, and their rivalry is enriched by The Clone Wars animated show. Their final battle on Utapau is intensely fun, with Kenobi fighting against four lightsabers. The fight symbolizes the end of the Clone Wars and the beginning of something darker.
5 The Tragedy Of Satine Kryze
Obi-Wan received more backstory to his character in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Fans of the show were introduced to the pacifist ruler of Mandalore: Satine Kryze. Satine and her relationship with Obi-Wan were the highlights of many episodes. Fans received an insight into Kenobi’s love for her, and he confessed: “Had you said the word, I would have left the Jedi Order.” This makes Obi-Wan’s understanding of Anakin’s feelings for Padmé all the more tragic.
To make matters even worse, Satine is killed in the series by none other than the Mandalore usurper, Maul. The Sith stabs Satine with the darksaber, while Obi-Wan watches helplessly as a prisoner.
4 Duel Of The Fates
The title of the iconic orchestral score by John Williams, Duel of the Fates is also the name of the iconic battle in The Phantom Menace between Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Darth Maul. This moment has often been described as a duel for the fate of the young Anakin Skywalker, in which the victor claims the young boy’s future.
With Qui-Gon’s death, Anakin would be fated to be trained by Obi-Wan — however, Anakin needed a father figure, as seen in Qui-Gon, rather than a brother, as seen in Kenobi. The exchange between Master and Apprentice is heart-breaking, and the duel between Obi-Wan and Maul is exhilarating and beautifully choreographed.
3 Battle Of Heroes
The emotional climax of the prequel trilogy pits master against apprentice, brother against brother. Anakin Skywalker’s duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi on the planet Mustafar is nothing short of legendary. The entire battle is filled with action, amazing set pieces, and an emotional confrontation.
Obi-Wan’s emotional speech to Anakin leaves him unable to kill the former apprentice himself. He leaves Anakin limbless and burning to death. With Anakin still alive, it furthered his influence on the Dark side, and symbolized Anakin’s death and the birth of the Sith Lord, Darth Vader. Thus, the original trilogy ignites due to Obi-Wan’s failure. His regret could be seen in the upcoming show.
2 “I Shall Become More Powerful Than You Could Possibly Imagine”
Perhaps one of Obi-Wan Kenobi'a most heroic moments takes place right before his death. Obi-Wan fully embraces the Force to sacrifice himself, so that the heroes of the original trilogy can avoid detection and escape the Death Star. As Obi-Wan raises his lightsaber and is struck down by his former apprentice, his body disappears.
It’s an emotional goodbye, but it's not the end for the Jedi Master. In Obi-Wan’s last moments, he witnesses the reunion of Anakin and Padmé’s children. Kenobi dies knowing that there is hope in the galaxy once more.
1 Obi-Wan’s Duty
After the events of Order 66, and the battle on Mustafar, Obi-Wan Kenobi exiled himself on Tatooine. Here, he would watch over and protect Anakin's son Luke, and ensure no harm would come to the secret son of Darth Vader.
Throughout the years, Obi-Wan would silently protect Luke and the Lars homestead, until the boy was ready to take his first steps into a larger world and wield his father’s lightsaber. Fans eagerly await the live-action adventures of Obi-Wan in his Disney Plus show, which takes place ten years after Revenge of the Sith.