Obi-Wan Kenobi/Legends


 * Obi-Wan Kenobi? Surely he must be dead by now. - Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin

General Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi (57 BBY–0 BBY) was a Jedi Master who taught both Anakin and Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Force. He is also notable for being the first Jedi in approximately 1000 years to kill a Sith and one of the few Jedi to survive the Great Jedi Purge. Despite his radical teacher, Kenobi himself was relatively orthodox in his views.

Biography
Kenobi was born in 57 BBY, and brought into Jedi training shortly thereafter. As a youngling, he trained alongside other Jedi hopefuls of his age, such as Siri Tachi, Bant Eerin and Quinlan Vos. At the age of 12, it seemed all hopes had gone for him to become a Jedi Knight, until one day, when Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn visited the Jedi Temple, in the hopes of finding an apprentice. Obi-Wan duelled one of his competitors, Bruck to draw the attention of the maverick Jedi Master. Obi-Wan fought valiantly until exhaustion. The final offensive against Bruck was carried out so fiercely that Qui-Gon Jinn found him too dangerous to be trained. So Obi-Wan was sent to Dantomir, a mining colony to work as a ploughman. Strangely enough, Qui-Gon happened to be sent on a mission to the same place. The youngling and the Jedi Master had to work together if they wanted to survive. Obi-Wan showed Qui-Gon that he was worthy to be taken as a Padawan learner.

On a mission to resolve a trade dispute on Naboo, Kenobi and his master were betrayed by Nute Gunray and the Trade Federation, who, on the orders of the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious, attempted to have the two Jedi killed.

Qui-Gon and Kenobi escaped, however, and managed to rescue the Queen and her entourage. Their attempt to find a safe haven where the Federation would not follow led them to the isolated Outer Rim world of Tatooine.



Here, Kenobi's master stumbled upon Anakin Skywalker, a young boy who showed tremendous Force potential. Jinn decided that the boy should be trained. Kenobi disagreed, believing the boy was already too old and had acquired too many emotional attachments to become a Jedi. The Jedi Council agreed with Kenobi, and forbade Qui-Gon from taking Anakin as an apprentice.



During the ensuing battle with Darth Maul, Qui-Gon was killed by the Sith Lord. Kenobi narrowly escaped death himself after being disarmed. He called his fallen master's lightsaber into his hand and cut Maul in two as the Dark Jedi gloated over what seemed to be his imminent victory. Kenobi was drawn into calling on the Dark Side during this battle, but it would not consume him as it would his Padawan.

Qui-Gon's dying request to his apprentice was to train Anakin. Kenobi felt he could not refuse. The Jedi Council was similarly moved by the plea, and fatefully reversed its decision. In fact, Anakin was placed under the tuition of Kenobi himself, which was remarkable given that Kenobi was still a Padawan at the time of his duel with Maul. The Jedi Council had been impressed that Kenobi bested a Sith - an enemy that had not surfaced in a millennium - without any previous training. Ten years later, shortly before the Battle of Geonosis, Kenobi and Skywalker were tasked with protecting Padmé Amidala after an attempt on her life. Kenobi tracked a mysterious assassin to Kamino and learned about a massive clone army that the Kaminoans were raising for the Republic. He attempted to apprehend bounty hunter Jango Fett, but Fett escaped to Geonosis with his son Boba. Kenobi followed them.



On Geonosis, Kenobi uncovered a conspiracy of star systems that wanted to secede from the Republic, led by Count Dooku. Kenobi was captured shortly after sending a message to Anakin. Anakin and Padmé arrived on Geonosis, but they too were captured, and all three were sentenced to death by the Geonosians. The timely arrival of Jedi and clone reinforcements, led by Jedi Masters Mace Windu and Yoda prevented the executions. Kenobi and Skywalker confronted Count Dooku and fought him, but were defeated by the Sith Lord, who later escaped after a fierce duel with Yoda.

Kenobi became a general in the Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. He also sat on the twilight Jedi Council as one of the last Jedi Masters during the rise of the Galactic Empire and before the Great Jedi Purge.

Despite his preference for diplomacy, within the order Master Kenobi was known as one of the greatest swordsmen the order had ever seen, and the definitive master of Form III (Soresu) lightsaber combat. His legend grew considerably during the wars, as he and his partner Anakin became household names from their daring exploits. This earned the attention of the Separatist general, Grievous, who wanted to add both Anakin's and Kenobi's lightsabers to his belt as trophies. After a previous engagement with the cowardly alien-droid general, he found him on Utapau. With a bit of a struggle - having lost his lightsaber in the pursuit of Grievous - Kenobi eventually killed Grievous with a blaster, citing it as an uncivilized weapon. He then slipped away from the scene as Order 66 was executed. Even his longtime friend Commander Cody was now killing his Jedi peers.



As Anakin became increasingly enchanted with the Dark Side (with thanks, in no small part, to Palpatine), Kenobi was forced to face his former apprentice. The two dueled on the planet Mustafar, eventually leading to Kenobi defeating his ex-pupil. As Anakin lay cursing his former master, Kenobi replied, "You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you." Leaving Vader to die, Kenobi left the planet as Palpatine and his clone escorts arrived. Despite his Jedi detachment and strength of will, this would weigh on Kenobi for the rest of his life.

During the Imperial era, Kenobi was forced into hiding on the remote desert planet Tatooine, where he went by the name of Ben. He hid one of Anakin's children, Luke, on that arid world with Owen and Beru Lars. Leia, the other child, was taken to Alderaan with Bail Organa. There, through a technique passed down to him by Yoda, he spoke with his departed master, Qui-Gon Jinn.

Roughly a year into his exile, Kenobi overheard spacers discussing events on Bellassa, where an ex-Jedi named Ferus Olin was on the run from Imperial forces. With the spirit of Qui-Gon temporarily looking after Luke, Kenobi went to Bellassa, where he helped Ferus escape the ruthless Inquisitor Malorum. Pursued by Boba Fett, Kenobi and Olin escaped to the Red Twins.

Some thirty-two years after the Battle of Naboo, Kenobi rescued Anakin's son, Luke Skywalker, from Tusken Raiders, while Luke tracked the errant R2-D2, who insisted he had a message for an “Obi-Wan Kenobi”. Kenobi eventually heard R2-D2's message from Princess Leia Organa asking for his assistance in delivering the schematics of the Death Star to Alderaan. Kenobi was willing to help, and took young Luke Skywalker under his wing in order to teach him the ways of the Force with the intention of fully training the boy later, on Alderaan.



Kenobi, Luke, and the droids C-3PO and R2-D2 found passage to Alderaan on smuggler Han Solo's ship, the Millennium Falcon. Before they could reach their destination, Alderaan was destroyed by the Death Star. The Millennium Falcon was captured by the Death Star, but Kenobi managed to deactivate the tractor beam to allow the ship to escape.

On his way back to the ship, Kenobi encountered his old student, Darth Vader. Vader had earlier surmised to Tarkin that Kenobi had intended from the beginning to meet him in combat. Kenobi distracted Vader and his stormtroopers, allowing Luke and the rest of the crew to reach the Falcon. During their battle, Kenobi cryptically warned Vader, "You can't win, Darth. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."

Sacrificing his hope for escape, Kenobi let down his guard and concentrated for a moment, vanishing to the spiritual plane; his body disappearing entirely just as Vader's lightsaber, instead of severing his body, passed through his empty robe.

Kenobi did not vanish entirely. In accordance with his prediction, he became a spirit that could guide and counsel the young Luke from afar.

The spirit of Kenobi played a vital role in the Battle of Yavin, for he was able to guide Skywalker in succesfully destroying the Death Star.

On Hoth, Kenobi told Luke to go to the Dagobah system for further training with Yoda. He reappeared after the death of Yoda to explain why he did not tell Luke the truth about his father and confess that Leia was Luke's sister. Kenobi was seen shortly after the Battle of Endor, standing next to the spirits of Anakin and Yoda as they watched Luke.

Kenobi spoke to Luke again, immediately after the Battle of Endor, warning him of the threat posed by the invading Ssi-ruuvi Imperium.



Kenobi, Yoda, and Anakin again appeared to Luke in spirit form a few months later to warn him of the dangers presented by the Dark Lord Flint, apprentice of Lady Lumiya, heir to the Sith legacy. Because of their warning, Luke was able to redeem Flint, leaving the reigning Sith Master without an apprentice.

In 9 ABY, Kenobi, still a spirit, visited Luke for the last time in a dream. Kenobi told Luke that he must move on from his spirit form to another realm. As Kenobi explained it, from the time of his death until then, Kenobi's spirit had been in an intermediate stage between life and the afterlife. His final words were: "Not the last of the old Jedi, Luke. The first of the new."

Legacy
As mentor to the first Jedi of the new order and one of the earliest heroes of the Rebel Alliance, Kenobi's legacy would continue long after his death. His name was commemorated with the Obi-Wan, first of the Defender-class Star Destroyers as well as through Ben Skywalker, son of Luke.

Tacticians, both from the Galactic Empire and Rebel Alliance would pay homage to the General through the study of the Kenobi Offensive, a starship maneuver developed by Kenobi during the Clone Wars.

Personality
In his youth (circa 32 BBY), the loyal and dedicated Kenobi possessed a dry sense of humor and sarcastic wit. Yoda said that he sensed Qui-Gon's defiance in him, but spoke very highly of him nonetheless. Qui-Gon himself reflected upon Kenobi's considerable knowledge. As a young Jedi Knight, he was cynical, though wise beyond his years. His humble and soft-spoken demeanor belied his warrior prowess. Despite his numerous complaints during flight, he was also a quite skilled pilot. In many ways, he represented the strength of the old Jedi Order: steadfast, selfless, and modest.

Over time, Kenobi lost some of his youthful audacity and assumed the role of a more cautious and conservative mentor to Anakin Skywalker. Kenobi carefully measured his actions in any situation, giving him the nickname "The Negotiator" during the Clone Wars. While hiding in the Jundland Wastes in his later years, he appeared as a kindly and eccentric old hermit (or, in Owen Lars' words, a "crazy old wizard") to those not familiar with the ways of the Jedi. In his final days, Kenobi retained his traits of patience and foresight as well as gaining some of the boldness reminiscent of his youth&mdash;perhaps a characteristic acquired from his brash new apprentice, Luke, or his old apprentice, Anakin.

Behind the Scenes
Obi-Wan Kenobi is played by Ewan McGregor in The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith. In the Clone Wars micro-series, Obi-Wan is voiced by James Arnold Taylor. Obi-Wan also appears in numerous comic books and novels set in the era of the prequel trilogy.

During A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi is played by Sir Alec Guinness, who reprised the role as Obi-Wan's ghost in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Obi-Wan's spirit appears occasionally in Expanded Universe material set during and just after the original trilogy, with his final appearance to Luke taking place in Heir to the Empire.

Appearances

 * Jedi Apprentice series
 * Life, Death, and the Living Force
 * Cloak of Deception
 * Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter (Cameo)
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
 * Jedi Quest series
 * Rogue Planet
 * The Approaching Storm
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars
 * Star Wars: Clone Wars
 * Labyrinth of Evil
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * The Last of the Jedi: The Desperate Mission
 * Skippy the Jedi Droid (non-canon)
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars Galaxies: Trials of Obi-Wan
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * The Truce at Bakura (Cameo)
 * Heir to the Empire (Cameo)
 * The Joiner King (Cameo)
 * Star Wars Battlefront II