- "You can kill me, but you will never destroy me. It takes strength to resist the dark side. Only the weak embrace it."
"It is more powerful than you know."
"And those who oppose it are more powerful than you'll ever be." - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Maul
Obi-Wan Kenobi was a legendary Force-sensitive human male Jedi Master who served on the Jedi High Council during the final years of the Republic Era. As a High Jedi General, Kenobi served in the Grand Army of the Republic that fought against the Separatist Droid Army during the Clone Wars, and was nicknamed "the Negotiator." Kenobi, however, was forced into exile as a result of the Great Jedi Purge initiated by the Republic's own clone troopers when Republic Supreme Chancellor, secretly Darth Sidious, implemented Order 66. As a mentor, Kenobi was responsible for training two members of the Skywalker family, Anakin and Luke Skywalker, both of whom served in turn as his Padawan in the ways of the Force.
Kenobi was born on the planet Stewjon in 57 BBY. He was Force-sensitive, and therefore taken from his family and inducted into the Jedi Order as a child. Raised in the Jedi Grand Temple on the planet Coruscant, Kenobi was assigned to Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. In 32 BBY, Kenobi attained the rank of Jedi Knight by defeating the Sith Lord Darth Maul during the Invasion of Naboo. He also chose to train Anakin Skywalker—the prophesied Chosen One who was destined to destroy the Sith and restore balance to the Force—having promised Jinn who died in the lightsaber duel against Maul.
With the advent of the Clone Wars in 22 BBY, Kenobi adopted the military rank of High Jedi General in the Grand Army of the Galactic Republic, and was given command of the Open Circle Fleet, the Third Systems Army, and the 7th Sky Corps. Clone Marshal Commander Cody served as his second-in-command throughout the galaxy-wide conflict, with their forces achieving multiple victories over the Confederacy of Independent Systems. In the midst of the war, his old enemy Maul re-emerged into galactic affairs, bent on revenge against Kenobi for his debilitating defeat decades prior. Though they clashed in heated duels on multiple occasions, Maul failed to end Kenobi's life or cripple his spirit, despite murdering his former love, Satine Kryze, Duchess of Mandalore.
In 19 BBY, Kenobi killed the Separatist Supreme Martial Commander, General Grievous, during the Battle of Utapau, effectively ending the Clone Wars. He later survived the initial onslaught of the Great Jedi Purge against the Jedi Order, which resulted from the machinations of the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. After discovering that Skywalker had turned to the dark side of the Force, becoming Sidious' Sith apprentice under the name of Darth Vader, Kenobi defeated his former Padawan on Mustafar and exiled himself to the Outer Rim planet Tatooine as the Galactic Empire rose to power. Adopting a hermit lifestyle as "Ben Kenobi," he watched over Vader's and Senator Padmé Amidala's son, Luke.
Ten years later, Kenobi left exile to rescue Leia Organa, Luke's twin sister, and was pursued by the Empire's Inquisitorius and Vader himself. Later, Kenobi was hunted down once again by Maul, whom he finally slew to protect the young Luke. Kenobi began the boy's Jedi training in 0 BBY, and soon after encountered Vader aboard the first Death Star, where he sacrificed himself to ensure that Luke and his allies escaped from the Sith Lord. In death, Kenobi became one with the Force which allowed him to continue guiding Luke throughout the Galactic Civil War. In 4 ABY, Kenobi reunited with his former student, Anakin Skywalker, who died destroying his Sith Master in order to save his son. Kenobi was remembered as a legendary Jedi Master during the rise of the New Republic; Ben Solo, the son of Luke's twin sister, Princess Leia Organa, was named after Kenobi. Solo's turn to the dark side left Luke disillusioned with the Jedi Order's legacy, and he held Kenobi responsible for Anakin's transformation into Vader. However, Luke's faith would eventually be restored with the aid of Darth Sidious's granddaughter Rey, to whom Kenobi would lend his voice and strength in a final battle and victory against her resurrected ancestor on Exegol in 35 ABY.
Biography
Early life
- "As Jedi, we're taken from our families when we're very young. I still have glimpses, flashes really, my mother's shawl, my father's hands. I remember a baby. [...] I think I had a brother. Really don't remember him. I wished I did."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi was born on the planet Stewjon in 57 BBY.[2] Despite being very young when he left his family, he still had glimpses of his father's hands, his mother's shawl and he remembered a baby he believed to be his brother although he barely remembered him.[10]
Joining the Jedi Order
- "…I never had problems with that as a youngling. Being independent, I mean. I broke rules right and left. They even called me rebellious. Probably the Masters were surprised anyone was willing to take me on as an apprentice."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi to Qui-Gon Jinn, about his early life
When Kenobi was discovered to be Force-sensitive, he was taken from his homeworld to the Jedi Temple on the Core Worlds planet Coruscant to be trained as a Jedi[5] within the first six months of his life.[1][5] In the Jedi crèche he was placed with other Jedi younglings[19] in the Kybuck Clan[12] during his early years, including his friends Gehren[12] and Prie.[19] Kenobi received basic Initiate training alongside his peers in the Jedi Order's Temple[11] and began training in several simple Force techniques by the age of three[19] in 54 BBY.[20]
Kenobi studied in the ways of the Force[1] and Jedi traditions[21] under Grand Master Yoda,[1] eventually coming to respect him and the Jedi Council greatly.[19] He also received instruction in the art of lightsaber combat from Jedi Master Cin Drallig[22] in the basic lightsaber forms and techniques.[19] At some point before he was selected as a Padawan, Kenobi attended a class centered around meditation.[11] Unlike how he acted as he got older,[23] Kenobi, during his days as a youngling, gained a reputation for breaking rules and having a rebellious nature,[19] resulting in very few Masters who were willing to train the boy as their Padawan.[23] To curb Kenobi's behavior, Yoda searched for a teacher for Kenobi that had unorthodox methods, which would mold the student into rebelling by being dutiful.[19]
Qui-Gon Jinn's Padawan
Initial endeavors
- "It worries me, this misunderstanding between you and your Padawan. This isn't the first time you've reported such difficulties."
"It worries me as well. Obi-Wan is strong in the Force, and eager to do his duty. The failure must be mine. Fundamentally, I fear we are a mismatch." - ―Depa Billaba and Qui-Gon Jinn, about Obi-Wan Kenobi's training
Around 44 BBY,[24] Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn chose Kenobi as his Padawan learner when he was thirteen years old. During his apprenticeship he became friends with Jape, a fellow Padawan who he kept correspondence with, and also maintained contact with crèche-mate Prie[19] and the Mon Calamari Bant Eerin.[25] In their first months together, Jinn attempted to adapt his teaching methods to suit Kenobi's strengths, but felt he failed to do so adequately.[19] At some point during his training, Kenobi constructed his first lightsaber, modeled after Jinn's lightsaber hilt style and his own personality.[26] As the pair struggled to establish a workable affinity, the Master continued to train his Padawan in the basic cadences of lightsaber combat, preventing him from picking a specialty.[19] Jinn was proud of his apprentice's skills, and sparred with him in training sessions[11] while at the Temple between missions. Kenobi, in turn, spent a significant amount of time in the training dojos to hone the techniques taught to him.[19]
In their lessons, Jinn taught Kenobi that there was a strength and nobility in restraint.[27] As time passed, Kenobi's demeanor shifted to become more serious and respectful of the Council, in contrast to Jinn's usual way of approaching situations based on his instincts in the present. Both carried differing philosophies on focusing on the future versus the present, and interpreted the Force in varying ways. Despite their differences, Kenobi strived to be a good student, and supported his Master's hobbies regarding ancient Jedi prophecy research. To Kenobi's chagrin, the majority of his free time in the Temple was consumed by gathering information from the Jedi Archives and the holocron of prophecy under the watchful eye of the Jedi Master librarian Jocasta Nu. Over time, he learned the language Old Alderaanian, which many of the holocron's prophecies were written in. As an escape from the workload, Kenobi played rounds of[19] the game[5] dejarik in the lower levels of Coruscant in the evenings after finishing his Master's research requests.[19]
Early travels and visit to Kashyyyk
- "The Trandoshans—they capture and hunt for sport. And they knew today was Life Day. And they knew the Wookiees would be vulnerable. Come Obi-Wan…we have to stop them!"
- ―Qui-Gon Jinn to Obi-Wan Kenobi
The pair's continuing training issues were discussed with Jedi Councilors Depa Billaba and Mace Windu in an attempt to find a remedy, without success. At some point during his time as a Padawan, Kenobi and Jinn visited a fortress on[19] the planet[5] Lah'mu, the world Alderaan's royal palace, and[19] the planets[5] Ryloth and Gatalenta.[19] While training, he became acquainted with the Jedi trainee Siri Tachi and developed some feelings for her, but refrained from acting on them.[21] Not long after Kenobi became Jinn's Padawan, he was eager to prove himself on a mission, but when he and Jinn were set to leave on one, his Master was nowhere to be found. Feeling angry by his master's abandonment, Kenobi decided to set off on the mission to the planet Lenahra alone. While he was there, he encountered a group of teenagers and datachips hidden on the world by the Jedi Orla Jareni long before his visit.[29] He met a Besalisk named Dexter Jettster, who became a close friend.[30]
During his training, Kenobi traveled to[28] the planet[5] Kashyyyk with his Master during the Life Day holiday. Jinn used the trip to teach his student about the Wookiee's way of life and harmony, and how it related to their own connection to the Force. The festivities slightly overwhelmed Kenobi, though he took the lessons to heart, and met one of Jinn's acquaintances, the Wookiee Brennonn. However, their gathering was interrupted by Trandoshans who captured several Wookiees, intending to use them in a hunt for sport. Despite Kenobi's best efforts, Jinn was snared in a net as well and taken away.[28]
Though held captive, Jinn believed that his Padawan would rescue him from the Trandoshan hunters. Kenobi, though reluctant to put any more Wookiees in danger, formulated a plan with Brennonn to break the imprisoned individuals free. He proceeded to surrender himself to the Trandoshans, claiming that as a simple student, he stood no chance against them. While conversing with the hunters' leader, Kenobi subtly used the Force to open the cage holding Jinn. Once both Jedi brandished their lightsabers, several other Wookiees rushed to the scene and assisted in setting their friends free. After the situation was settled, the Wookiees opted to leave the group in peace, citing Life Day as reason to pursue a resolution without violence. When back at the festivities area, Kenobi remained confused as to why Jinn did not break himself free. However, the Master informed him that it was intended as a learning experience, and to gain insight from Wookiee perspectives on life.[31]
Protecting Satine Kryze
- "You and Satine have a history."
"An extended mission when I was younger. Master Qui-Gon and I spent a year on Mandalore protecting the duchess from insurgents who had threatened her world. They sent Bounty hunters after us. We were always on the run, living hand-to-mouth, never sure what the next day would bring." - ―Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi
Sometime between the years 41 BBY and 39 BBY,[33] Kenobi and Jinn spent a year on the planet Mandalore protecting Duchess Satine Kryze from insurgents who were threatening her world. Bounty hunters were sent after them, forcing them to live as fugitives, never knowing what the next day would bring them.[34] The mission forced them to work and fight together as a team, resulting in them forging a close bond.[35]
Kryze called Kenobi by the nickname "Ben."[30] During that time, they had an incident with a swarm of venom-mites on the terrestrial object Draboon, where Kenobi carried Kryze to safety.[34] However, he fell and dropped the Duchess, who then acquired a scar as a result. Kenobi fell in love with Satine during his stay on Mandalore, but despite his feelings toward her, he continued with his training and was reassigned to another mission after his objectives were complete. Kenobi regretted leaving her, but ultimately followed the Jedi Code he had sworn to live by. Meanwhile, Satine chose to stay and lead her people, having not asked Kenobi to stay, knowing it would have been a difficult choice.[34]
Incident on Teth
- "Master? Are you all right?"
"Just get us a ship if you can!" - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn on Teth
In 40 BBY,[24] Kenobi and Jinn were sent to the planet Teth to investigate the disappearance of agricultural shipments through the Triellus trade route. The pair ran into difficulties finding information, and their investigations quickly aroused the suspicions of the guilty parties. As their situation rapidly turned violent, Kenobi and Jinn stormed a building, using their lightsaber skills to force their way through the compound. In the chaos, Jinn felt that Kenobi was not responding to instructions well, and chose to make an escape.[19]
Jinn instructed Kenobi to find a ship, though the Padawan failed to do so upon being stopped in a hangar. Kenobi was briefly held hostage by Wanbo the Hutt's majordomo, Thurible, but was soon released in exchange for Wanbo, who had been captured by Jinn. Eventually, the Jedi managed to depart the planet after making tenuous peace with Wanbo. Though both Jedi attempted to remain lighthearted about the outcome of the mission, Kenobi felt that he had failed his Master.[19]
Once on Coruscant, Jinn recounted the communication issues that had plagued him and Kenobi during the Teth mission to the Jedi Council. While citing their continued inability to form a strong bond, he surmised that they may not have been meant to be a pair. Jinn received an invitation to join the Council after the mission, which displeased Kenobi when he found out shortly after during a meeting with Supreme Chancellor Kirames Kaj. Jinn resolved to make a decision regarding the invitation after meditation, knowing accepting the invite would result in Kenobi's reassignment to another Master.[19]
Mission to Pijal
- "The Jedi Council—the Council has named me the rightful representative of the Republic, for the purposes of the ceremony."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi, on Pijal
Days after his mission to Teth, a political dispute erupted on the Inner Rim planet Pijal, which caught the attention of Kaj. Initial reports suggested a performance troupe called the Opposition was engaging in increasingly violent initiatives protesting the signing of the Governance Treaty— a move would end the absolutist monarchy. Jinn and Kenobi were informed that Lord Regent Rael Averross had requested their aid on the planet and its moon to curb the attacks, discover more about their origins, and ensure the opening of the Pijal Hyperspace Corridor hyperspace route. Both Jedi were additionally instructed to to protect the Pijali Crown Princess Fanry until she could sign the treaty at her coronation, and ratify the initiative on behalf of the Republic.[19]
Kenobi and Jinn were dispatched to the planet, and the Master took the opportunity to inform his Padawan about Averross's training under Dooku. Upon their arrival to the Pijal system, they spotted several soulcraft vessels suffering from plasma attacks, and moved to save the ships. Helped by an antiplasma charge, Kenobi and Jinn rescued several soulcraft and the slaves inside. Jinn and Kenobi were regally greeted by Fanry upon their arrival to the Pijali palace. Upon being briefed on the situation, the pair used a small shuttle to meet with the gemstone thieves Rahara Wick and Pax Maripher on the world's moon. After some negotiation, the thieves agreed to assist the Jedi in their search for the Opposition and its leader, Halin Azucca.[19]
Kenobi and Jinn made several trips to the moon, and their scans for the Opposition came up unsuccessful. While on the palace grounds, Kenobi participated in the ritual Grand Hunt while riding a Pijal varactyl. During the ceremonial hunt, the crab droid prey of the event attacked Fanry, prompting Kenobi to destroy the threat. Upon investigation, he and his Master concluded that the sabotage must have been conducted by someone within the palace, and not the Opposition.[19]
Eventually, Kenobi and Jinn met with Azucca on Pijal's moon, and she claimed that her group of performance artists had been framed for the attacks blamed on them. With this knowledge, Jinn refused to ratify the Governance Treaty at Fanry's upcoming coronation after receiving a violent Force vision about the events. Azucca later provided information to the Jedi proving that the attacks on Czerka facilities were found to have originated from blackguards, a division of the Pijali royal guards secretly under the orders of Captain Deren and Fanry.[19]
Kenobi, knowing that Jinn would refuse to sign the treaty, was appointed to ratify the initiative on the Republic's behalf in his place by the Jedi Council. However, at Fanry's coronation, the princess violently seized power as an absolute monarch to prevent the signing of the treaty, decrying democracy. Kenobi attempted to protect the Skykeeper leader from her when Fanry ordered the death of those she percieved had betrayed her. Kenobi listened to Fanry's speech about the greed of her elders, and used his kohlen crystal sabotaged lightsaber to attack Deren. Following the injury of her captain, the newly crowned queen escaped the Celestial Chalice where the event had been held with her confidante Cady, leaving the Skykeeper, the jeweler, and Kenobi behind.[19]
While Jinn tried to negotiate with Fanry over hologram, Kenobi helped the slaves aboard the Czerka cruiser, Leverage revolt with Maripher's help. Eventually, Cady ended her rule by holding her at blaster-point until she surrendered. However, because Fanry had threatened to harm Kenobi while he was acting as a Republic representative, the crowning was deemed illegitimate. Kenobi and Jinn helped the planet establish a democratic Assembly after Fanry's abdication, and reported back to Coruscant afterwards. Kenobi felt that the mission had been one of the first that he and his Master were able to work well together.[19] However, he also realized that his pairing with Jinn had strengthened his resolve to be a "Perfect Jedi" and follow the Jedi Code in all aspects, if only to be rebellious towards an unorthodox teacher.[21]
Saving Th'er
- "Where are we heading, Master?"
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi to Qui-Gon Jinn when escaping from the Metal Clan
The Jedi Order later sent Kenobi and Jinn to the planet Bri'n to resolve a conflict on the world. On Bri'n, the leader of the Metal Clan attempted to capture priestess Th'er so that either her word or her blood could be used to destroy her trees. Surrounded by forces of the Metal Clan, Jinn chose to escape with Th'er in an Eta-class shuttle and return to Coruscant. Once on planet, Kenobi watched, without interjection, as Th'er attempted to convince Qui-Gon to intervene in her conflict. However, she eventually chose to seek allies on Coruscant instead.[36]
Operating near Botor
- "Holy…blaster bolts. How did [Yoda] take out a whole room full of pirates?"
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi
At some point prior to 32 BBY,[38] Jinn and Kenobi were operating in the vicinity of a planet that served as a base of the Flesh Mongers pirate group, flying a pair of Delta-7 Aethersprite-class light interceptors. The two received a message from the surface of the planet from Jedi Master Yoda, who was asking for assistance. Landing on the planet, Jinn and Kenobi discovered that Yoda had taken out the entire pirate gang in order to rescue a young Force-sensitive child, known as Lo, as the pirate had planned to sell him due to his abilities in the Force. After leaving the child in Kenobi and Jinn's care, Yoda departed for his next objective.[37]
Invasion of Naboo
Ambassadors to the Supreme Chancellor
- "I have a bad feeling about this."
"I don't sense anything."
"It's not about the mission, Master. It's something elsewhere… elusive." - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn
In 32 BBY,[3] by the time Jinn considered Kenobi to be ready for his trials, they were sent by Galactic Republic Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum to negotiate with the Trade Federation, who had set up a blockade around the planet of Naboo.[14] Both Jedi extensively studied political documents and trade relations between the parties prior to the endeavor, sensing its necessity.[39] The two Jedi were tasked with negotiating a settlement with Trade Federation representatives.[14]
The pair traveled to the system on the Consular-class space cruiser Radiant VII and landed on the modified Lucrehulk-class LH-3210 cargo freighter Saak'ak, the flagship of the blockade. There, Kenobi and Jinn were brought to a conference room, where protocol droid TC-14 informed them that a Trade Federation representative would be with them shortly, and invited the pair to make themselves comfortable. However, upon learning that the pair were Jedi from TC-14, Viceroy Nute Gunray of the Trade Federation instead sent the protocol droid back into the room to distract them, with the droid offering Kenobi and Jinn drinks. Gunray then ordered his security to get rid of the Jedi and their assets, with an overhead turret destroying the Radiant VII and its crew.[14]
The two Jedi sensed the loss of their vessel and rose from their seats, drawing their lightsabers before noticing poisonous dioxis gas being pumped into the room around them and holding their breaths. OOM-series security droids were then sent to confirm that the Jedi were dead, however Kenobi and Jinn escaped into the hallway and destroyed the battle droids before making their way to the Saak'ak's bridge. Kenobi held off the battle droids while Jinn attempted to cut through the doors to the bridge. However, droidekas summoned by Gunray arrived, and the two Jedi were forced to flee into a nearby ventilation shaft, using Force speed to escape. The two escaped to Naboo's surface by stowing away on separate C-9979 landing crafts in the Saak'ak's hangar bay, discovering a droid army preparing to invade Naboo in the process.[14]
Rescuing Queen Amidala
After arriving on Naboo, Kenobi was attacked by two Federation Single Trooper Aerial Platforms while en route to Jinn's location. He was rescued by his Master, who was accompanied by Jar Jar Binks, a member of Naboo's native Gungan species. After some debate, Binks agreed to lead the two Jedi to Otoh Gunga, a hidden underwater Gungan city where the group was brought before the Gungan leader Boss Nass. Though unable to convince the Gungans to help the humans of Naboo, Jinn influenced Nass to obtain transport, to allow them to reach Naboo's capital Theed. Piloting the transport through the planet's core, the trio was attacked by an Opee sea killer at one point, which led to the ship being damaged and electronic systems shutting down. Kenobi quickly fixed the issue with some rewiring, and after a brief encounter with a Sando aqua monster, Kenobi, Jinn, and Binks reached Theed.[14]
Upon their arrival, the group discovered that the Trade Federation had already taken control of Theed, finding empty streets. The two Jedi came across a group of battle droids taking Queen Amidala and several others to an internment camp, and quickly engaged the droids, freeing the queen and her companions. Following this, the Jedi moved to a nearby hangar, intending to use a Naboo starship to take the queen to Coruscant. Kenobi moved to liberate several pilots who were held prisoner by battle droids, while his master took the rest of their group to a ship. After a brief skirmish, the group fled Naboo in the queen's starship in an attempt to reach Coruscant with news of the Trade Federation invasion. During the escape, the ship's hyperdrive was damaged by droid starfighters, preventing them from jumping straight to Coruscant and forcing them to instead land on Tatooine for repairs.[14]
Return of the Sith
After landing on the desert world, Kenobi remained on the ship, while Jinn, Binks, the droid R2-D2, and Amidala, who was disguised as a handmaiden, went to search for a new hyperdrive unit. While searching, Jinn discovered Anakin Skywalker, a young enslaved human from whom he retrieved a blood sample for analysis, believing the child to be strong in the Force. Jinn sent the data to Kenobi on the ship, with instructions for Kenobi to analyze it. Kenobi's analysis revealed that the boy's midi-chlorian count was higher than that of any Jedi. When Jinn arrived, accompanied by Skywalker, Darth Maul, a Sith apprentice, attacked Jinn prompting Kenobi to order the ship to take off, with Jinn leaping into the ship as it ascended. The group then proceeded to Coruscant.[14]
Upon their arrival on the planet, Jinn and Kenobi went directly to the Jedi Council to report on the mysterious attacker, whom Jinn believed to be a Sith Lord. After being briefed on what to do about their mysterious attacker, Jinn discussed about Skywalker with the Council, believing him to be the Chosen One. Nevertheless, the Council was determined that the boy not be trained. However, Jinn persevered, telling them that he would take the boy as his Padawan, despite the Jedi Code's restrictions, but Kenobi insisted he was ready to take the trials, and his master agreed. Instead of discussing the matter further, Mace Windu sent the pair back to Naboo to protect the Queen and also as an attempt to lure out the mysterious assailant.[14]
After returning to Naboo, Binks located the Gungans and Amidala, revealing herself to be the true Queen, begged Boss Nass to provide assistance in fighting the droid armies of the Trade Federation. Boss Nass agreed to fight the droids as a diversion, while the Queen's forces slipped into Theed and captured Gunray. However, they soon encountered Maul once again and engaged in a duel with him, biding time for Amidala and her forces to reach the throne room. During the duel with Maul, Kenobi was separated from his master and forced to watch as Maul impaled Jinn with his double-bladed lightsaber so, when the opportunity arose, Kenobi, filled with rage, retaliated against the Sith. However, the Dathomirian Zabrak gained the upper hand and knocked Kenobi into a nearby shaft, where he was barely able to grab onto a knob jutting out from the side before falling to his death. Maul used this opportunity to kick his lightsaber into the shaft. Despite his predicament, Kenobi was able to use his Jinn's lightsaber to cut the Sith in half, whose body fell down the shaft, presumably dead. Kenobi then ran to his master's side and promised a dying Jinn that he would train Skywalker.[14]
Master of the Chosen One
The first years
- "Confer on you the level of Jedi Knight, the Council does. But agree with your taking this boy as your Padawan learner, I do not."
"Qui-Gon believed in him."
"The Chosen One, the boy may be. Nevertheless, grave danger, I fear, in his training." - ―Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi
Following the end of the Battle of Naboo, Kenobi was promoted to the rank of Jedi Knight by the Council, with Yoda reluctantly accepting his decision to train Skywalker. Kenobi was later present during Jinn's funeral, where he informed the boy that he would become a Jedi.[14] Along with Amidala and her court, Kenobi and Skywalker remained at the funeral long after the Jedi Council had left, waiting until every last ember had gone out.[39] Though he deeply grieved the loss of his teacher, Kenobi also felt that Jinn had abruptly cast him aside in favor of prophecies and unbending belief in Skywalker as the Chosen One. Nonetheless, as he watched his mentor's body in its final moments, he promised that he would chose to believe the prophecies.[19] Later on, Kenobi, alongside his new Padawan and several members of the Jedi Council, took part in a victory celebration in Theed.[14]
During his first year as Skywalker's Master, he sometimes woke up at night to see his Padawan was sleeping on the floor next to his bed; he realized Skywalker, having lost both his mother and Jinn, was clinging onto him, desperate to ensure his new master did not vanish one night.[21] During one of their many adventures, Kenobi fell into a nest of gundarks, prompting Skywalker to rescue him.[40] At the Jedi Temple, Kenobi trained Skywalker in meditation and levitating rocks. Though Skywalker wished to know more about his mentor's early life, he did not remember much of it by that point.[11] Kenobi had several misgivings toward taking on Skywalker as his Padawan, but stuck to his firm commitment of honoring his late master's dying wish. But Kenobi was still mourning Jinn, and he began to have the perspective that Skywalker got a very raw deal being forced to be with a master who was hardly fit to be a teacher and had just barely got beyond the Jedi trials himself.[41]
Mission to Dallenor
- "Thank you for coming master Jedi. My name is Clatriffe. I'm in charge of the Dallenor excavation."
- ―Clatriffe
Kenobi was given a mission to go to the planet Dallenor, where an archaeology team had discovered a Jedi holocron. Kenobi decided to take Skywalker with him as part of his training. Kenobi went to the Temple Archives to find information on Dallenor and about any Jedi that went there, to no avail. He told Master Yoda that he would bring his apprentice with him, to which Yoda surprisingly agreed. Kenobi and Skywalker took a T-6 shuttle to Dallenor.[11]
Upon their arrival, Kenobi met mistress Clatriffe, who told of her troubles with the local pirates. Kenobi was told of Clatriffe's discovery of centuries-old droids and how she had to hire several of the locals for protection. Kenobi examined the Holocron, but did not open it due to the arrival of the Krypder Riders and their leader, Hudso Shaku. Kenobi attempted to convince them to leave, but Shaku and the riders demanded the artifacts and Kenobi's lightsaber. Kenobi fought the riders and subdued them. Kenobi then saw that Shaku had taken Skywalker hostage and demanded his lightsaber. Before Obi-Wan could give a reply, Anakin was able to knock Shaku out with rocks.[11]
Other adventures with Skywalker and a crisis of faith
- "To leave the Order, does Anakin wish?"
"Possibly, Master Yoda. He believes that his path lies elsewhere. He wishes to leave his training behind, at least for now. He says he will return, but… I don't know where I failed. I have done my best to teach him. He belongs here. He's not ready. He's too young."
"As are you, Obi-Wan. As are you. Your fault it is not. A child Anakin remains. His path before coming to us…difficult. His questions…natural." - ―Yoda and Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi debate about the future of Anakin Skywalker
A couple of years later, Obi-Wan and Anakin traveled to the planet Ilum so that Skywalker could build his first lightsaber;[43] after its construction, Kenobi said to him, "Anakin, this weapon is your life."[44][45] When Skywalker was twelve years old, Kenobi was assigned a mission to study a star system that revolved, seemingly impossibly, around a dead dwarf star. Upon realizing Skywalker had secretly snuck aboard his starship, Kenobi elected to turn the mission into a teaching experience, telling Skywalker of the dead star as a metaphor for how Jedi needed to learn to let go of their attachments.[30] Despite his initial misgivings about Skywalker, having once believed him to be dangerous and would do more harm than good, Kenobi soon grew to view the boy as a his equal, finding a partner in their missions, and came to see him as his brother.[41]
At some point, Kenobi and Skywalker, during a mission in which they were they were joined by Jedi Master Shaak Ti, were involved in complicated business on the terrestrial astronomical object of Naran-Shiv.[30] In 29 BBY,[46] Skywalker sought to impress his peers at the Jedi Temple. During a training session, he defeated a training droid, which he had programmed to mimic the appearance of the Sith of Naboo. All the while, Mace Windu, Kenobi and Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine watched—the latter of whom was impressed.[42]
Sometime later, Skywalker struggled to learn the skill of taming creatures when Kenobi told him that the Chancellor wanted to see him. The two arrived at his office, where Palpatine requested that Skywalker accompany him on an errand, declining Kenobi's company.[47] Upon Skywalker's return to the Jedi Temple, he confided in Kenobi that he wished to leave the Order, feeling uncomfortable at the prospect of his entire life being decided when he was only nine years old, and surrendered his lightsaber to his master. Though Kenobi took the weapon, he pleaded Skywalker to reconsider.[48]
Kenobi later confided to Yoda about Skywalker's thoughts about leaving the Jedi Order and that he himself thought he had failed Skywalker despite doing the best he could to teach him, that Skywalker belonged with the Jedi Order and that he was too young not ready to be out on his own. Yoda confirmed that Kenobi himself was still young as well and that Skywalker was still a child and that it was natural for him to have questions. Yoda then asked if Kenobi would be breaking his vow to Qui-Gon Jinn by allowing Skywalker to leave, but Kenobi asserted that he would still train Skywalker in the Force in case the dark side found him. Yoda reminded Kenobi that Jedi training was exclusive to the Jedi Order, to which Kenobi responded that if Skywalker left, so would he.[49]
Mission to Carnelion IV
- "The road lies before you, Anakin Skywalker. Will you walk it alone?"
"No, Master. As a Jedi. If you'll show me the way." - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker
Before Skywalker could give his definite answer, at Yoda's behest, both student and master responded to a mysterious distress signal from the supposedly-dead world of Carnelion IV that specifically called for Jedi intercession. They began their journey to the coordinates, but their shuttle was damaged due to the planet's atmospheric debris field and the two had to eject from the doomed vessel, landing below the Celadon Sea. Not too long afterwards, they came to be aware of there being life on the planet as a sky battle raged over them, and Kenobi returned his lightsaber to him so that he could defend himself. As one of the combatant airships began to fall, Skywalker and Kenobi saved its two-person crew by delaying the crash.[42]
The survivors, Kolara and Mother Pran, were unaware of the distress signal and who the Jedi were.[42] Kenobi was then able to use a mind trick on Pran to lower her weapons. However, they came under attack by the other airship. Kenobi then used his lightsaber to destroy the airship. Kenobi then stopped the pilot, Grecker from shooting at Skywalker, Pran, and Kolara. After Skywalker destroyed their blasters, Kenobi then pulled their knives away. Kenobi reasoned with Grecker, Kolara, and Pran that they needed to get to safety. As they made their way, they came across Corpse-leeches. Kenobi and Skywalker then drew their lightsabers and tried to use the force to connect with them to no avail. Kenobi and the others then boarded an airship.[47]
Kenobi then refused to give them the location of the distress signal. He also told Grecker that Skywalker was not his son, but his Padawan at the dying request of his master. Kenobi and Grecker then defended the airship against the corpse-leeches. However, Pran and Kolara took Skywalker with them and abandoned the airship. Kenobi was then left behind on the airship as Pran destroyed it.[50]
Kenobi and Grecker were then able to jump off the airship before it crashed. Kenobi was then able to use the force to make the creatures understand him. Kenobi then asked Grecker to tell him where Skywalker was taken to. Grecker told him that he did not know where the open was. Kenobi then decided to go after him with Grecker after getting air masks on. Kenobi and Grecker then found the location of the distress signal. They then came under attack by a creature. Grecker then fired a flare. Kenobi and Grecker then fought until a masked man came out and let them in. Kenobi was able to get inside before Grecker closed the door. The man, Sera, then showed Kenobi his collection of his world's remnants. Kenobi was then told that Sera was the one who sent the distress signal. He then told Kenobi about his collection of relics and how both the open and closed wanted him dead.[48]
Kenobi then learned about how Sera sent the signal and learned about both the Jedi and Sith. Kenobi and Sera then went to the roof to watch as Grecker's forces attacked his fortress. Despite Sera's pleas for Kenobi to kill them, Kenobi told her that the Jedi spare everyone. Kenobi then spoke with Grecker and convinced him to stop their attack. However, Mother Pran attacked with her machines. Kenobi was then saved by Skywalker. Kenobi then took Skywalker to the Sera's communication unit. There, Skywalker was able to send out a signal off-planet. Republic and Jedi forces arrived where they ended the conflict.[49]
Mission to Glee Anselm
- "Master Yoda has been kidnapped from the Jedi Temple!"
- ―Anakin Skywalker
Grand Master Yoda was captured by battle droids and taken to the planet Glee Anselm. Kenobi and Skywalker were sent to rescue him. Whilst on Glee Anselm, they located Yoda in an underwater base, where they learned that the Grand Master had never really been captured. In reality, the operation was a test for Kenobi and Skywalker, which they passed. The adventure marked the start of Kenobi and Skywalker coming to view each other as brothers.[25] Kenobi and his Padawan were also dispatched on a mission to Taris at one point.[30]
Capturing a thief
- "Not at all, Dex. What are friends for?"
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi to Dexter Jettster
While visiting Dex's Diner, the Pa'lowick thief Tri Tellon stole an object from Kenobi. She escaped through the world's lower levels, through CoCo Town and to her den, which she shared with the old rogue Magreda. Expecting to find Magreda, she instead found Kenobi who explained that the object she had stolen was just a tracking device wrapped in some paper. In came Dexter, who had asked Kenobi to trick Tellon as she had stolen a lot of goods from his customers. Dexter thanked him and told Kenobi he owed him one, which the Jedi accepted.[51]
Humbling the Chosen One
- "A Jedi's goal is to defend life, not take it."
"Mercy doesn't defeat an enemy, Master. Which is why you're going to lose." - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker
Sometime after Skywalker reached adulthood, Kenobi and Skywalker would engage in a lightsaber sparing session in the Jedi Temple. After Skywalker thought he was victorious, Kenobi told him that despite his victory, his need to win blinded him, and Kenobi was able to overpower Skywalker and take Skywalker's lightsaber away from him.[52]
Separatist Crisis
Protecting Senator Amidala
- "You know I don't like it when you do that!"
"Sorry, Master, I forgot you don't like flying."
"I don't mind flying, but what you're doing is suicide!" - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker
In 22 BBY,[3] Kenobi and Skywalker were involved in a border dispute on Ansion[53] that involved Presidente Shu Mai of the Commerce Guild. Following their success on Ansion,[54] the two Jedi were sent by the Jedi Council—at the behest of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine—to protect the now Senator Amidala from future attacks following an assassination attempt on her life. Kenobi and Skywalker made their way to Padmé's Apartment and whilst they traveling up a turbolift, Kenobi sensed Skywalker's anxiety and warned him of over-stepping their duties, only to be told later of Amidala's plan to use herself as bait.[40]
That night, Zam Wesell attempted to kill the Senator with venomous kouhun deployed from a probe droid, but her plot was foiled when Kenobi and Skywalker sensed a disturbance in the Senator's room. While Skywalker eliminated the creatures, Kenobi leaped out of the window and held onto the droid as it attempted to flee into the skylanes of Coruscant. The probe droid moved rapidly between the express ways in an attempt to dislodge the Jedi, unsuccessfully. As the droid moved closer to Wesell's position, the assassin shot the droid with her rifle, destroying it and causing Kenobi to fall rapidly towards the surface of the planet. Skywalker was quickly approaching Kenobi's position in a speeder, and moved beneath him in order to catch him. The pair then proceeded to pursue the bounty hunter through the skyways of Coruscant through traffic lanes and industrial areas, until Skywalker leaped to her speeder and disabled it, causing it to crash outside the Outlander Club.[40]
The pair followed her in, realizing she was a changeling, able to mask her appearance. Kenobi made his way to the bar where he was offered death sticks by Elan Sel'Sabagno, an offer he declined. Kenobi encouraged Sel'sabagno to return home and rethink his life, using the force for persuasion. He sensed Wesell's presence and cut her arm off with his lightsaber before she could shoot him. Before she could tell the Jedi who she was working for, Wesell was shot and killed by a toxic dart fired by Jango Fett.[40]
Subsequently, Kenobi and Skywalker were sent on separate missions by the Council—while Kenobi continued an investigation on Amidala's aggressors, Skywalker would protect her on Naboo. Despite thinking his Padawan was not prepared for his first solo mission, he abided by Council's request. Kenobi, then, took the toxic dart to his friend Dexter Jettster, who told him that it was a Kamino saberdart. Using Dex's information about Kamino, Kenobi visited the Archives, but he was unable to locate the system. When he asked Jocasta Nu about it, she surmised that the system must not exist since it was not in the archives. Unconvinced, Kenobi visited Master Yoda, who was teaching the Bear Clan, and the two agreed that someone had erased the files on Kamino from the Archives, and that Kenobi needed to visit the location of the lost planet.[40]
Discovery of the Clone Army
- "I have successfully made contact with the Prime Minister of Kamino. They are using a bounty hunter named Jango Fett to create a clone army."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi, to Mace Windu and Yoda
Upon arriving on Kamino, Kenobi was greeted by the Kaminoan Taun We who told the Jedi that they had been expecting him. She took Obi-Wan to Prime Minister Lama Su, who said Sifo-Dyas would have been proud of the army they had created in accordance with his request—to create a clone army for the Republic. Kenobi was then shown the clones' prowess and growth, and was told that the original template was Jango Fett. After asking to meet Fett, Taun We took Kenobi to Fett's quarters, where the Jedi Knight asked the bounty hunter questions concerning any recent visits to Coruscant.[40]
After their meeting, Jango and his clone son, Boba Fett, attempted to flee Kamino in the bounty hunter's ship, Slave I. Obi-Wan confronted Jango, and the two fought on the landing platform. At the end of the battle, Obi-Wan fell off the platform, and Jango believed he had fallen into the sea. However, Obi-Wan managed to catch hold of a bridge, and he returned to the platform to see Slave I taking off with just enough time for Obi-Wan to attach a homing beacon to Jango's hull.[40]
Capture on Geonosis
- "You must join me, Obi-Wan… and together, we will destroy the Sith!"
"I will never join you, Dooku."
"It may be difficult to secure your release." - ―Count Dooku and Obi-Wan Kenobi
Kenobi pursued the Slave I in his starfighter all the way to Geonosis and managed to survive Fett's attacks with seismic charges. Tricking him into believing he had died, Kenobi managed to land on the planet, where he discovered a multitude of Trade Federation ships. Furthermore, he infiltrated and overheard Count Dooku addressing the Separatist Council and mentioning the attempts on Senator Amidala's life were at the request of Nute Gunray. Realizing the importance of his discoveries, Kenobi sent a message to Skywalker in Tatooine as his signal could not reach Coruscant on its own. Before he could end his message, however, Kenobi was captured by the Separatists and imprisoned.[40]
Inside the prison tower, Dooku visited him; he revealed that the Republic was under the influence of a Sith Lord named Darth Sidious, and tried to convince Kenobi to join him and destroy the Sith together, but Kenobi refused.[40] Kenobi did not believe what Dooku said about the Republic being controlled by the Sith, just as Dooku had hoped.[22]
The Clone Wars
- "You fought in the Clone Wars?"
"Yes. I was once a Jedi knight, the same as your father." - ―Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi
First Battle of Geonosis
- "No, sir, I wasn't involved in the first assault on Geonosis."
"You didn't miss much. Last time, I was chained to a pole and attacked by several humongous monsters."
"That sounds entertaining."
"It was, for the Geonosians." - ―Commander Cody and Obi-Wan Kenobi
Sentenced to execution in Geonosis' Petranaki Arena, Kenobi was joined in the arena by Skywalker and Amidala who were also captured in their attempt to rescue him. Though reassured that his message had been re-transmitted, he expressed disappointment that Skywalker had come and failed to free them from the situation. The trio worked to control the three creatures deployed to kill them—a reek, an acklay, and a nexu. After they had freed themselves from their restraints, Kenobi fought the[40] most formidable[56] of the three creatures—the acklay. Kenobi, Amidala, and Skywalker were saved by the arrival of a Jedi task force led by Mace Windu who refused to surrender to Dooku, intending to complete their rescue. The Jedi fought back against the overwhelming droid armies, but soon only a few survivors were left in the center of the arena surrounded by battle droids. When Windu declined Dooku's offer to let the Jedi surrender,[40] Kenobi stood in solidarity with the decision, intending to go down fighting.[56]
Moments prior to their execution, clone army forces arrived in transports led by Master Yoda. The clones fought back against the droids and rescued the Jedi and Amidala, forming a perimeter around the survivors. Kenobi then boarded the same Republic LAAT/i transport with Skywalker and Amidala while the rest of the Jedi task force also escaped. As they flew, Skywalker instructed their clone pilots on how best to shoot down enemy forces, which Kenobi complimented. Soon, both caught sight of Dooku fleeing on his speeder with a droid escort. Kenobi felt that there was not enough time to pursue reinforcements, assuring Amidala that he and his Padawan could handle the situation alone. When Dooku's escort rattled their LAAT/i, the Senator fell out of their vehicle, causing Skywalker to panic.[40]
Skywalker pleaded to rescue her, though Kenobi insisted that catching up to Dooku was the highest priority and that if the Padawan stayed behind he would be removed from the Jedi Order. Once they landed, Kenobi and Skywalker pursued Dooku as he prepared to flee the planet. After confronting him about the Jedi he had killed earlier that day, the pair engaged in a lightsaber duel with Dooku. The former Jedi's use of Force lightning revealed his fall to the dark side, prompting Kenobi to be wary when his apprentice was downed by it.[40] Now knowing that he had underestimated Dooku's skills,[56] dueled Dooku, but was eventually disarmed by the former Jedi during the duel and injured on the shoulder and thigh. Kenobi tossed his lightsaber to Skywalker so that he could continue the fight.[40]
However, after the Padawan's arm was cut off by Dooku's lightsaber, he too was tossed to the floor beside his Master. Dooku moved toward them both, but Yoda arrived shortly after to fight his former apprentice in a lightsaber duel. However, he was forced to focus on saving Skywalker and Kenobi from being crushed to their deaths by falling debris moved loose by Dooku. As a result, the Separatist leader escaped in his ship, leaving the three Jedi behind. Amidala arrived with a group of clone troopers shortly afterward, embracing Skywalker as Kenobi stood nearby.[40]
Promotion to Jedi General
- "I must admit without the clones, it would not have been a victory."
"Victory? Victory, you say? Master Obi-Wan, not victory. The shroud of the dark side has fallen. Begun, the Clone War has." - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda about the Geonosis battle
Following the Geonosis battle, Kenobi traveled back to Coruscant while his Padawan escorted Amidala to Naboo.[40] Skywalker's absence was noticed by[57] Vice Chancellor[5] Mas Amedda, who informed Chancellor Palpatine of his whereabouts after seeing he did not return with Kenobi.[57] In the Temple on Coruscant, Kenobi met with Mace Windu and Yoda in the Jedi Council room to discuss the confrontation that had just taken place. He told the Councillors that his apprentice was escorting Amidala back to Naboo before returning to the Temple, which they accepted. Although Kenobi noted that the Geonosis battle would not have been a victory without the clones, Yoda did not think of it as victory, as it marked the beginning of the Clone Wars. Though Kenobi passed on Dooku's warning about a Sith controlling the Senate to his peers—both mostly dismissed it due to the former Jedi's actions and fall to the dark side. However, the trio resolved to continue monitoring the Senate instead.[40]
While Skywalker was on Naboo to escort Amidala home,[40] he wondered how his Master was doing in the aftermath of the battle. Additionally, the Padawan reflected on what their responsibilities in the upcoming war would be like while having to collaborate with clone troopers in battle. However, he firmly chose to keep knowledge of his relationship with the Senator secret from Kenobi despite the strain of the deception. Skywalker married Amidala, despite knowing his Master would disapprove. As days passed, Skywalker eventually chose to return to Coruscant, citing that he had not informed his Master of a reason to remain on Naboo. After meeting with their superiors, both Kenobi and Skywalker were sent on their first deployment.[57]
Now greatly respected both in and outside of the Jedi Order, Kenobi was promoted to Jedi General like many of his colleagues and was later bestowed the rank of High Jedi General while he led the Third Systems Army and commanded the Open Circle Fleet in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. While deployed, he held command of the 7th Sky Corps and often led its 212th Attack Battalion into combat personally until the war's end. The Clone Marshal Commander Cody served as his second-in-command, accompanying him on many missions against the Separatist Droid Army and other Separatist targets. Kenobi's military engagements, often alongside Skywalker, led to many famed victories that he was praised for by the Republic.[56]
For his diplomatic skills, he came to be known as "the Negotiator"—[5] a title mirrored by the name of his flagship, the Venator-class Star Destroyer Negotiator.[58] Early in the Clone Wars, Kenobi met the Supreme Martial Commander of the Separatist Droid Armies, General Grievous. The two developed a rivalry and fought each other numerous times during the war,[56] with Grievous considering Kenobi to be a Jedi he needed to kill "face to face."[59] Their skills were equal, and they quickly became mortal enemies.[60] Grievous harbored a deep animosity for Kenobi.[61] At some point during his travels, Kenobi visited the planet Gazian, which was strong in the Force. The planet, which had a Force vergence, captured an imprint of those who traveled there, including Kenobi.[62] As his last lightsaber was destroyed,[40] Kenobi built a new lightsaber, which he would break in through his service in the conflict[63] and use throughout the remainder of his life.[4]
Initial engagements
Rocky planet deployment
Shortly after the battle on Geonosis, Kenobi was sent to a rocky planet alongside his Padawan, Commander Cody, and several troopers, including a clone soldier named Sister, to destroy Separatist forces. Kenobi was dismayed by how much Skywalker seemed to enjoy combat, and asked how his apprentice found enjoyment in their combat. After receiving a reply, Kenobi worked with his student to complete their objectives and resolved to find better cover for their future engagements. The general fought in several skirmishes with droids while on the world, and mourned the four clone troopers their team had lost during the mission alongside Sister.[57]
Feeling that the Jedi needed more generals, he resolved to suggest to the Jedi Council that Skywalker take the Jedi trials after watching him in combat. He mused that it was a move that would allow them to work together, but also afford the younger man the freedoms of a higher rank along with his own command. Not long after on Coruscant, the handmaiden Sabé initially worried that Kenobi would notice her posing in Amidala's place while at a meeting in the Jedi Temple. When Skywalker left the gathering, Sabé noticed Kenobi attempt to convince his former apprentice to talk to the Alderaanian Senator Bail Organa. Skywalker's time as a Padawan ended, as he was risen to the rank of Jedi Knight[57] for the war not long after.[30] As a result, Kenobi was promoted to Jedi Master after his apprentice's knighting.[5]
Rising through the ranks
After Skywalker had already been promoted, Kenobi attended his former apprentice's official Knighting Ceremony, which was being officiated by Master Windu. Kenobi had just recently become the next of many Jedi to rotate into the council seat of the late Coleman Trebor, and it was unknown if this arrangement would be permanent. Kenobi treated the tasks presented to him in this role with a certain amount of seriousness, and even treated the ceremony as if it was a war decision. As Windu gave his speech, Kenobi stared at Skywalker, who could feel the weight of the stare. When Windu brought up the possibility of the recently-knighted Jedi receiving Padawans of their own, Kenobi caught Skywalker's eye, smirking as the thought of an apprentice irked Skywalker.[30]
Following the conclusion of Windu's speech, Kenobi, confused, glanced around the other Jedi Masters present. Despite his usual skill with improvisation and negotiations, Kenobi found himself flustered by scheduling problems. Skywalker was amused by Kenobi's confusion, as his former master ran his fingers through his now-longer hair. Upon noting that the Chancellor, various senators, and multiple clone commanders were still not present, Kenobi commented that their guests were late, albeit certain that they would arrive shortly. However, the Chancellor's attendance was not in person, but instead via a holo-transmission. Addressing Yoda and Windu, Palpatine announced that the Purse World Cato Neimoidia had been bombed. As Yoda instructed the Padawans and younglings to leave, Kenobi grabbed Skywalker's shoulder, ensuring him that they were equals, and he was welcome to stay. Skywalker then asked if he still had to call Kenobi "Master," and Kenobi jokingly replied that it would only be the case if he knew his place.[30]
As the group was informed that the Cadesura district of Cato Neimoidia's capital city, Zarra, had collapsed, Kenobi stood side by side with Skywalker. His thoughts lingered on his former apprentice for several seconds, pondering how his emotional transition into a Jedi Knight had been rougher than expected. He believed that, while Skywalker had made progress in coming to decisions confidently, he often reverted into deference, unsure of what his place was. It reminded Kenobi of his own ascension to the rank of Jedi Knight, thinking about how long it had taken for him to feel as though he had earned his title, in contrast to his peers who had taken their promotions in stride. Remembering Jinn's advice to not linger on his anxieties, Kenobi exhaled, focusing his mind on the moment.[30]
The Cato Neimoidia affair
- "…you owe me one, and not for saving your skin for the 10th time."
"Ninth time. That business on Neimoidia doesn't—doesn't count." - ―Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi
Kenobi was then sent to look into the explosion, which was being blamed on the Republic[30] by the Purse World Cato Neimoidia, the headquarters of the Trade Federation.[64] As Kenobi investigated with the help of a Neimoidian guard named Ruug Quarnom, the newly-knighted Skywalker disobeyed orders and joined him.[30] During their mission, events transpired that led to a situation where the two Jedi were in peril. Skywalker believed that he had saved his former mentor from the danger, while Kenobi believed the action did not count towards the ever-growing total of times his former apprentice had saved his life.[13] For his actions on Cato Neimoidia, it was decided Kenobi's council seat would be permanent. Skywalker and Kenobi also returned to Cato Neimoidia shortly thereafter to rescue Quarnom. With the passage of the Jedi Military Integration Act, Kenobi was provided with body armor to wear over his robes,[30] but he did not immediately adopt that gear, much like Skywalker.[65]
Krystar rescue
- "You clones will never be fodder, not on my watch. The Jedi, clones, senators, our allies—all of us. We're in this together. And I will fight for each and every one of us in equal measure, now and until the very last day of this was."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi to his troopers
At some point that year,[67] Kenobi and his battalion were sent to the planet Krystar to rescue several clones being held captive. Though hesitant to pursue an assault on the planet, which was aligned with the Republic, he agreed with Cody that saving the hostages was important. After meeting with Amidala, he was made aware of intelligence gathered from Senator Vishar Koss of Krystar. Using this, Kenobi helped form a plan for the operation to infiltrate a compound rumored to be built near the Krystar palace with Amidala's assistance. Escorted to the planet's surface by Amidala under the guise of an aid mission, Kenobi and his troopers investigated the claims of the captured clones.[66]
Though his soldiers wished to take action immediately to free their brothers, the Jedi insisted on having adequate proof before responding accordingly due to the planet's Republic affiliation. Kenobi's men proved able to confirm the claims made by Koss when they found trapped troopers in the compound and contacted their commanding officer about it. Kenobi then received a transmission from Amidala, who informed him that Krystar's Regent Queb was selling the captured clones to Trandoshans. Kenobi instructed his men to free their brothers, which they did successfully before returning to their ship. Though a Trandoshan hunter was upset at the recapture of the clones, Kenobi faced his fury by throwing him out of range with the Force. The general then allowed Koss and Amidala to travel off the planet with them, with the former seeking protection until Queb was taken care of. After the event, Kenobi vowed to protect his allies until the end of the war as much as possible—despite the political challenges—and promised that Queb would be arrested.[66]
Caliban bridge building
- "As clearly stated in the Galactic Accords regarding prisoners of war, no prisoner shall be forced into manual labor or—"
"Jedi scum! You belong to me, Kenobi, and you will do as I say…or you will die." - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Grievous on Caliban
Kenobi and his troopers were present on the Outer Rim moon Caliban and were captured by General Grievous. Though the Jedi attempted to argue that prisoners of war cannot be forced into labor due to a provision in the Galactic Accords war statutes, Grievous insisted that they build a lunar ice bridge for him. Grievous claimed he would kill them if they did not complete the task, and that they would be lucky to leave alive. Despite the frigid temperatures, Kenobi made a plan to construct a sabotaged project to replace the bridge the Separatist leader had originally destroyed and instructed the clone troopers with him to assist.[68]
Near the build site, the Jedi and his men climbed a rise and met a qubey native of the world trapped on one side of a ravine, attempting to reach its parent on the opposite end. After Kenobi saw this, he decided to rebuild the bridge out of compassion and relayed this order to his troopers. Further observation of the creatures showed indication of their displeasure with the Separatist presence on their world, leading to Kenobi counting them as allies. As the structure was being made, the qubey distracted Grievous enough for Kenobi to retrieve his lightsaber when the enemy leader came to inspect it's construction in a surprise ambush. After the bridge's completion, Kenobi implored the general to let his men leave the planet. When Grievous declined, the qubey attacked him and his droids while the Jedi also engaged the Separatist in lightsaber combat. Kenobi goaded the general into stepping onto the sabotaged new bridge, then used the Force to start an avalanche. Grievous fell into the ravine after being swept away, allowing Kenobi to escape the planet with his men in a ship and destroy the bridge after takeoff.[68]
Hisseen siege
- "Sorry we were late, Cody. We were still in pursuit of Ventress and Dooku when we received Rex's distress call."
"Not to worry, General. Everything went as easily as always." - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Cody
Kenobi traveled to the planet Hisseen and participated in a siege of the planet alongside Skywalker, Jedi Master Plo Koon, and their battalions. After working swiftly to destroy an encampment of battle droids, Koon instructed the trio that their objective was to prevent the Hisseenian premier from revealing the location of his fellow parliament members to Dooku and[69] his apprentice,[5] Asajj Ventress—who would kill or threaten them. The Jedi leave and headed into mountainous terrain while leaving their troopers to handle the Separatist ground assault.[69] The Jedi searched to discover the location of the parliament, initially coming up with nothing. However, they soon met Dooku and Ventress, engaging in a lightsaber fight with the pair that prevented them from seeking out the parliament. Koon attempted to contact their clone commanders of the deteriorating situation while Kenobi and Skywalker fought the Separatist darksiders,[70] though the message broke up[69] due to the mountainous terrain surrounding them.[70]
Koon relayed the coordinates of the Hisseenian government members to Wolffe, trusting him and the other commanders to rescue them while he helped Skywalker and Kenobi.[70] As Dooku continued keeping the trio occupied,[70] their soldiers freed the parliament members by destroying the droids guarding them, reminded of the situational similarity of the Krystar mission that Kenobi had embarked on.[66] The siege on Hisseen continued with more waves of droids attacking, reminding Cody of the mission to Caliban. As the clone troopers prepare to fight, Kenobi, Skywalker, and Koon return, slicing the Separatist reinforcements into pieces. Though Ventress and Dooku escaped, Kenobi congratulated the soldiers on their success rescuing the parliament. He then relayed that Yoda had called them back to Coruscant for their next deployment.[68]
Deployment to Kudo III
- "…you're not wrong. The people in the foundry aren't soldiers. But if he's right about the risk to our clone soldiers…"
"There has to be a better way to approach this. Isn't that thr whole reason the Jedi are a part of this war? To help save lives?" - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker
Kenobi traveled to the Corvair sector with Skywalker during the Battle of Corvair, watching the skirmish take place from a Venator-class Star Destroyer. Following the battle, the pair received instructions to investigate rumors of a droid foundry being established on a moon in the sector, Kudo III. Kenobi encouraged his former Padawan to trust in the Force in the investigation, and while acknowledging the skepticism of Yularen, supported Skywalker's intuition on the matter.[71]
As they shared a meal together, Kenobi shared Skywalker's concerns about civilians being involved in the Kudo III developments. He encouraged him to protect any innocents, while still dealing with discovered Separatist threats. Ultimately, Skywalker found that the Separatists had been attempting to goad the Republic into attacking the facility with falsely fed information to kill the innocent slaves inside, then using the assault as negative war propaganda against the Jedi. Kenobi praised Skywalker for his approach of the situation and discovery of the plot. Afterward, Kenobi and Yularen discussed the implications of attacking a neutral party, and whether the planet Kudo would consider joining as a result of the discovery on their moon.[71]
Arrival on Christophsis
- "Well, here I am. Tell me about this new weapon."
"You're looking at it."
"'I'm looking at what?"
"'Two steps forward, and you'd actually be kissing it." - ―Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, about the stealth ship
Kenobi and Skywalker were sent on a mission to bring relief supplies to Senator Organa and the Republic forces that were trapped on the planet Christophsis because of[58] a thirty-ship strong[64] Separatist blockade led by Admiral Trench. Kenobi, who arrived later than his former apprentice, brought with him a stealth ship prototype provided by the Republic. He ordered Skywalker to retreat from his current position and meet him aboard his cruiser, where he presented the stealth ship and its capabilities to his companion. Kenobi then gave orders to Skywalker to sneak past the blockade and deliver the supplies to Organa's encampment in secret, which his former apprentice felt was similar to an errand. Though Skywalker wished for more of the prototypes, Kenobi informed him that only one was available—which was not to be used to attack Trench's ship alone.[58]
Emboldened by his own skills, Skywalker tested the capabilities of the ship further and found that Trench's initial missiles were unable to detect it. Kenobi attempted to order his former apprentice to cease and head to Christophsis' surface with increasing urgency after making contact with Organa's bombarded command center and hearing the senator's pleas, but was ignored. Closing communications with his former Master, Skywalker proceeded to attack the flagship of the Separatist Admiral Trench with his stealth ship and broke the blockade with the attack. Afterward, Kenobi issued Skywalker his congratulations after the supplies were safely delivered to Organa on the world's surface.[58] Following the skirmish in space, the two Jedi Generals and their clone troopers were sent to the planet's surface to fight off the droid army taking control of the world.[72]
Traitorous clone
- "…I believe the number of eyes watching us has been steadily growing."
"Great. Perhaps this means our adversary has learned about our mission. Of course, nobody's tried to stop us yet." - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker
After flying to Christophsis' surface on gunships,[64] he and the troopers with him established a base of operations on the planet.[64] Kenobi and Skywalker then planned and prepared to lead a surprise assault on Separatist forces in the world's crystalline capital city Chaleydonia with their men. However, they were forced to abort their mission due to a large droid ambush. Skywalker led his troopers to Kenobi's trapped position and both escaped with their soldiers into a ship from the roof of a double-towered building. One of the troopers with them took the severed head of a T-series tactical droid.[72]
After analysis, Cody and Skywalker's clone officer, Clone Captain Rex, reported to the Jedi that the enemy had known exactly where their ambush was going to be. Kenobi ordered both to root out the spy within the Republic's forces, insisting on the secrecy of the operations at hand while he left base with Skywalker to further investigate. When the Jedi took BARC speeders behind enemy lines, Separatist forces jammed their transmissions, which left Rex and Cody unable to contact them. Acting under their generals' orders, both clone officers discovered that the clone trooper Slick was the traitor and arrested him, but not before the traitor destroyed the majority of the Republic base's weapons depot. As Kenobi and Skywalker continued heading towards the Separatist headquarters, both surmised whatever was waiting for them there was a trap due to the number of droids observing them from a distance.[72]
Upon entering the headquarters, both Jedi met minimal resistance on the lower level. After meeting Ventress in the building, however, Kenobi and Skywalker engaged in a lightsaber duel with her. Kenobi exchanged banter with Ventress as they engaged, but eventually was forced to escape with his colleague on stolen droid STAPs after an ambush. When the two Jedi returned to the command center, Rex and Cody presented an apprehended Slick. Kenobi and Skywalker expressed disappointment in Slick and the destruction of the weapons depot.[72] Fearing more troopers would decide to defect, they decided to keep the knowledge of Slick's incident secret.[64] The Jedi Master informed Rex and Cody that they should prepare for a large number of incoming battle droids, with minimal heavy cannons to defend their position with.[72] As Republic forces prepared to engage the droids, the blockade above Christophsis began reforming.[64]
Chaleydonia defense
- "That shield is certainly putting a crimp in my day."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi during the Battle of Christophsis
Kenobi and Skywalker maintained control over the planet for a short period of time, reporting its capture to the Jedi Council. The Jedi Master then sent a ship back to the Republic fleet above Christophsis for a supplies restock, regretting the decision shortly after. Not long after, Palpatine requested that Jedi be sent to return Rotta—the son of the Hutt crime lord Jabba—to his father in exchange for the usage of Outer Rim trade routes. As a result, Windu and Yoda sent orders through Admiral Wullf Yularen to ensure that the new Padawan Ahsoka Tano landed on Christophsis to inform Kenobi and Skywalker of their next rescue mission assignment—assuming that the Jedi pair was done with their current engagement. However, on Christophsis, the Jedi pair continued to fight against more waves of enemy Separatist droids. While deflecting blast fire alongside Cody, Kenobi surmised that reinforcements would be needed soon.[73]
Kenobi defended the Republic's defensive positions alongside his men, helping Skywalker with a plan to wipe out droids in a large avenue while heavy cannons gave them cover fire. The Separatist General Whorm Loathsom decided to order his forces into a tactical retreat, surprising the Jedi. Seeing a Republic ship fly overhead, both assumed reinforcements or assistance had arrived. However, Kenobi and Skywalker then met Tano, who had arrived in the ship alone. Kenobi and his former apprentice used the ship to contact Yoda, who told them to return to Coruscant for a new mission. When Yoda learned of the impending Separatist threat preventing their departure from Christophsis he promised to send reinforcements, but cut off mid-transmission. Though the Kenobi assumed Tano would be his new apprentice, she corrected him, relaying that Skywalker was to be her teacher.[73]
While they awaited assistance, Loathsom used a deflector shield to protect his droids from attack while steadily advancing on the Republic's heavy cannons. Kenobi used a holographic display to brief others about the location of the shield generator, after which Skywalker and Tano brainstormed a plan to take it out while the Jedi Master and Rex stayed behind as a diversion. As the shield boundary increased, Kenobi ordered his men to fall back to a position further into the city. Meanwhile, he went under the shield with some of his troopers and began attacking enemy forces. Seeing that their efforts were in vain, Kenobi instructed Rex to have his men guard the heavy cannons while he delayed the droids. The Jedi Master proceeded to offer himself up in defeat to Loathsom, claiming that there were terms of surrender to discuss.[73]
After Kenobi spent an extended period of time stalling by delaying to set terms of surrender or offer a flag of truce during which he was held at blasterpoint, Skywalker and Tano destroyed the shield using explosive charges. His refusal to stand down his forces angered and distracted Loathsom who had Kenobi seized and threatened to destroy him. On the destruction of the shield, Kenobi freed himself and was able to quickly restrain the Separatist general as Republic reinforcements arrived on the planet. Upon landing in a gunship before Kenobi, Yoda greeted the Jedi Master to begin telling him of Rotta's capture.[73] While he managed to give Tano and Skywalker enough time to win the day for the Republic, his capture and subsequent stalling was a boon to Separatist propaganda for they were able to paint Kenobi's ruse as a false surrender and proof of Republic treachery. Ultimately, it ensured very few peace talks were held over the course of the war,[74] with Kenobi indeed coming to show regret for the conflict's ongoing bloodshed.[9]
Teth and Tatooine
- "We know of Dooku's plot to turn the Hutts against us. It will not succeed."
"It will when the truth dies with you." - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Asajj Ventress
After greeting Yoda on Christophsis, Kenobi gave parting advice to Skywalker about training Tano before heading to Tatooine to negotiate with Jabba. The Jedi Master promised that Republic forces would successfully rescue his son, and listened to the Hutt's additional terms about capturing the kidnapper of his son, dead or alive. Kenobi then informed Skywalker that he had one planetary rotation to return Rotta[73]—and also privately reflected that his meeting with Jabba had made him believe the Hutt had never bathed in his life due to the smell.[27] The Jedi Master ordered his troops to depart for Teth next in an effort to reinforce his former Padawan's forces. After Skywalker and Tano rescued Rotta from Teth's B'omarr Order Monastery, Kenobi arrived and fought with a fleet of fighters in Teth's atmosphere, but was unable to contact the other Jedi due to jammed transmissions.
From the skies, he noticed a battle occurring on the rooftop of a building and followed his men down to the surface to find Skywalker. Kenobi found Ventress inside the monastery and fought in a brief lightsaber duel with her while exchanging banter. Skywalker and Tano escaped the planet with Rotta during their fight, and he eventually forced Ventress to flee after disabling one side of her lightsabers. Once the fight concluded, Kenobi contacted his former apprentice and informed him that he would come to Tatooine to help as soon as Teth's situation settled. After Skywalker and Tano successfully returned Rotta to Jabba and cleared their name from the framing schemes of the Hutt Ziro and Dooku, Kenobi and Yoda met the Jedi pair on Tatooine to negotiate a treaty with the crime lord.[73]
A suspected defection
- "Our spies have spotted Separatist agents at the port where the Halcyon arrives tomorrow... That's where he'll try to make a rendezvous. And Obi-Wan already has it staked out with a unit of clone troopers, so—"
- ―Anakin regarding Obi-Wan's role in the Jedi Council's plan to catch the defected senator Zast Tri'vak
At some point following the negotiation of the Hutt Clan and Republic's treaty, the Jedi Council caught wind of Lannik Senator Zast Tri'vak's plans to defect to the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Due to the risk Tri'vak's defection would present to important Republic supply routes, the Council took action. Skywalker and Senator Amidala were sent on board the Hutt-owned MPO-1400 Purgill-class star cruiser known as the Halcyon to catch the rogue senator, while Kenobi staked out the planned arrival port of the Halcyon with a unit of clone troopers. As things went awry on board the star cruiser when Asajj Ventress arrived to extract Tri'vak, the Dark Acolyte taunted Skywalker, claiming he was not much of a challenge without Kenobi by his side. Ultimately, the risk of Tri'vak's defection was negated with his death, as Ventress killed him to prevent him from spilling Separatist secrets to the Hutt Clan.[75]
Ryloth's blockade
- "Senator, the fleet protecting Ryloth has been destroyed, and the supply lines have been cut. The troops are out of fuel, food, ammunition. And the civilian population is starving."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi, to Senator Bail Organa
At some point, Kenobi met with members of the Jedi Council in a hologram call to meet with Admiral Dao from his post in the orbit of the planet Ryloth, who was calling for aid at Jedi General Ima-Gun Di's request. Dao informed the Councillors that his fleet was unable to continue aiding Republic forces on the world's surface due to the Separatist blockade around the planet, and his plea for help cut off mid-sentence when his flagship was destroyed. Following this, the Kenobi and his colleagues sent a CR90 corvette blockade runner loaded with relief supplies to planet Toydaria accompanied by Representative Jar Jar Binks of Naboo.[76]
Kenobi and his colleagues then proceeded to contact Senator Bail Organa and request his assistance in negotiating with King Katuunko of the planet Toydaria. Doing this, Kenobi explained, would allow Republic relief supplies to flow through the world as a staging ground. Moved by Kenobi's words, Organa agreed to travel to the negotiations to help the starving citizens of Ryloth. Eventually, the Senator was successful in delivering some of the supplies and gaining the favor of the Toydarian king.[76]
Missions across the galaxy
A secret superweapon
- "Tell me, has there been any word from Master Plo Koon or his fleet?"
"…actually, I just received word that Anakin has found the remains of Master Plo's fleet and is searching the debris for survivors." - ―Chancellor Palpatine and Obi-Wan Kenobi
When Master Plo Koon's fleet was destroyed in the campaign of the Malevolence—a secret Separatist superweapon—during the Battle of Abregado, and Skywalker reported the Kel Dor's interrupted message and loss of contact from the Abregado system. Kenobi watched his report alongside with Chancellor Palpatine, Windu, and Yoda, remarking that the Separatist operations were unusually tidy to maintain the secrecy of their weapon. In the meeting, Skywalker was ordered to reinforce Kenobi's fleet to protect supply convoys and not send a rescue for the attack's possible survivors from the Abregado system. Though Tano disagreed, she was overruled, with Kenobi fondly remarking that her outspoken behavior was likely learned from her Master.[77]
Kenobi's forces were joined by Admiral Yularen, who was commanding Skywalker's fleet. Upon questioning where his former apprentice was, Yularen explained the other general's self-redeployment to search for survivors in the Abregado system against orders. Kenobi then confronted Skywalker about his deviation from orders in a holographic call, prompting the wayward Jedi to meet with the Republic fleet as soon as possible. Though Tano claimed that the idea was hers, the Jedi Master doubted her claim, ordering them back to defensive escort duty upon learning no survivors had been found. In a meeting with Palpatine, Windu, and Yoda, Kenobi relayed Skywalker's detour and his hope to find Koon and his troopers still alive. Though the decision was deemed reckless by Yoda, Kenobi assured the group that his former apprentice's fleet was where it needed to be in defensive formation, as he had gone with only a small ship and his Padawan. Shortly after, Skywalker and Tano managed to rescue Koon and some of his men from the debris of their destroyed ships, escaping Separatist pursuit. As the first survivors of the superweapon, they were able to report to the Jedi Council what the Malevolence's capabilities were, including its ion cannons.[77]
Upon learning of the Malevolence's next target—the Kaliida Shoals Medical Center in the Outer Rim—Kenobi and Skywalker formulated a daring plan to engage and destroy the Malevolence's ion cannons with his Shadow Squadron clone pilots. While Skywalker traveled through the nearby Kaliida Nebula with his squadron, Kenobi led the Republic fleet of ships through hyperspace to the medical station. As his former apprentice engaged the enemy vessel, Kenobi entered the system and began destroying the massive warship using the combined firepower of his fleet as the enemy vessel fled. Along with Wullf Yularen, Kenobi helped organize the evacuation of the medical center with Yularen, dispatching medical frigates. While Skywalker's task force proved successful in destroying its cannons,[78] the Malevolence's defenses withstood the fire of Kenobi's fleet for some time.[79] After thanking Skywalker for his assistance, Kenobi ordered the ships under his command to continue pursuit of the Malevolence as it fled to Separatist space[78] with a damaged hyperdrive.[79]
Malevolence encounter
- "That's your plan— Just fly there, land, hope they don't spot us, and walk in the door?"
"Basically."
"Oh, brilliant. Let's get going." - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker
During the pursuit, Kenobi discussed contacting additional reinforcements with Koon, but resolved to continue with the ships he had due to a lack of available forces in the area. The Master concluded that this could be the Republic's opportunity to destroy Grievous by firing on the enemy ship's bridge, having surmised that the Malevolence's hyperdrive was damaged due to the vessel not fleeing. Shortly after, in a trap arranged by Dooku and executed by Palpatine, Amidala arrived at the battle's scene having been fed false information regarding a diplomatic mission in the system. Using her as a hostage, Grievous forced the Republic's fleet to stall their attack, further encouraged by Skywalker's insistence on mounting a rescue.[79]
Kenobi joined Skywalker in a small ship, intending to sneak on the Separatist warship by slipping past the ship's damaged sensors and docking at an emergency airlock. Though the older Jedi was skeptical of the plan and his former apprentice's flying tricks, Skywalker claimed that the enemy forces were focused on handling repairs rather than watching for intruders. After successfully landing on the Malevolence, the pair quickly destroyed the battle droids greeting them. Kenobi and Skywalker were patched through to direct communication with Amidala, who informed them of her location and also berated them for coming to rescue her rather than continue with destroying the warship. Tano informed the trio that the best place to meet would be a large, open area in the center of the ship, which the Jedi and Senator began heading to.[79]
After the Jedi rescued Amidala from droids at their rendezvous, Kenobi used the Force to levitate C-3P0 toward him, though the droid got carried away by a rail jet hovertrain. He informed Skywalker of this, and left his former apprentice to reacquire the droid while he would sabotage the hyperdrive. Kenobi's transmission was intercepted by Grievous, who challenged the Jedi's skills in front of the droids on his bridge. The Jedi Master then made his way to the ship's hyperdrive, but was met with an ambush consisting of many battle droids and Grievous himself. After escaping the situation by destroying the majority of the droids, Kenobi fled to the rail jets on the Malevolence while followed by Grievous. He and the cyborg engaged in a brief lightsaber duel that ended when the Jedi landed on a lower platform and made his way to Skywalker's escape ship.[79]
Amidala, Skywalker, Kenobi, and their droids fled the Malevolence and contacted the Republic fleet as Grievous pursued in a personal starship. As they fled towards safety, the droids aboard the enemy warship completed repairs of its hyperdrive. Grievous gave the order for the Malevolence to flee, which resulted in the warship crashing into the nearby Dead Moon of Antar due to the coordinates in its navi-computer being sabotaged. Kenobi was surprised by the move, and was informed by Skywalker that it was always part of their plan. After the destruction of his warship, Grievous fled in his ship while the Jedi and their fleet celebrated.[79]
Attack of Rishi Station
- "General Kenobi, General Skywalker."
"Cody. How goes the inspections?"
"The tracking station in Pastil is fully operational. Captain Rex and I are proceeding to the outpost in the Rishi system."
"Good. Report back once you've arrived." - ―Cody and Obi-Wan Kenobi
As weeks passed, Kenobi and Skywalker continued their search for Grievous and his fleet and sent Cody and Rex on an inspection run of their quadrant of space. The pair briefly discussed the intelligence they had regarding the matter, with Kenobi noting that they would find the enemy general eventually. He and his former apprentice were present for Cody's report on his inspections to a Pastil tracking station, and the commander further said that his next inspection would be at a listening post station in the Rishi system—an outpost crucial to warning Kamino of potential Separatist attacks. After thanking Cody for his work, Kenobi praised the clone to Yularen and Skywalker, then suggested that his former Padawan get some rest.[80]
While on the Rishi Moon outpost, which had been taken over by droid forces, Cody and Rex's ship was destroyed and they lost contact with Kenobi's fleet. Hours after their scheduled check in, Yularen attempted to contact them to no avail. Though Kenobi felt that perhaps Rex was the cause of the delay, Skywalker retorted that the opposite could be true of Cody. Both resolved to devise a more efficient strategy to find Grievous, leaving Yularen in charge of contacting the clone officers. Not long after, Yularen was notified that the all-clear-signal on Rishi had been deactivated, prompting Kenobi to sound an invasion alarm and order his fleet to the Rishi system. The Jedi's fleet arrived just in time to force Grievous' ships out of the system, foiling the cyborg's plot to launch a surprise attack on Kamino. After the incident, Kenobi thanked the surviving clones that had defended the station—Echo and Fives—in a medal ceremony.[80]
Skytop Station campaign
Following his escape, Grievous began ambushing Republic fleets in the Skytop Station campaign and defeated forces on[81] the planet[82] Falleen.[81] Both the Jedi and the Republic has struggles against Grievous, who achieved many victories for the Separatists, proving to be a nearly indestructible opponent for them, leaving a trail of conquest and destruction across the galaxy.[83] Kenobi advised Skywalker to retreat from his post at[81] the gas giant[3] Bothawui, citing that Grievous' fleet outnumbered his. Tano agreed with the Master, though Skywalker insisted on staying to protect the sector. Skywalker managed to destroy the cyborg's flotilla at the cost of losing his droid, R2-D2.[81]
A captured R2-D2 managed to send the coordinates of Skytop Station—a secret Separatist listening post—to Skywalker and Tano. After reporting the information to Kenobi using scramble code 1477, he instructed them to wait for reinforcements. Though Skywalker wanted to rescue his droid, Kenobi ordered him to destroy the station instead. After the mission and unsanctioned rescue, an exasperated Kenobi grudgingly accepted Skywalker's retrieval to the droid with only a brief rebuke for the reckless behavior. While Tano agreed that the Kenobi's reasoning, Skywalker explained that he knew she could complete the mission on her own so he could rescue R2-D2.[84]
Dooku on Vanqor
- "Anakin when I tell you to run, run."
"Master! You're alive."
"And where's your lightsaber?"
"It got knocked out of my hand."
"By a rock?"
"Yeah, by a rock." - ―Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, in Vanqor's caves
In their efforts to track the location of Dooku, Kenobi helped devise a plan to trick the Sith into revealing his location. As part of this plot, Skywalker allowed himself to be captured[85] by pretending his Delta-7B Aethersprite-class light interceptor was dead in space, which prompted the Count to tow it[86] aboard a Separatist Munificent-class star frigate to discover where it was stationed. Kenobi then traveled to his friend's last known location—an ice field near the Outer Rim planet Vanqor—using an enviro-suit[86] and jetpack to travel through space. After sneaking aboard the frigate, Kenobi successfully freed Skywalker from his detention cell and returned his lightsaber to him. The younger Jedi felt annoyed that he had been the one to be captured, which led Kenobi to tease that when he became a Jedi Master, he could make the plans.[85]
Kenobi and Skywalker confronted Dooku in his meditation chamber, acting in a proud way that disgusted the older man. The Sith quickly used an escape chute to head towards the vessel's hangar to head to his Punworcca 116-class interstellar sloop, followed by Skywalker. After Dooku successfully took off in his escape vessel,[86] Kenobi and Skywalker pursued him in a stolen Sheathipede-class transport shuttle and called on Tano to rally Republic reinforcements.[85] The Jedi scored a direct hit on Dooku's sloop that knocked out his engines, forcing him to make a crash landing on Vanqor.[86] However, the damage done to Kenobi and Skywalker's stolen shuttle by the Sith's escort also necessitated their own emergency landing on the same world. As their ship touched ground, both Jedi exchanged playful banter about piloting and destroyed the homing beacon on Dooku's crashed ship.[85]
The Jedi pair surveyed the area, deciding to start their search for the Sith in Vanqor's caves.[85] Dooku manipulated the Force to flare the barest hint of his Force presence within the caves, which the Jedi picked up as he had planned.[86] When Kenobi and Skywalker entered the caves, Dooku crashed down the loosened rock above the entrance using telekinesis, trapping them inside. Though both survived, Skywalker had lost his lightsaber, which Kenobi chided him for while cleaning his own weapon. The Jedi Master watched in amusement as a large gundark went after his former apprentice, but eventually helped him throw rocks at the creature to cease its attacks. When the caves started to fill with poison gas, Tano rescued the pair—though both indignantly claimed that they had not needed help and were productively tracking Dooku. After escaping, Kenobi and Skywalker contacted the Jedi Council.[85]
Ohnaka's pirates
- "They are devious and deceitful and, most importantly, stupid."
"It's a wonder you don't get along with them, Dooku. You have so much in common." - ―Dooku and Obi-Wan Kenobi, about Ohnaka's pirates
After learning that Dooku was captured by Captain Hondo Ohnaka's pirates on Vanqor and brought to the planet Florrum, who hoped to trade him for a hefty ransom from the Republic, the Jedi Council agreed to send Kenobi and Skywalker to verify his capture following the suggestion of Amidala. Windu informed the Jedi of their next assignment, and the stipulation that they arrive unarmed. Though both Kenobi and Skywalker were uneasy with what could become a hostile situation, Windu insisted on the importance of the mission. After landing in a small ship, both were led to the pirates' stronghold cells and saw Dooku hanging from restraints. Though the Sith attempted to warn the pair that the pirates would turn traitor on them, both refused spent time sneering and scoffing at him. When the two Jedi reported in after speaking to Ohnaka, Palpatine had Binks and Senator Kharrus lead a diplomatic mission to trade a ransom for the Count.[85]
Kenobi and Skywalker attended a feast after their business concluded, and accepted offered refreshments. However, before a toast both swapped their cups with their pirate neighbors and discovered shortly after that Ohnaka had attempted to poison them when both collapsed.[85] After taking a sip of their drinks, both woke up in restraints connected to the Dooku's bindings. After briefly arguing with the Sith, Kenobi and Skywalker agreed that they would form a plan to escape their situation. When Dooku opened their cell using a Force-levitated knife, Kenobi grudgingly told his former apprentice to let the Separatist focus. Though the trio escaped from the room they were in, they were recaptured by Ohnaka's pirates shortly after.[87]
Ohnaka confronted Kenobi, Skywalker, and Dooku, warning them not to escape again to ruin his chance at a profit. When the captain left Kenobi mind tricked a guard into opening their cell. The trio crept through the pirate compound, exchanging tense banter. Eventually, Dooku broke them through a wall and they raced to the edge of the compound. However, Ohnaka caught up to them and put them back in a cell, eventually having them separated from Dooku and hung by restraints in front of a group of pirates. The captain informed them that their Republic had not arrived with Dooku's ransom and proceeded to electrocute the pair. When Dooku escaped the compound and knocked out the area's electrical supply, Kenobi and Skywalker were freed, holding Ohnaka as a hostage using their lightsabers. Binks and his clone escort arrived, providing the Jedi with transport off Florrum. Though it surprised Ohnaka, Kenobi ordered Skywalker to let him go free, as Jedi do not take revenge—though warned that Dooku did not share their same mindset.[87]
Orto Plutonia
- "Now that you have created peace between your people and the Talz, remember one crucial thing…"
"Yes, Master Kenobi?"
"Make it last, senator. Make it last." - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Riyo Chuchi
Called to the cold planet Orto Plutonia to ascertain why the Republic had lost contact with a clone outpost, Kenobi and Skywalker, along with Pantoran Chairman Chi Cho and Senator Riyo Chuchi from the nearby moon Pantora, traveled to the Republic base. They found it to be to be devoid of life, as all clones stationed there having been killed—with a monument of their helmets erected inside. After visiting a nearby Separatist base, similar destruction was found, leading Kenobi to believe that the murders at the Republic's base were done by a third unknown party. Logs showed mysterious warriors had taken out the Separatist droids when investigating the world's southern canyon, which Kenobi decided would be a good starting point for their investigation.[88]
When Skywalker and Kenobi headed to the location they met the leader of the Talz people Thi-Sen and their associates, communicating with the natives using rudimentary hand signals and drawings. The Jedi learned that battle droids had attacked the Talz and the clones were accidentally caught in the middle of the conflict. The pair returned to the Republic base, and knowing that the Talz only wanted peace, arranged a diplomatic meeting between the Pantorans and Talz. However, Chi Cho angrily refused to accept any peaceful outcome and provoked a war between him and Thi-Sen's people as he refused to accept peace despite the protests of Chuchi and the Jedi. He declared it an internal affair of Pantora to remove the Jedi from the equation, ordering them to submit to him because they were under the Senate's jurisdiction.[88]
When Skywalker and Kenobi appealed to Chuchi to find a way to resolve the political matter diplomatically, she contacted the Speaker of the Pantoran Assembly who granted her the authority to negotiate peace and declared the Chairman out of order. Though Chuchi wanted the Jedi to negotiate on Pantora's behalf, they refused, as it was her people who the Talz were warring with. However, the solution came too late as Chi Cho was attacked before Kenobi, Skywalker, and Chuchi landed and halted the Talz's attack. To settle the conflict between the Pantorans and the Talz, Chuchi met with Thi-Sen, establishing an agreement that allowed the Talz to live in peace on the planet. As the Senator and the Jedi boarded a gunship off-world, Kenobi congratulated the Senator in establishing peace and urged her to make it last and act as an example to others.[88] The Jedi Master felt that the peace achieved through the balancing of both sides had been a unique challenge.[56]
Blue Shadow Virus
- "A great leap forward often requires taking two steps back."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi
The Jedi Council later agreed to send Kenobi, Skywalker, and Tano, to Naboo in response to intelligence that suggested that a Separatist bio-lab had been set up on the planet at Amidala's suggestion. When Amidala and Binks lost contact while searching for the lab, Skywalker sent Tano along with the Gungan native Peppi Bow to locate them. Meanwhile, Kenobi and Skywalker arrived on Naboo learned from new information discovered by Captain Gregar Typho that Separatist scientist Nuvo Vindi was using the lab to perfect the deadly Blue Shadow Virus so as to release it into key Republic star systems. Kenobi and Skywalker proceeded to plan an infiltration of the facility to prevent the virus from being spread across the galaxy.[90]
While they waited in the hangar bay, Kenobi took note of Skywalker's increased levels of agitation during the mission. After being contacted by Tano, Kenobi and Skywalker left instructions for her to cause a diversion. On the other side of the lab, the pair entered and met with her before beginning a search for Vindi's viral bombs. Kenobi located the room where the bombs were held with his clone troopers, instructing his men to deactivate them all. Though Vindi attempted to release the virus, the Jedi were able to apprehend him and rescue Amidala and Binks.[90]
As Kenobi and Skywalker prepared to transfer Vindi to Coruscant for trial, Tano, Amidala, and several clones discovered that a vial of the virus was missing. Though the alarm was sounded prior to the vial's detonation, the virus was released throughout the lab. Tano, Amidala, and the clones with them were compromised and infected by the virus. As they worked to ensure droids would not escape the facility, Skywalker and Kenobi implored the Naboo as to what the cure for the virus was. Upon learning it, the Jedi then flew to planet Iego to search for the reeksa root antidote to the virus found there.[89]
While on Iego, Skywalker destroyed a number of reprogrammed battle droids owned by the local native Jaybo Hood, which Kenobi chided him for. Hood then told the pair where to find the antidote they were looking for, though warned it was dangerous. The young man also informed the Jedi that the phantom leader of Iego, Drol, would not allow any individual to leave the planet. Kenobi and Skywalker rode a xandu to the bottom of a ravine and quickly gathered some reeksa root before escaping from the carnivorous plant. Upon trying to leave Iego, the two Jedi discovered that "Drol" was actually a Separatist laser security system surrounding the planet and enlisted Hood's help in destroying it despite the skepticism of the other natives. When successful, Kenobi and Skywalker traveled back to Naboo and delivered the antidote that saved Tano, Amidala, and the clone troopers. Kenobi also offered Binks blaster training to hone his skills, which the Gungan enthusiastically accepted.[89] After the event, the Jedi Master became more keenly aware of Skywalker's emotional instability when around Amidala and resolved to watch the pair more closely as the war continued.[56]
Invasion of Ryloth
- "We need to remember why we're here. We came to aid the Twi'leks, not destroy their home."
- ―Kenobi to Ghost Company aboard the Crumb Bomber
After the Techno Union leader Wat Tambor seized control of the planet Ryloth and its inhabitants, he implemented a blockade around the world with his Lucrehulk-class Battleship and two Munificent-class frigates. The Jedi Council devised a plan for Kenobi and Windu to lead a ground assault to invade and liberate the planet after the Senate requested them to intervene. Skywalker and Tano were dispatched to destroy the Separatist blockade surrounding the planet to support their effort.[92]
The initial attempt to break the blockade was unsuccessful, which Skywalker reported to Kenobi and Windu as a heavy loss through hologram, considering the deceased clone pilots and sacrifice of the Venator-class Star Destroyer Redeemer. Kenobi advised him to give Tano time to grieve the loss of her squadron, but added that he would need her assistance to complete their objectives. Windu informed Skywalker that he needed to break the blockade within the next planetary rotation for the invasion to continue. When Skywalker and Tano's second attempt is successful, Kenobi arrived with the rest of the invasion forces in the planet's vicinity. Kenobi contacted Tano and she cleared them to begin their ground assault.[92]
In preparing their assault, Windu asked Kenobi to consider capturing the city Nabat first to secure a landing zone, which he agreed to. Kenobi then boarded a small transport with some of his men from Ghost Company and instructed them to do minimal damage to the local habitat and not harm natives. In space, the rest of Windu's fleet came under attack by Separatist forces. Windu contacted Kenobi and informed him that the Republic would be unable to use Acclamator-class transgalactic military assault ships and other gunships from Crumb Bomber until the Separatist surface proton cannons were wiped out.[91]
Kenobi and his men landed and steadily made their way to the outskirts of the city, taking out droids as they went. Using telekinesis, the Jedi helped levitate the droid poppers thrown by his troopers Waxer and Boil to take out a bunker. After securing the wall perimeter Kenobi ordered Cody to send his best men to scout ahead, and the commander ultimately selected Waxer, Boil, and Wooley. Scouting yielded useful intelligence, leading Cody to report to Kenobi and Windu the placements of the gun encampments as well as the Separatists' use of living Twi'lek shields. However, one of the tactical droid commander TX-20's probe droids recorded their strategy session and provided it to the leader. When Waxer and Boil failed to report in from scouting after meeting the Twi'lek child Numa, Kenobi became concerned.[91]
The general and his troops decided to move forward without the missing troopers, entering the village outskirts. They soon encountered starved native gutkurrs that began to attack them. The Jedi lured the creatures into an alley using the Force so that the clones could trap them by collapsing a bridge between them. Shortly after, a pothole near them began to rattle, though Kenobi ordered his men to hold fire. When Waxer and Boil then emerged out of an underground tunnel with Numa, Kenobi talked to the girl in Twi'leki and learned that she could lead them to the prisoners. Tasking Cody with creating a diversion for the droids, Kenobi went with Waxer, Boil, and Numa to the underground passages and freed the Twi'lek hostages who fled into the tunnels.[91]
Then, the general proceeded to take control of a proton cannon and managed to take out their cannons with the help of Waxer and Boil loading fuel cartridges in. However, TX-20 blasted the three aside and threatened Kenobi, who was holding Numa in his arms. Before the droid could blast them, other Twi'leks rushed the droid and protected Kenobi, with the Jedi attempting to shield Numa's eyes from the violence. As Windu's transports from the Acclamatorlanded, Windu commended Kenobi on his victory and they continued with their next mission.[91]
As the Republic's forces departed for the capital city Lessu Waxer and Boil inquired Kenobi about the meaning of "nerra," which the Jedi General translated as "brother."[91] After Windu and and his forces reached Lessu, Kenobi led his contingent to capture the southern hemisphere of Ryloth and was able to successfully capture the Jixuan desert. With Windu taking Lessu and capturing Wat Tambor, the two Jedi Generals freed the planet from Separatist rule.[93]
A stolen holocron
- "A holocron is no good without a Jedi to open it. What are they up to?"
"They must be trying to gain access to the communications center from the vault."
"Let's get in there." - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker pursuing Cad Bane
During the First Battle of Felucia, Kenobi was sent along with Skywalker and Tano to the Separatist-invaded planet Felucia. While Kenobi stayed with the main body of troops to defend their clearing-based emplacement of AT-TE walkers, Tano led two AT-TE walkers and a Juggernaut tank on a patrol of the dense jungle. Kenobi realized that they were outnumbered, seeing that droids would soon outflank their position. He ordered an immediate retreat as soon as General Koon arrived to help them, prompting clones to prepare gunships for fleeing. The Jedi Master contacted Tano to do so as well, but the Padawan refused to retreat—claiming her foes were retreating. When Skywalker and Kenobi arrived to pick her up, she refused to pull back until Skywalker convinced her that the battle was lost. As their gunship flew away, Kenobi, Skywalker, and Tano observed the position she had been at erupt in flames.[94]
Once back at the Jedi Temple, Kenobi reported to rest of the Jedi Council about Tano's reckless actions during the battle. As a result, she was assigned to guard duty in the Jedi Archives under the supervision of Jocasta Nu. Kenobi and Skywalker attended a strategy session after the meeting to discuss the effects of Felucia's loss. As they talked, Yoda felt a disturbance in the Force and warned the pair that there would be intruders in the Temple soon. Kenobi and Skywalker surmised that any intruders would likely be breaking in to steal Jedi transmitter codes and military information, and set out to protect the communications center. However by using the assistance of the helper droid Todo 360, the bounty hunter Cad Bane managed to sneak into the Temple. The Jedi pair noticed their systems rebooting and acting strangely and located a disturbance in the Temple's ventilation shafts with advice from Yoda.[94]
Kenobi and Skywalker discovered the vent Bane had entered, but were unable to locate the criminal despite their best efforts. Yoda informed them that their intruders were deep in the Temple and had likely received outside help. From the Archives, Tano captured Bane's changeling associate Cato Parasitti and informed the pair of this. Kenobi and Skywalker assumed that Bane would try to access the communications tower from the Holocron Vault and headed to the tower. Bane took the opportunity to steal a Jedi holocron and sneak out of the building while Kenobi and Skywalker narrowly avoided a bomb set off by Todo 360 in the ventilation shafts. Parasitti revealed Bane's next target would be the Jedi Bolla Ropal, the keeper of a kyber memory crystal that stored the names of every Force-sensitive child in the galaxy. Kenobi then proceeded to lead Parasitti away while Skywalker and Tano set out to warn Ropal.[94]
Pursuit on Rodia
- "There are thousands of children on that list. Which will he go after first?"
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi
Bane managed to capture and torture Ropal, only stopping when Jedi arrived on his ship. Despite Skywalker and Tano's best efforts, the criminal escaped in his ship.[96] Both reported back to Kenobi and Yoda afterward, who worried about the future harm done to the children on the list. Kenobi and other Jedi meditated to sense through the Force which children would be harmed first, coming up with a small list of locations for their efforts—including a child on[95] the planet[5] Rodia that he sensed. Kenobi then flew to the planet and met the Rodian Mahtee Dunn, the child's mother, and informed her that her child Wee Dunn had been taken by a bounty hunter posing as a Jedi. He caught up to Bane shortly after while he was holding the child while using a Jedi cloak as a disguise.[95]
Using a grappling hook, Kenobi pursued Bane across several rooftops, but eventually watched the bounty hunter escape in a Rogue-class Porax-38 starfighter Xanadu Blood. Though the bounty hunter successfully delivered two children to the planet Mustafar, he was caught on Naboo by Skywalker and Tano in his third kidnapping attempt. Kenobi interrogated Bane aboard a Venator-class Star Destroyer, and used a combined Force mind trick alongside Skywalker and Windu to compel him into agreeing to locate the holocron. Though Windu felt that this was an internal matter, Skywalker insisted on reporting to Palpatine of the discover, which the younger Jedi's former Master eventually agreed to.[95]
Kenobi and Windu then traveled with a restrained Bane to Black Stall Station and retrieved the missing holocron, but were forced to let him escape through an escape pod after being caught in the station's traps. After Tano and Skywalker retrieved the pair of missing children, they reported to the full Jedi Council.[95] Kenobi's efforts to assist the stolen child were remembered by the Rodian Chekkoo clan. Stories of the event were circulated shortly after and he was regarded by many on the world as a hero.[97]
Felucia and bounty hunters
- "We can't just wander around aimlessly. We need a plan."
"You always taught me to go on instinct, and my instincts tell me to go that way."
"No that—that doesn't seem right. I think we should go this way." - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker
The disappearance of a a medical station orbiting over Felucia prompted the Jedi Council to send Kenobi, Skywalker, and Tano to investigate the issue. Once in the system, their ship was shot down by Separatist vulture droids from an automated vulture droid deployment station. Forced to make a crash landing, the trio ejected from the ship moments before it exploded. Kenobi and Skywalker proceeded to argue about which direction to go, but eventually followed Tano's lead after seeing smoke in the sky indicating civilization. They soon came across a nysillin farm village, confounded by its apparent desertion.[98]
After discovering that the village had been undergoing pirate raids, the three Jedi met the four bounty hunters that the local Felucian farmers had hired to protect them—Sugi, Embo, Rumi Paramita, and Seripas. The village elder Casiss Midagatis explained their current situation, pleading for the Jedi's help. However, Kenobi declined and insisted on reporting the missing medical station even though Tano disagreed. Ohnaka's pirates arrived at the village shortly after, and Kenobi conversed with their leader while the rest of the gang looked on as they reflected on[98] their past meeting on Florrum.[87]
The Jedi Master proposed a deal to the pirates to trade a large sum of credits for a ride to the nearest Republic outpost. However, Ohnaka declined and left, insisting that he would stay for his share of nysillin. Though not willing to directly commit to fighting pirates, Kenobi and the other Jedi agreed to help train the Felucian farmers to fight for themselves. Kenobi expressed skepticism with Sugi's methods, but grudgingly resolved to hope she could do her job. Skywalker struggled to train the civilians with him as his former Master watched, but eventually helped the villagers learn some skills.[98]
After a pirate scout was killed by Embo near the village when caught, Kenobi noted that when the spy failed to report it would be noticed by Ohnaka. A skirmish ensued shortly after, ultimately ending in a win for the villagers, Jedi, and bounty hunters. Sugi then offered Kenobi, Skywalker, and Tano a ride back to the nearest Republic outpost, which they accepted.[98]
The Zillo Beast
- "Why would the Chancellor want to bring the beast here? He thinks that by studying it, the knowledge could prove beneficial, but from what you reported, it hardly seems worth the effort."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi
Following the discovery of the Zillo Beast during the Battle of Malastare[100] and its transference to Coruscant, Windu shared his concerns with Kenobi while in the Temple. He agreed with the other Jedi Master, he suggested to let Skywalker convince Palpatine to send the beast back to its origins. Kenobi then approached Senator Amidala to help him—who in turn helped him convince Skywalker to reason with Palpatine. However, the Chancellor had already ordered Doctor Sionver Boll to kill the beast to extract its scales by using poison. When the administration of it agitated the creature, it smashed its way out of the laboratory and started rampaging across Coruscant to reach the Senate building with Palpatine in it.[99]
Deployed to contain the beast, Kenobi and Windu managed to save the Chancellor using the Force and, later, commanded gunships to distract the beast together with Yoda and the Jedi Aayla Secura while the Chancellor escaped with Skywalker, Amidala, R2-D2, and C-3PO. Kenobi and Windu worked to use the Force to hold their escape ship from falling off the edge of a roof, saving Palpatine. As the gunships arrived and killed the creature by firing poison gas bombs into into its mouth, they and the others looked on in regret. When the Zillo Beast succumbed to the poison, it fell from the roof of the Senate to its death below.[100]
The war drags on
Many meetings
Kenobi later participated in a meeting in which he and the council assigned Amidala to spy on Rush Clovis, whom they believed to be a Separatist spy.[101] He was also present alongside Master Yoda and Master Windu to assign Billaba and her battalion to engage the enemy on Mygeeto.[102]
Second Battle of Geonosis
- "I cannot believe we're back here again."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi
Assigned to capture Geonosis, alongside Ki-Adi-Mundi, Luminara Unduli, Skywalker, and Tano, Kenobi participated in a conference to delineate the invasion plans to destroy Poggle the Lesser's primary droid factory, which was being protected by a massive ray shield. With their primary target being the shield generator at the Ray Shield Fortress the Jedi mounted a three-pronged attack on the Geonosian defenses. Kenobi and Cody commenced the central push while Mundi and Skywalker led the northern and southern assaults, respectively. Though Kenobi was able to reach the landing zone, which was known as Point Rain, the Jedi General was injured and forced to wait for Skywalker and Mundi's arrival who, despite their crashing, managed to fight their way up and join Kenobi. In a combined effort, they managed to destroy the shield generator, and Kenobi and Mundi returned to the fleet with the rest of the wounded for treatment.[55]
Following the Republic's hard-won victory that was cemented after the factory's destruction by Skywalker, Tano, Unduli, and Unduli's Padawan Barriss Offee[103] Kenobi returned to the planet and mounted an intense campaign to find Poggle, with Unduli spearheading the search only to follow Poggle to the Progate Temple, where she was captured by the Archduke and taken to the lair of Geonosian Queen Karina the Great in the catacombs below. Tracking Unduli's last known location, Kenobi and Skywalker set out with a clone platoon to rescue her, and entered the catacombs only to find themselves before the Queen and her "undead" servants. Soon enough, and thanks to Kenobi's plans, they freed Luminara, captured Poggle and escaped the temple, while destroying much of the Queen's lair during their escape, burying Karina the Great and her warriors beneath.[104] Kenobi, Mundi, Unduli, and Skywalker, then, took Poggle to Coruscant for interrogation, while Offee and Tano brought to supplies to Windu and Kit Fisto on Dantooine.[105]
Saleucami
- "The story of Obi-Wan Kenobi ends here."
- ―General Grievous, about to finish Kenobi
Soon after Jedi Master and Council member Eeth Koth was captured by Grievous, Kenobi, Skywalker, and Adi Gallia volunteered to engage the Confederacy at Saleucami, rescue Koth, and capture General Grievous.[59]
General Kenobi was the first of the Jedi to arrive at Saleucami and engaged Grievous's forces with a fleet under the command of Admiral Yularen. Early in the battle, Kenobi's light cruiser, the Surrogator, was caught in a tractor beam from Grievous's warship and boarded by the cyborg himself. Once Skywalker and Gallia rescued Koth, Grievous dueled Kenobi until understanding that the Jedi Master had the upper hand. As the cyborg retreated to his destroyer, he ordered his ship to destroy Kenobi's—who managed to board Grievous' ship with Cody and two other clones before it was too late thanks to Gallia's help. Afterwards, they reunited with Skywalker on the hangar so that they could escape from Grievous' ship. Meanwhile, Grievous was forced to flee in an escape pod and landed on the planet.[59]
While his fellow Jedi generals continued the battle in orbit, Kenobi led a force of clone troopers to the planet's surface to hunt down Grievous. The cyborg general evaded and fled from the Republic forces, hoping to reach an escape pod with a functioning transmitter in order to call for an evacuation transport. When Kenobi caught up with and engaged Grievous, the cyborg fled the battle once a shuttle arrived to ferry him away. Seeing as the mission had failed, Kenobi contacted Rex and told him to meet them to leave the planet.[106]
Mandalore's Death Watch
- "We'll have to stand and fight. Or in your case, just stand."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi to Satine Kryze
When rumors spread that the new leader of the Council of Neutral Systems, Duchess Satine Kryze, was secretly building her own army to fight for the Separatist cause, Kenobi was sent to Sundari by the Jedi Council to investigate the matter. There, he met Prime Minister Almec and re-encountered his old friend, Kryze, who assured him that she was not behind an attack on a Republic cruiser. Angered at the accusations, she claimed the Senate was eager to intervene in the planet's affairs before being corrected by Kenobi, who claimed to be there on the Jedi Order's interest. Assuaged, the Duchess then took Kenobi for a walk on Peace Park and informed him of a renegade group of warriors known as Death Watch when a terrorist blew up the Memorial Shrine where Kryze and Kenobi were walking. When Kenobi had the guards round up everyone at the scene, a man fled with Kenobi after him and committed suicide instead of being captured. As the Duchess spoke to the dying man, she realized he came from Concordia and helped Kenobi reach the moon, where the Jedi Master met its Governor, Pre Vizsla.[32]
Kenobi went out to investigate the mines and discovered that the Death Watch was using one of the facilities as a base. Taken hostage by the Death Watch, he contacted Kryze, who freed him, and together, they tried to escape when they were attacked and the Commander of the Death Watch arrived. Revealing himself to be Vizsla, he returned Kenobi's lightsaber and dueled him with the Darksaber, until he ordered his warrior to kill him with missiles. Kenobi and Kryze managed to escape, barely surviving, and returned to Mandalore. The next day, Kenobi told the Duchess that he believed the Separatists were involved, which only angered her; the Jedi Master, then, was joined by Skywalker so as to bodyguard her during her and other senators' trip to Coruscant onboard the Coronet.[32]
On their way to the Republic's capital, Kenobi took part of a heated debate with the Duchess over what the best course of action was to deal with the conflict until they took a small break. Then, Skywalker asked him Kenobi of their past, which Kenobi explained he and his master, Jinn, had been protecting her during a year-long, dangerous mission during a civil war on Mandalore. It was then that assassin droids were activated, prompting Kenobi to defend Kryze. When the droids were stopped, Skywalker reported to Kenobi that one of the senators was a traitor, and Kenobi then devised a plan to uncover the traitor's identity by using the last active droid.[34]
It turned out to be Tal Merrik, who took Kryze as a hostage and made his way to the cockpit to jump out of hyperspace, so that droid reinforcements could enter the ship. While Skywalker engaged the droids, Kenobi found and followed Merrik, who would blow up the ship, as he got near the escape pods, unable to make a move on the senator. Afraid she might not see Kenobi again, Kryze confessed her feelings for him, to which Kenobi replied he would have left the Order if she had told him earlier. Then, Kryze took the opportunity to escape a disgusted Merrik and take his blaster. However, neither Kenobi nor Kryze made a move to stop him, leaving Skywalker to sneak up from behind and stab him in the back, branding himself as a "cold-blooded killer." After arriving on Coruscant, Kenobi and Kryze reflected upon the situation, and the Duchess flirted with him, saying his beard hid too much of his "handsome face."[34]
When Kryze's pleas to the Senate to not interfere with Mandalore's internal affairs went unheard, Kenobi reunited with the Duchess, advising her not to be rash, angering her. Soon enough, she fell victim to another terrorist attack and barely survived, prompting the Senate to accelerate the vote—with the Republic deciding to occupy Mandalore. Despite Kenobi's plea to help her, Kryze took matters in her own hands, only to framed with murder by the Death Watch.[107]
Asking for his help, Kenobi met her and accepted to give Senator Amidala the disc she had obtained from his contact. Despite an attack by a Death Watch assassin and Kryze turning herself in, Kenobi got the disc through to Amidala, who then played the complete recording from Deputy Prime Minister Jerec in front of the Senate—prompting the Senate to vote against Mandalore's occupation. When the Duchess received the apologies and thanks from the Chancellor and Mas Amedda, Kenobi received her thanks, though the two reflected about not knowing who tried to drag Mandalore into war and have the Duchess framed for murder.[107]
Kamino under attack
- "All too easy."
"Define 'easy,' General." - ―Grievous and Kenobi
After the destruction of the Rishi Moon tracking station, Kenobi and Skywalker intercepted a coded message between Ventress and Grievous about an impending attack on the clone homeworld. Generals Kenobi and Skywalker, Commander Cody, Captain Rex, and troopers of the 501st Legion subsequently rushed to Kamino to aid in its defense. As their ship docked and hundreds of clones exited, Kenobi and Skywalker met with Shaak Ti and Lama Su to warn them of the attack. When the Battle of Kamino began, Kenobi and Cody joined Shaak Ti in the command center as Skywalker flew up with a squadron to participate in the space battle.[108]
As the battle in the space above Kamino raged on, Kenobi noticed that something was amiss as the Separatist transports took heavy damage. As debris rained down into the seas on Kamino, Kenobi warned Skywalker not to attack, believing that not even Grievous would attack so recklessly and that the enemy was up to something. He took a submarine and discovered Ventress's forces readying their assault crafts under water. Several AQ-series battle droids attacked his submarine, forcing him to eject, but he escaped thanks to a passing aiwha. Rejoining the fight, which had now been taken to Tipoca City, Kenobi worked alongside Skywalker again and determined that the sparse Separatist forces must be a distraction and directed his former Padawan to go defend the clone DNA room while he sought out Grievous. Inside the city, he found the cyborg general and engaged him in a duel.[108]
Using the Force to his advantage, Kenobi chased Grievous outside, where he was surprise-attacked and knocked off of the platform by a Trident-class assault ship. However, he was once again rescued by an aiwha. As the clone forces won the battle, Kenobi recovered and the Republic won the day. However, Grievous and Ventress were able to escape once again.[108] At some stage of the war, Kenobi was involved in another incident on Kamino; amid a rainstorm, he wielded his lightsaber and deflected a blaster bolt as he led clones in battle.[109]
Ziro hunted
- "I never did enjoy hanging out with you."
- ―Kenobi to Quinlan Vos, hanging off the side of a cliff
Later during the war, after the Senate hostage crisis, Kenobi was assigned to track down Ziro the Hutt and Cad Bane with his old friend, Jedi Master Quinlan Vos. The two of them headed to Nal Hutta, where they informed Gardulla the Hutt and the rest of the Hutt council of Ziro's escape and of Bane's help in this act. Though the Hutt Council denied involvement in this, Vos was able to psychometrically scan a cup, telling him and Kenobi that Ziro had been there. When they got to the prison level, however, Ziro had already escaped due to help from his lover, Sy Snootles. Kenobi and Vos then tracked Ziro down in the swamp, where they saw Bane following Ziro as well, and found Ziro's mother who told them that his son had gone to Teth, where he would secretly recover the Hutt Council records.[110]
Kenobi and Vos then proceeded to Teth, where they found Ziro shot and dead at his father's grave, and were then confronted by Bane. Though Bane tried to leave, Kenobi attempted to arrest Bane for taking the Senate hostage and engaged in a duel with the bounty hunter. Despite the Jedi's best efforts, Bane used his flamethrowers to throw them off the cliff, leaving the two to hang on a cliff, and escaped.[110]
Dathomirian threat
- "Warrior-like men, witches—this place has all kinds of fun."
- ―Anakin Skywalker to Kenobi, on Dathomir
During the Battle of Sullust, Kenobi was chased by Asajj Ventress in her Ginivex-class fanblade starfighter. Skywalker managed to dispatch the tri-fighter that the assassin had sent for him and came to the aid of his former master. He then crippled Ventress's vessel, but not before she managed to shoot down the Jedi Master. The two opposing commanders crash-landed in the hangar of the Separatist command ship, Kenobi and Skywalker quickly engaged Ventress in lightsaber combat. Count Dooku, upon orders from his own master, interrupted the duel by ordering the destruction of the Separatist command ship to ensure Ventress's death. The two Jedi fled in their interceptors, presuming Ventress to be doomed, but she escaped and Dooku ordered the remaining Separatist forces to retreat, thinking she was dead.[112]
After the massacre on Devaron,[113] Kenobi and Skywalker were sent to Dathomir, as footage had shown the Council of a Dathomirian's role during the attack on Devaron. Once on Dathomir, they made their way to a village, where they were ambushed by the Nightbrothers until Skywalker took their leader hostage; the Zabrak then told the Jedi that a Nightsister had taken one of their fortress, prompting the Jedi to go there. Kenobi and Skywalker questioned Mother Talzin who told them his name—Savage Opress—and whereabouts. The two Jedi then headed to Toydaria where they confronted Opress, but failed to stop him from killing Katuunko. Using the king's ship as their was destroyed, Kenobi and Skywalker caught up with their target on Dooku's Separatist flagship; however, Opress managed to overpower them, forcing the two to retreat and leave the ship.[111]
Horain
At some point, Kenobi and Rex participated in a battle on the world Horain. During the conflict, the battle droid B1-0516 was hit, gaining a conscience as a result, and began fighting on the side of the Republic. Kenobi and his partner were confused, using the opportunity caused in the chaos to escape the situation. They later rescued the droid, which had been slated for reprogramming due to the malfunction. The trio managed to fight off several waves of droids and make it to a Republic checkpoint, where Kenobi introduced the droid, now nicknamed "Bats," to Skywalker.[114]
Mortis
- "Obi-Wan, have you done as I asked? Have you trained the boy?"
- ―Qui-Gon Jinn to Obi-Wan Kenobi
When the Jedi Council received a 2,000 year old Jedi distress code, Kenobi along with Skywalker and Tano were sent to the Chrelythiumn system, where they were supposed to meet up with Captain Rex and an armed cruiser. Though they both made to the rendezvous point, neither Rex nor the Jedi's ship could see each other. In fact, the Jedi's ship was guided to a mysterious planet, where they were met by a mysterious figure called the Daughter who wanted to lead them to The Father. Shortly after, Skywalker and the Daughter were separated from Kenobi and Tano.[115]
Trying to return to the ship, Kenobi and Tano met the Son, who suggested them to take shelter from the oncoming storm. In a cave, when Tano was asleep, his late master, Qui-Gon Jinn, appeared before him, explaining the purpose of the planet they were on and that the three figures they encountered, like Jinn, believed Skywalker was the Chosen One. As Jinn disappeared, Kenobi woke Tano up and they resolved to find Skywalker together, only for the Daughter and the Son to capture them for Skywalker's test. In danger of being killed by the Daughter, Kenobi was saved when Skywalker subdued their captors, proving himself to be the Chosen One, and the three Jedi tried to leave the planet.[115]
However, Tano was abducted by the Son, which prompted Kenobi and Skywalker to go their separate ways. While Kenobi went to ask the Father—whom he thought would know what to do—for help, Skywalker went after the Son, fearing he would kill Tano. When he reached the monastery, he witnessed as the Son mortally wounded his Father, and asked the Daughter for help. She then showed him the Altar, where he obtained a dagger that would allow them to kill the Son, and together they faced the Son on his cathedral, only for the darksider to tell him of Skywalker and corrupted Tano's duel. Kenobi then helped Skywalker subdue Tano, until the Father's appearance interrupted them.[116]
As the Son was about to kill the Father, Kenobi tried to hand Skywalker the dagger, but Tano grabbed it and gave it to the Son, who killed her as her usefulness came to an end. The darksider then killed his sister as she stepped in to save her Father. Then, Kenobi witnessed as the Daughter used Skywalker as a conduit to channel the last of her life force into Tano, resurrecting her. The Father then commanded Kenobi, Skywalker, and Tano to leave the planet before the Son used their ship to do so;[116] however, their ship's repairs forced them to stay a bit longer, so Kenobi let Skywalker go to the Father for guidance.[117]
The Father then, appeared before Kenobi and told him Skywalker had gone to the Well of the Dark Side to confront the Son, only to be shown his future and be corrupted by the dark side of the Force. Kenobi, who had gone to the well, was left stranded in there by Skywalker. Concerned, Kenobi contacted Tano and ordered her to disable the ship, fetch him on the well and meet with Skywalker—whose memories had been erased—and the Father on his Monastery. There, they confronted a newly arrived Son with the Dagger, but only the Father's sacrifice could stop the Son, with Skywalker finally killing the now-vulnerable darksider. As Mortis' conflict came to an end, Kenobi, Tano and Skywalker woke up in the ship, as if nothing had happened, and reunited with Captain Rex at the rendezvous point.[117]
The Citadel
- "Obi-Wan, what took you guys so long?"
- ―Even Piell, on his rescue
Following the capture of Jedi Master Even Piell and his imprisonment in the Citadel[118] one year and nine months into the Clone Wars,[119] Kenobi, Skywalker, Commander Cody, Captain Rex, and other troopers were sent to rescue the imprisoned Jedi. Joined by a rebellious Tano, who joined the mission despite Skywalker's orders, Kenobi and the rest froze themselves in carbonite to prevent the prison's life scanners from detecting them and infiltrated the prison. During their free climbing to the entry point, surrounded by electromines, Tano sneaked through a ventilation duct to disable their entrance's ray shield. However, one trooper fell, alerting the prison of their arrival. Even then, the team made its way to Piell and freed him.[118]
Piell, then, revealed when the ship crashed, he and one of his Captains, Wilhuff Tarkin, each memorized half of the intel on the Nexus Route so that, if one person broke, the information would be useless without the other half. Changing the plans, the team managed to rescue the other officers, where Piell presented Tarkin to Kenobi and Skywalker. Then, Kenobi suggested for them to split up—Tarkin accompanied Skywalker and Tano, while Kenobi and Piell would create a diversion to allow R2-D2 and his droids to take them off planet.[118] Kenobi and his team, however, were captured before making it to the rendezvous point and met the prison's commander, Osi Sobeck, until R2-D2 and his squad freed them, to meet with Skywalker's team back at the shuttle, which was destroyed during the battle that ensued, seeming to take Echo's life with it. Forced to escape, Kenobi and Skywalker contacted the Jedi Council to send a rescue force to extract them, and continued their escape through tunnels surrounding the tower.[120]
After Piell contacted the Council to know the exact point of their pick-up and Sobeck sent anoobas to track them down, Kenobi, Skywalker and R2-D2 posed as bait so that the rest of the team could ambush them. Despite being successful, Piell died during the confrontation, after telling Tano the Intel. She, then, reunited with the rest of the team and they all took a moment to honor his death, as Kenobi and Skywalker lowered his body into a river of lava with the Force. Nevertheless, they managed to get to the extraction point on time, even with Sobeck's intervention, and flee on Plo Koon's rescue shuttle, with Saesee Tiin doing cover fire to allow their escape back to Coruscant.[121]
Mon Cala and Umbara
- "Congratulations on your capture of the Umbaran airbase, general."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi, to Pong Krell
When the Jedi Council were looking for a underwater race that close enough to reinforce the Republic's forces fighting on the planet of Mon Cala, Kenobi was the one who suggested that Naboo may be close enough to help.[123]
Kenobi, along with fellow Jedi Tiin, Skywalker, Skywalker's Padawan Ahsoka Tano, Padawan Barriss Offee, and Pong Krell, was deployed to retake the planet of Umbara. Kenobi's battalion's mission was to take the capital and met fierce resistance from the Umbaran militia.[124] Kenobi then contacted Krell and the 501st, to order them to secure a Umbaran airbase that was resupplying the capital.[122]
After his battalion had been pushed away from the capital due to the Umbaran's long-rage missiles, Kenobi congratulated on his success on taking the airbase and informed him that the capital still receiving supplies, this time from a Separatist supply ship in the atmosphere. He also informed Krell of oncoming, but delayed reinforcements, only for the Besalisk to tell him he would take his battalion to the city regardless of the capital's defenses. Kenobi's transmission was then jammed by the Umbarans.[125] Despite Krell's efforts to sabotage the Republic effort by tricking the 501st and the 212th battalions into attacking each other, Kenobi was successful in taking the capital and routing the remaining Umbaran forces, securing all sectors of the planet for the Republic.[126]
Zygerrian slave crisis
- "If such Jedi as Skywalker and Kenobi can fall, how many other will follow? Imagine an army of Jedi in your service."
- ―Miraj Scintel, to Count Dooku
Ten rotations after Master Yoda's last contact with the Togruta colony of Kiros, Kenobi, Skywalker, Tano, Captain Rex, and Commander Cody landed on the colony, where they found no inhabitants and fought their way through droid contingents on BARC speeders to the governor's tower. Once they had the Separatist headquarters surrounded inside the governor's tower, Cody showed Kenobi a message from the Separatist commander, Darts D'Nar, asking him to come to the tower to negotiate terms of "surrender." When Skywalker became angry at recognizing D'Nar as a Zygerrian slaver, Kenobi told his old apprentice to look for the colonists while he negotiated with D'Nar and explained Skywalker's history with slavery to Tano, who assured Kenobi she would keep an eye on him.[128]
Kenobi then went into the tower and interrupted D'Nar's meeting with Dooku and Zygerrian Prime Minister Atai Molec to negotiate terms of surrender—the Republic's surrender. Kenobi then turned his comlink on so that Skywalker and Ahsoka could hear the fact that the Zygerrian had several bombs planted throughout the city. Kenobi then surrendered, but challenged D'Nar to a duel in the Zygerrian way (with no weapons) to distract him while Skywalker and Tano disarmed the bombs. Though he received a good beating from D'Nar, Kenobi successfully beguiled the Zygerrian, who set off his last bomb located on his tactical droid and escaped from the Jedi Master. Unable to pursue him, he told Skywalker and Tano of his departure. After Skywalker captured D'Nar and his ship, Kenobi, Skywalker, and Tano then contacted the Jedi Council, informing them of the Zygerrians' abduction of the colonists.[128]
Using D'Nar's ship, Kenobi, along with Skywalker, Tano, Captain Rex, and R2-D2, traveled to Zygerria. Upon arrival they formed two teams; Skywalker and Tano went to talk to Queen Miraj Scintel disguised as master and slave, respectively, while Kenobi and Rex, disguised as Zygerrian traders, tried to locate the kidnapped colonists from Kiros. The two proceeded to the Royal palace's slave pits where they found the Togrutan Governor of Kiros, Gupat Roshti, weak and broken from his ordeal. With Rex, Kenobi decided to take him to safety on a brezak, only for Kenobi to be shot in the shoulder and captured along with Roshti, with Rex safely escaping. Chained to a wall and tortured for information, Kenobi was recognized as a Jedi by Prime Minister Atai Molec, and prepared to sell him at that night's auction block.[129]
At the auction, Roshti and Kenobi were the first slaves to be put on offer, and Queen Scintel ordered Skywalker to torture Kenobi with a shock whip before the eyes of the assembled bidders. Once Skywalker entered the arena however, he signaled to R2-D2, who launched Kenobi's, Skywalker's, and Tano's lightsabers to their owners, while Rex aided them with a blaster. Despite their efforts, however, the whole team was soon captured and separated. While Skywalker and Tano were kept in Zygerria, Kenobi, Rex and Roshti were taken to Kadavo, where the rest of the Kiros colonist were kept. There, the Jedi General was forced into submission by the center's warden, Agruss, who emphasized his point by dropping several Togrutan prisoners to their deaths and threatening to do worse to the others, should Kenobi ever think of rebellion.[129]
On Kadavo, Kenobi and Rex were soon forced into working in the mines, where he had a hard time scrounging up any spark of hope for himself or the unfortunate prisoners, since every time he did so, one of the Togrutans was punished in his place in order to heighten his despair. Following the Queen's death at the hands of Dooku and her last words telling Skywalker where Kenobi was, Kenobi was part of a conference with Count Dooku in the facility control room. Despite Dooku's wish to execute Kenobi, Skywalker arrived to Kadavo with Jedi reinforcements. During the battle that ensued, Kenobi and Rex fought in the room, killed Agruss and escaped the facility, while Tano and troopers rescued the Togruta prisoners before the Republic forces destroyed the labor facility.[127]
Plot to kidnap the Chancellor
- "How do I look?"
"Like a criminal. Should buy you all the credibility you need in prison." - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mace Windu
Following Moralo Eval's capture by the Republic and his imprisonment in the Republic Judiciary Central Detention Center, Kenobi became part of a plot with Yoda and Mace Windu to stop Eval's machinations to kidnap Chancellor Palpatine. To do so, he allowed himself to be shot by a sniper, Rako Hardeen, in front of Skywalker and Tano, who then believed him to be dead.[16]
Following his funeral, Kenobi assumed the identity of his apparent killer and had his physical appearance altered. In addition, once Kenobi and Windu recorded a sample of Hardeen's voice in Trueping's, Kenobi swallowed a vocal emulator to perfectly disguise his voice as Hardeen's. Kenobi would operate under the alias "Ben,"[16] the same name Kryze had referred to him with years prior,[30] for the duration of the mission. Kenobi was then sent to the detention center, where he formed a partnership with Eval, who trusted Kenobi and thought he could be useful, and Cad Bane, who did not. When a prison riot broke out, courtesy of Boba Fett and Bossk, Kenobi worked to escape with Bane and Eval. Kenobi discreetly used the Force to aid in their escape, opening a lock after Bane failed to bypass it. Bane was suspicious of Kenobi due to his unwillingness to kill the prison staff, but despite this, they left Coruscant for Nal Hutta.[16]
When they arrived at Nal Hutta, Kenobi crashed their ship in order to cover their trail. The trio then proceeded to try to find supplies and a new ship in the town of Bilbousa. Bane grew even more distrustful of Kenobi after Kenobi's kind treatment of Pablo, the owner of the pawnshop that the trio went to. Kenobi, suspecting betrayal, planted a tracking device on the new ship he bought, so that when Bane left Kenobi to be arrested by the local authorities, the Jedi turned the frequency of the tracking device over to his captors, who shot Bane and Eval's ship down. Kenobi, meanwhile, escaped from captivity and purchased another ship, and when Bane and Eval found him smugly waiting for them, they agreed to make him a partner in their scheme. When the trio reached Orondia, Skywalker and Tano caught up with them. During a small confrontation, Kenobi wrestled with Skywalker, whispering "Anakin, don't follow me," just before knocking him unconscious and escaping with Bane and Eval.[130]
Eval, Bane, and Kenobi then traveled to the planet Serenno to meet with Count Dooku, and Bane and Kenobi accepted an invitation to participate along with eleven other notorious bounty hunters in a test of skill designed by Eval called the Box. "Hardeen" surpassed Eval's tests, the Phindian grew angrier with him after every test. In the fourth and final test, their shooting skills would be tested, with the bounty hunter's target being a moving spot on the wall. If they missed, they would fall into a floor of flame emitters. After Sixtat failed, Kenobi stepped in to shoot the target. However, Eval had laid a trap for Kenobi, as his rifle ran out of shots before he could hit the last moving spot. Eval then removed the platforms in order to kill him, but Bane, now having respect for Kenobi and disgusted by Eval's actions, saved him. Dooku decided that Eval should not be exempted from the contest and dropped him to the now extinguished floor to fight with Kenobi. Though the Count wanted him to kill Eval, Kenobi refrained, disappointing the Sith Lord, who then chose to put Bane in charge of the operation to kidnap the Chancellor.[131] Within a few hours, the team departed the planet for Naboo.[132]
Planning to abduct Palpatine during Naboo's Festival of Light, the team commandeered a warehouse in Theed and each member of the team was assigned a role, with Kenobi being given the job of the sniper who would fire stun blasts at the Chancellor. When he was in position, Kenobi contacted Windu to tell him what he knew of the plan. Later that night, despite Skywalker and Windu's efforts during the skirmish, the Chancellor was kidnapped by Bane and Eval. Kenobi followed them with Windu and Skywalker close behind, and the criminal pair was arrested and the Chancellor recovered when they stopped at the rendezvous point.[133]
However, he agreed on Skywalker's doubts about knowing the full truth, and returned to the apartment where he had had his position as a sniper, and discovered an activated comlink in his rifle case. Realizing Dooku's hand in it, Kenobi rushed back to the Royal Palace, where he discovered Skywalker dueling with Dooku, while Palpatine was held by a MagnaGuard. After Kenobi rescued the Chancellor and Dooku fled, Palpatine thanked the Jedi for their bravery.[133]
Maul's return
- "You know, when I cut you in half, I should have aimed for your neck instead."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi, to Maul
Like Master Yoda and Skywalker, Kenobi sensed a disturbance in the Force,[135] one that signaled the return of his old enemy, former Sith Lord Maul, whom he believed to have killed on Naboo, only to have survived and make his way to a dump in Lotho Minor. Rescued by Savage Oppress and his sanity restored by Mother Talzin, Maul sent a message to the Jedi Council, threatening to execute innocent people on Raydonia if Kenobi did not come to face him.[134]
Kenobi arrived in a burning village with Maul awaiting him. Though the Jedi Master was unsure if Maul was who he claimed to be, the Dathomirian proved it by telling him about their shared experience at the Battle of Naboo. The two engaged in a fight and Kenobi was overpowered at the hands of his old enemy, who had the help of Opress. Kenobi was then brought aboard the brothers' ship, who intended to have the Jedi awake so that his death would be as painful as the last ten years of his life had been. However, Kenobi was rescued by Asajj Ventress, who was trying to collect the bounty on Opress' head. After being freed, Kenobi used one of her lightsabers to duel Maul in the cargo area of their ship. Though he almost gave in to rage, Kenobi gained the upper hand with the help of Ventress and together, they managed to trap Maul and Opress in the back of the ship, leaving the brothers stranded, but alive, in space.[134]
Aiding the Onderon rebels
- "Now, to be clear, we are not here to fight your war; rather, to show you how to conduct it in the most efficient and successful way possible."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi
Kenobi attended a session of the Jedi Council when rebels Saw Gerrera and Lux Bonteri contacted them with a request for assistance in their struggle against the Separatist forces on Onderon, led by King Sanjay Rash. Kenobi pointed out that at the beginning of the war, Onderon made their intentions to join the Separatists, but Gerrera said that their true king was silenced by the fake. The Council refused to help, but did consent to send advisers to train and advise them. Kenobi went there with Skywalker, Tano, and Rex.[136]
On Onderon, Kenobi met the rebels and their charismatic leader Steela Gerrera – alongside his friends and together, they began to train the rebels in combat. When the Separatists discovered their outpost and attacked, Kenobi and his fellow Jedi assisted in battle, though cautious not to be in the thick of the battle. When the skirmish concluded, a strategy was devised to get into the capital city of Iziz.[136] Once in there, Kenobi, Skywalker and Rex decided to leave for Coruscant to report to the Council, leaving Tano as a liaison to the rebels. However, they decided to ensure that Tano did not reveal her Jedi identity, though allowing her to accompany the rebels on strike.[137] After that, they kept in frequent communication with her.[137][138][139] Kenobi attended the funeral service for Steela after the final battle after she had perished.[139]
Younglings in peril
- "For now, be proud. You have survived an ordeal few your age could. Welcome home, young Jedi."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi
While Kenobi was stationed aboard his flagship, the Star Destroyer Negotiator, he was contacted by Jedi initiates aboard the transport Crucible, who informed him that their guardian, Ahsoka Tano, had been kidnapped by Hondo Ohnaka's pirates. The younglings said they wanted to rescue Tano from the pirates, but Kenobi told them to stay on the Crucible for their safety.[141]
Kenobi was intending to send Commander Cody to rescue the stranded Jedi, but his plans were interrupted by an unforeseen attack by General Grievous on his fleet. Grievous's ships quickly gained the upper hand on Kenobi's, destroying several of his vessels. Upon learning that Grievous had sent a boarding party to board his ship, Kenobi and the clone forces on the ship stationed themselves in the hangar in order to repel it. Grievous himself accompanied the boarding party, and Kenobi began dueling with him as the clone troopers and battle droids engaged each other. Soon, however, Kenobi realized that this was a battle that he could not win, and as he retreated through the passageways of the Star Destroyer he ordered the crew to abandon ship and initiated the ship's self-destruct sequence. When Grievous arrived on the bridge, he found a hologram recording of Kenobi. Through it, Kenobi conceded the victory to Grievous, but informed him that the ship was about to explode. Kenobi escaped the destruction on an escape pod, as did Grievous, who evacuated Kenobi's ship on a shuttle just before it exploded.[141]
Soon after, Kenobi joined Tano, the younglings, who had gone to rescue Tano despite Kenobi's orders,[141] and members of the pirate gang, including Ohnaka himself. After Grievous's defeat of Kenobi, he had attacked the pirates' stronghold, and the Jedi and pirates had joined forces against Grievous and barely escaped with their lives.[140]
D-Squad's mission
Kenobi was present when the Jedi Council sent Colonel Meebur Gascon and a team of droids to infiltrate a Separatist dreadnought located deep within Separatist-controlled space, and recover an encryption module, which had been scrambling Separatist communications within the region.[142]
Mission to Bray
- "Life on Bray has always been hard, but since the arrival of the dark lord, it has been a living nightmare."
- ―A Brayan to Obi-Wan Kenobi
Kenobi, along with Gallia, Cody, and several troops went to Bray in response to a cry for help. Upon their arrival, the inhabitants told Kenobi about a Dark Lord that was plaguing their village was desecrating the Citadel of Light. Kenobi was skeptical of the natives' claims until the power went out and came under attack by several mynocks. Kenobi and Gallia decided to investigate the Citadel. They then discovered that the mynock had affected trooper Peel and transformed into a creature. Kenobi came under attack by Peel until Cody stunned him and locked him away.[143]
Kenobi, along with Gallia, entered the Citadel to find a cure. Inside, they found Dooku and the Dark Lord Ravna. Kenobi attempted to use his lightsaber on Ravna to no avail. Ravna was able to subdue Kenobi, while Dooku used his lightning to subdue Gallia. Kenobi tried to convince Dooku not to use Ravna's powers. However, Ravna betrayed and affected Dooku. Kenobi was able to break through to Dooku by making him give in to his anger and make him attack Ravna. As Dooku used his lightning on Ravna, Kenobi and Gallia were able to use the Force to collapse the Citadel and entomb Ravna.[143]
Nearing the end of the war
Fighting Oppress and Maul
- "I lost someone important to me. And I understand anger in a way I never have."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi speaks to Anakin Skywalker after Satine Kryze's death
When the two brothers attacked Cybloc Transfer Station in the Meridian sector, the space station sent out a distress signal, leading Kenobi and Gallia there to investigate about the two brothers, who were now operating under Maul's singular vision. The Jedi learned they were headed to Florrum. There, Kenobi contacted Hondo Ohnaka to inquire about the situation, who said that "two horned men" had appeared and threatened to attack his stronghold with pirates who had betrayed him. Kenobi told him he was unable to help him with his men, but that he could help stop the Sith.[144]
Kenobi and Gallia managed to engage Maul and Opress just as they began their attack on Florrum. As the fight progressed, Gallia was slain by Opress and, after taking up his fallen comrade's lightsaber to help defend himself, Kenobi was forced to retreat and reunite with Ohnaka. Inside a cave, Ohnaka decided to ambush the men while Kenobi decided to confront Maul and Opress. With great skill and Gallia's lightsaber, Kenobi violently fought the pair, changing to Ataru and demonstrating mastery of his former fighting style. Eventually, he injures Opress' knee and cuts his left arm off. However, before Kenobi could continue the fight, Maul Force-pushed him into another part of the cave, bringing the fight to an end. Realizing their plan had failed, the Dathomirians left and headed off-planet to try again another time. Their ship, however, was shot down and the two were forced to head for an escape pod. As the ship fell, Kenobi went with Hondo to see "what riches [had] fallen from the sky," but there were no signs of Maul nor Opress, leaving Kenobi to doubt their demise.[144]
Following the confrontation, Kenobi returned to Coruscant where he explained to Chancellor Palpatine about the situation regarding Maul, but Palpatine dismissed the Maul's threat, saying that the Jedi needed to focus on the Separatist threat, despite Kenobi's fears of the criminal underworld being a place where Maul could flourish.[144]
Mandalore's fall and losing Satine Kryze
- "I know where you're from. I've been to your village. I know the decision to join the dark side wasn't yours. The Nightsisters made it for you."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi
Following Maul's takeover of Mandalore, Kenobi was summoned to meet with Yoda and Ki-Adi-Mundi in the communications room. The two showed him a transmission that had been sent by Satine Kryze from Mandalore. In the message, she stated that her government had been overthrown by rogue criminals, only for the transmission to be abruptly cut.[17] Kenobi noticed the super commandos surrounding his friend, wanting to go to Mandalore to help her. However, he simply chose to tell the Masters that the Death Watch was most likely responsible for any hostile takeover that took place.[35]
Yoda and Mundi expressed reluctance to take part in the internal affairs of Mandalore without Senate approval, despite Kenobi's protests.[35] Kenobi chose to go to Mandalore anyways, borrowing the Twilight vessel[17] with Skywalker's blessing and heading to Sundari. Though Skywalker wished to come as well, Kenobi insisted that one Jedi would be easier to hide than two. Kenobi brought the armor of Rako Hardeen, which he had saved from that previous mission, to use in the endeavor. The Master, who despised the way the Twilight flew, was happy to leave it behind once on the planet.[35]
Kenobi proceeded to trick a guard and took his armor.[17] Disguised, he entered the prison complex using a stolen code cylinder, wandering through a maze of cells.[35] When he freed Kryze from her cell, she expressed her relief to see him, despite their grim circumstances.[17] Kenobi admitted that the Senate nor the Council had approved their mission, which could prove to make their escape more difficult. The Jedi acted as if Satine was his prisoner, transferring her through a turbolift until being questioned about the prisoner transfer. Kenobi responded to the query by knocking the asking commando out, hurriedly ushering Satine onto a speeder to make their escape.[35]
However, the pair was chased, leading them to quip about their many memories together.[35] After rushing up the ramp of their ship,[17] Kenobi realized that his borrowed ship could not withstand an attack, and agreed to contacting Satine's sister, Bo-Katan, for help. The ship quickly took damage from enemy fire, resulting in Kenobi and Satine being forced to leave it behind. The Jedi used the Force to break their falls, but then crashed to the platform when their ship came down on top of them.[35] Realizing who was on planet, Maul personally hunted down Kenobi and managed to ensure that the Twilight was shot down before it could leave. Maul captured the now-dizzy and injured Kenobi as Opress lifted an unconscious Kryze, and ordered them taken back to the royal palace.[17]
In the palace, Maul, realizing Kenobi's feelings for Satine, decided to execute her with Kenobi watching, hoping that he would feel the same pain Maul did when he was forced to live in exile after being brutally injured by Kenobi on Naboo. Maul again attempted to sway Kenobi to the dark side, but the Jedi Master refused, saying those who oppose it were more powerful than those use the dark side could ever be.[17] Kenobi instead talked about the Dathomirian's own past, recognising that Maul had his future stolen and was groomed to become the creature of anger and vengeance who stood before him. He hoped that by matching the Sith's fury with understanding and sympathy he could reach Maul and both save Satine's life and turn the Dathomirian away from the dark path he had been forced on. But Kenobi's fear for Satine's life and anger towards Maul made his words more venomous than the Jedi intended.[35]
Angered by Kenobi's statements, the commandos forced Kenobi to his knees. Maul let Satine go briefly, but stabbed her with the Darksaber. She ultimately died in Kenobi's arms saying with her last breath, that she always loved him and always would. Maul taunted Kenobi, but Kenobi replied that only the weak embraced the dark side. Maul, then, had his guards escort Kenobi to a cell where he could "drown in his misery" and "rot."[17] Kenobi deeply grieved her death, feeling strong anger after it as he envisioned revenge. However, he decided not to act on his emotions and betray what he had worked to become as a Jedi, and Maul had him imprisoned again.[35]
Satine's sister Bo-Katan and her renegade Nite Owls team, however, intercepted Kenobi as he was being transferred to the prison area. Katan freed Kenobi and gave him his lightsaber back, informing the Master that she was there to rescue him. In return, she had him help her find Maul and kill him. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, Darth Sidious appeared and engaged Maul and Opress in a duel, defeating the former and killing the latter. As the conflict escalated, Kenobi made his way to his ship and was told by Bo-Katan to warn the Republic of what had happened. Kenobi told her that it would lead to an invasion of Mandalore, but she said that Maul's death would be worth it, and that they would survive. Kenobi, before leaving, asked Bo-Katan if Satine was her sister, and apologized for her loss.[17]
Returning to Coruscant, Kenobi reunited with Skywalker, who asked his former master what had happened. Though his words came as a struggle, Kenobi admitted he had lost "someone important" to him. He also revealed that he understood anger in a new way and that he now knew how difficult it was to not give into the emotion. Skywalker held Kenobi's gaze for sometime before the two left for the Jedi Council together, as Kenobi knew he had to report what had happened.[35]
Temple bombing crisis
- "Surely we cannot do what Tarkin suggests. We need to stand together with Ahsoka."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi
Following the bombing at the Jedi Temple, Kenobi took part of the Jedi Council meeting in which Yoda and Windu requested that Skywalker and Tano investigate the incident and find the culprit, telling to suspect even their fellow Jedi. When Tano and Skywalker told the Council of their progress―following a clue that led them to Jackar Bowmani, Kenobi was present again as a hologram.[146] Kenobi also attended to the funeral for the victims of the bombing.[147]
Later on, Kenobi was made aware of a Separatist attack on Saleucami. To alert his fellow Jedi in the Jedi Temple's war room, and held a conference where he was suggested for their fleets to move to the Anoat system and move across to Saleucami, when he was interrupted by Admiral Tarkin, who told the Council that Tano was requested by Letta Turmond.[147]
Following Tano's escape from authorities to prove her innocence, Kenobi along with the rest of the Jedi High Council, and Skywalker held a emergency meeting with Tarkin declaring to them that Tano was now accused of sedition. With Skywalker and Plo Koon doubtful of her guilt, Grand Master Yoda sent the two to find her, but Windu attempted to have Skywalker left out of the matter, believing having him involved would only making things worse due to his emotional bond with Tano. However, Kenobi convinced the Council otherwise, stating Skywalker knew Tano best and that it would be foolish to take him off the mission.[148]
After her capture, Kenobi listened to Tarkin as he informed the Council that the Senate requested for Tano to be expelled from the Jedi Order and turned over to the Republic military so she could receive more "impartial" judgement. Kenobi tried to convince his fellow Council members that they should side with Tano, but they all refused to do so, as they feared that protecting Tano would damage their ties with the Senate. Despite his reluctance to hand Tano over to the Republic, Kenobi took part in Tano's trial in the Chamber of Judgment, where the Council stripped the young Togruta of her rank and status as a Jedi.[145]
Like other members of the Council, Kenobi was present during Tano's military trial as presided over by Chancellor Palpatine and during Barriss Offee's confession, which confirmed Tano's innocence. Along with the Council, Kenobi agreed that Tano should rejoin the Order and was present when Windu and Yoda proclaimed her to be a true Jedi, worthy of becoming a Jedi Knight, only for her to refuse readmission. When Skywalker ran after Tano, Kenobi started to follow, but Plo Koon placed a hand on his shoulder, silently advising him not to. Despite Skywalker's attempts to convince her to reconsider, Tano parted with the Jedi.[145] Following the event, Skywalker's regret at her departure soured his mood, which he reflected on to Amidala. Hesitant to lose more people close to him, Skywalker was reluctant to leave on his next mission, but eventually went with Kenobi on an assignment that ended successfully.[149]
Kaminoan conspiracy
- "The clone in question is now dead, and the Jedi still suspect nothing."
- ―Count Dooku, to Darth Sidious
After clone trooper Tup murdered Jedi General Tiplar during a battle on Ringo Vinda and had been sent to Kamino for examination,[151] Jedi Master Shaak Ti held a meeting with the Jedi Council, of which Kenobi took part of. Between her wanting an atomic brain scan on Tup and Nala Se wanting to terminate the clone and do an autopsy, Kenobi asked what the Kaminoan thought of her and advised that Tup be brought back to the Jedi Temple where he could be examined through the Force.[152] However, the full extent of the Kaminoans' plot was only discovered by Fives, who died before he could warn the Jedi of Order 66.[153][150]
Clovis returns
- "Anakin, I understand to a degree what is going on. You've met Satine. You know I once harbored feelings for her. It's not that we're not allowed to have these feelings. It's natural."
"Senator Amidala and I are simply friends."
"And friends you must remain. As a Jedi, it is essential you make the right choice, Anakin, for the Order." - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker
Following Senator Amidala's mission to Scipio where she cooperated with Rush Clovis to expose the InterGalactic Banking Clan[155] and Skywalker's continuous demonstrations of animosity towards Clovis, Kenobi visited Skywalker in his quarters to discuss his and Yoda's concerns that his judgment regarding Clovis were "clouded" after the event on Cato Neimoidia. Kenobi told Skywalker that he could not let his feelings for Amidala get in the way of his judgement. He tried to resonate with his former padawan by mentioning how he had similar feelings for Satine as Anakin did for Padmé, but Anakin was not receptive and Obi-Wan left after reiterating that he could not let his feelings get in the way of his decisions.[154] Nevertheless, Skywalker was right to distrust Clovis, as his actions not only endangered Senator Amidala's life once again, but also put the Banking Clan under the direct control of Chancellor Palpatine, thus giving Darth Sidious more power in his quest to form a New Order.[156]
Sifo-Dyas' secret
- "The creation of the clone army, kept secret from us Sifo-Dyas did. How this was done we know not, yet now a new piece of the puzzle we have. Perhaps clarity it will bring us, yes."
- ―Yoda
After Jedi Master Plo Koon intercepted a distress call from a shuttle once thought to have been lost and discovered Sifo-Dyas's lightsaber, he took of the meeting in which Plo Koon informed the Jedi Council of his findings, and Kenobi reminded them that Sifo-Dyas had spearheaded the creation of the Clone Army. Relaunching the investigation of the Jedi Master's death, Kenobi and Skywalker were sent to Felucia to find out what happened to Sifo-Dyas, where they spoke to the tribal leaders. Kenobi was told that the Felucians had cremated his body and that another Jedi had been with him when he was killed, and reported their findings to Master Yoda.[157]
The two were then sent to Oba Diah when former Chancellor, Finis Valorum told Yoda that Sifo-Dyas had been sent to negotiate with the Pyke Syndicate to stop an underground war. Valorum, however, said that there was no other Jedi sent alongside Syfo-Dyas, but rather his personal aide Silman. On Oba Diah, Kenobi and Skywalker met Lom Pyke, who denied any involvement until Kenobi noticed that he was wearing the crest of Valorum and Skywalker grabbed the necklace and told the Pyke to "stop playing games." Lom finally complied with the Jedi, and told them that they had been paid by a man called Tyranus to shoot Sifo-Dyas's shuttle down. However, as they feared that anyone who paid for the death of a Jedi was dangerous, they kept Silman locked away for ten years as insurance.[157]
However, once they met Silman, they realized he had gone mad after being locked up for so long, and were unable to learn much from him as Dooku arrived to kill him before Kenobi and Skywalker's eyes. After engaging Dooku in combat, they learned that the man called Tyranus was, in fact, the Count. After he managed to escape, they informed the Council of their findings, only for them to question why Dooku had been behind the creation of the clone army, and what the game of the yet-unidentified Dark Lord of the Sith was.[157]
Yoda's journey
- "Yet, open to us, a path remains that unknown to the Sith is. Through this path, victory we may yet find. Not victory in the Clone Wars but victory for all time."
- ―Yoda, to Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi
During a meeting with the High Council, Kenobi, like the rest of his peers, noticed Grand Master Yoda's absent-mindedness following his communion with Kenobi's late master, Qui-Gon Jinn. Later, Windu conferred in private with Kenobi that he was worried about Yoda's turmoil and asked him to keep an eye on the old Jedi Master. Soon, however, Yoda revealed to the Council in full that a voice spoke to him from beyond, prompting Kenobi and the entire Council to perform a joint meditation with him, but they heard nothing. Though Master Mundi surmised it could be a deception by the Sith, but Kenobi dismissed the idea, believing Yoda could not be susceptible to such manipulation, but Windu replied that, even as wise and old as he was, Yoda was not beyond the corruption of the dark side.[159]
Submitting himself for medical examination, Kenobi, Windu and Mundi were told by Rig Nema that Yoda was in perfect mental health, even if he approached nine hundredth year of life. Though Mundi suggested the Dark Lord of the Sith could be using Yoda's connection to Dooku, Kenobi vehemently rejected the idea, saying they all had been apprenticed to Yoda at one point or another. Before the discussion could go on, Nema then suggested a deprivation ritual for Yoda to reach Jinn's voice. During the procedure, Kenobi, Skywalker, Mundi and Plo Koon watched over the small Jedi, Yoda managed to hear Jinn's instruction to go to the Dagobah system before Kenobi noticed his vital signs were dropping too low and stopped the test. When asked about the procedure by Windu, Kenobi told him Yoda was sure he had contacted the dead and, like most, he was in disbelief about the whole ordeal, only for Windu to place guards to keep an eye on Yoda and the small Jedi Master to escape with Skywalker's help and R2-D2's company, willing to go on a journey that would take him to Dagobah, a mysterious planet and Moraband.[159][160][158]
On Yoda's return to Coruscant, Kenobi and Windu greeted him, and Windu asked him if he had gained some insight on how to win the war, but the old Jedi Master told them that he no longer believed that the Jedi could win the Clone Wars but that, through hope and perseverance, the Jedi would ultimately triumph over the Sith.[158]
Crystal crisis on Utapau
- "How well would you sleep, knowing that I failed you?"
"Not very well, I imagine. Luckily, that isn't true, and never will be." - ―Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi
During the last months of the war, Kenobi and Skywalker were sent to Utapau to investigate the mysterious death of Jedi Master Tu-Anh. Once they landed on Pau City, they met Inspector Jen June who immediately led them to the morgue where the Jedi's corpse was located. The two Jedi examined her body, and later went to the location where she had been found, only to determine she had been hit in the optic nerve with a precision laser dart by a sniper. As they found the sniper's position, they found slime on the floor and interrogated the building's owner, Garri, from whom the two Jedi learned of the involvement of MagnaGuards. Later, they asked Inspector June to analyze the slimy substance, with her concluding it was the secretion of an Amani's skin and added that Governor Torul Blom wanted to see them.[162]
Though the Governor asked them to leave Utapau, Kenobi and Skywalker persevered and rented two dactillions to go to the city's lower levels and talk to the leader of an Amani tribe there. Told that an Amani outcast had been seen entering a cave not far from there, Kenobi thanked him, and he and Skywalker went to the cave, where they found the MagnaGuards, leading them to suspect of a Separatist conspiracy. Despite some resistance, they managed to get information from the droids that showed them the involvement of the Sugi and went to see Inspector June once again. After she identified the Amani as coming from the plain, Kenobi contacted the Council to inform them of their findings and later attended together with Skywalker, attended the funeral of Tu-Anh.[162]
Soon after, they reached the Amani settlement they had been looking for, only for their dactillions to be killed and for the Amani to scatter in every direction during the ensuing confrontation, leaving Skywalker and Kenobi to follow the tracks of one that appeared to be their leader. During the hunt, Skywalker mentioned Tano for the first time since her departure, and Kenobi asked if he wanted to talk about it, yet Skywalker refused. Kenobi then suggested for them to set up a camp and rest. However, he insisted on the subject, prompting Skywalker to tell Kenobi he missed Tano and to voice his anger at the High Council for turning its back on her. In response, Kenobi asserted that it had been Tano's decision to leave, and that she had allowed her emotions to cloud her judgement, something against the Jedi way. Then, Kenobi suggested him to rest, but Skywalker declined so that he could keep the first watch. Finally, he questioned Kenobi on what would happen if he had turned out to be a "major disappointment," but Kenobi wanted to believe it would never happen.[161]
However, they both fell asleep and were captured by a group of Sugis led by Chong, who brought them before Endente as Kenobi told Chong of their "intention" to buy weapons. However, they learned Endente was, in fact, selling a kyber crystal and Skywalker prompted him to show it before they made the deal. The two Jedi were then brought to the starship where the crystal was being kept and escaped from their captors. Once Skywalker took out all the Sugi and recovered their lightsabers from Chong, they were unable to capture Endente and discovered the massive kyber crystal inside the ship.[161] Despite being attacked, the two Jedi managed to transport the crystal through Utapau's plains until they reached Pau City, where Governor Blom showed them his true colors and had the two Jedi surrounded with his men and Grievous's droids. As the kyber crystal was loaded into a shuttle and sent to ship on orbit, Kenobi and Skywalker took June and Blom as hostages, so that their underlings stopped shooting at them, and stole a freighter to recover the crystal.[163]
During the persecution, Kenobi contacted the High Council to inform them of their current course of action, and Grievous soon damaged their ship, forcing them to, performing a number five special, crash the ship to damage the hyperdrive and board the ship where the crystal was then held. However, they got separated, and Kenobi landed in a hangar full of droids, where he was soon confronted and captured by Grievous. Following Dooku's orders to execute him, Kenobi was being escorted to the execution room until Skywalker rescued him. Together, their made their way to the kyber crystal at the vault, where they were temporarily trapped until a squad discovered them. Using the crystal and the Force to knock them out, he managed to get to a hangar where Skywalker got a shuttle for them to escape. Meanwhile, Kenobi set several AATs to shoot and overload the crystal, destroying the crystal and the ship, and escaping from the explosion in the nick of time.[45]
Back on Coruscant, Kenobi and Skywalker reported to the Council about the outcome of their mission, when Yoda told them of the use of kyber crystals on weapons of unimaginable power in ancient times.[45]
The dark disciples
- "You were fighting her and chatting at the same time?"
"It's... Banter."
"You flirted with her?"
"Come now, Vos, you can't tell me you managed to go undercover in all sorts of shady places without flirting yourself." - ―Quinlan Vos and Obi-Wan Kenobi
Upon Mahranee's fall and the destruction of General Chubor's refugee-carrier Republic frigate by Dooku's decision, Kenobi participated in council meeting along with Skywalker, where it was decided to bring about the Count's assassination, for they had reached the conclusion that all that had transpired in the war had been because of Dooku. Though Kenobi was against the idea, he nevertheless suggested Quinlan Vos to be deployed for the mission.[9]
Once Vos returned to Coruscant from his covert mission in Otor's Hub after ending Sheb Valaad's black market operation, Kenobi greeted him at the Jedi Temple and accompanied him to the Jedi Council Chamber. There, Vos was informed of his mission, and Ventress's role in it; Vos accepted. At the end of the session, Kenobi went to Vos' encounter at the dining hall and gave him more details about Ventress's character. Afterwards, Kenobi and Vos would prearrange to meet at a bar in Level 1313 so that Vos would keep him appraised of his progress at regular intervals. Vos' absence in their third and fourth would-be encounters forced Kenobi to report to the Council.[9]
At one such meeting, Ventress was the one to appear at the bar, after her mission to rescue Vos from Serenno after he had been captured following their failed attempt to kill Dooku, she told Kenobi that they had lost Vos to Dooku and the dark side; the two sat there, together, for a long time. Kenobi would later make mention of their encounter to his fellow Jedi, among them Akar-Deshu.[9]
On Maul's tail
- "I sense your turmoil, Obi-Wan."
"My last encounter with Maul didn't go so well."
"He murdered the Duchess Satine. Someone you cared for deeply."
"My emotions are under control, Master Tiplee. I will not fail you or this mission. " - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi
Following the Battle of Ord Mantell, Kenobi was sent to Ord Mantell to investigate who the Separatist forces had been fighting, alongside Jedi Masters Tiplee, Mace Windu and Aayla Secura. Though the Shadow Collective had managed to collect most traces of their presence in the city, Wolffe and his men uncovered a Mandalorian helmet outside the town, which led the four Jedi on the trail of Maul.[164]
Aware of the Black Sun's presence on the system, and the location of Vizsla Keep 09, a Mandalorian supply outpost suspected to be Maul's hideout, Kenobi and Tiplee led an assault to lock the place down until reinforcements arrived. Tiplee expressed concern that Obi-Wan would allow his feelings for Satine to cloud his judgement when facing Maul, but he assured her that he would be under control and wouldn't fail the mission. As the two Jedi tried to reach the command center, Maul and Count Dooku appeared to duel them, with Windu and Secura joining them soon afterwards. Despite their advantage over the Sith, Tiplee was killed by Dooku, and a Mandalorian assisted Maul by setting off an explosion that injured Windu and Secura. The Sith, then, managed to escape as Maul told Kenobi not to worry, as they would be seeing each other again soon; his alliance with Dooku leaving the Jedi perplexed as to what had just happened.[164]
Vos' rescue
- "Ventress is at fault, yes, and of course Dooku. But this, Masters...this one is our responsibility. We owe Vos the chance to choose again, and, with our help, wisely."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi, to the Council
Upon Akar-Deshu's meeting with Asajj Ventress, Kenobi and Skywalker met with them and Kenobi promised her that she would come to no harm within the Temple, and brought her to the Council chambers. Despite Windu's open disapproval, Yoda allowed Kenobi and Skywalker to go with Ventress to rescue Vos. Soon enough, Kenobi, Skywalker, and Ventress were on the cockpit of her ship, the Banshee, to infiltrate the Separatist dreadnought where Vos, or rather "Admiral Enigma," was issuing orders from.[9]
Stealthily, the three made their way to the bridge where Skywalker dueled Dooku, while Kenobi and Ventress discovered Vos was still being held captive by the Count. However, Ventress saw through his ruse and tried to relieve Vos from an existence consumed by hatred, but Kenobi convinced her to escape before taking such an extreme action. Barely escaping on the Banshee, they made their way back to Coruscant, and Kenobi saw as the Council welcomed Vos and pardoned Ventress.[9]
Redemption of the fallen
- "You misunderstand, Master Windu. All of you. She didn't just save his life. She saved Quinlan. And...I believe she may have saved us."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi, on Asajj Ventress
A month later, Kenobi was sent alongside Skywalker, Vos, and Akar-Deshu in a mission to take over a Separatist supply storage base and redistribute the supplies to worlds in need of them. However, their mission went awry when Vos, unbeknownst to them, arranged the base's destruction. Later on, Kenobi and Vos would be deployed to a listening post on Vanqor, but their second fruitless campaign in a row made Kenobi suspicious of a leak. He confided his feelings to Yoda and Windu, leading them to suspect Vos was the leak. Kenobi would later be summoned by Yoda to tell him that he had sensed concealed darkness in Vos' soul, and the Council arranged an emergency session, in which they entertained the option of executing Vos. Kenobi, however, protested against the idea, and suggested sending Vos again to assassinate Dooku to test his allegiances.[9]
Afterwards, Vos had Ventress tell the Council of the Count and Grievous' presence on Christophsis, and the two set out on their mission aboard the Banshee. Kenobi and Skywalker followed suit and spied on Vos, who reunited with Dooku; they observed as the two dueled, when Vos gained the upper hand just as he let Dooku live as long as he told him about his Master's whereabouts. It was then that Kenobi and Skywalker intervened, taking the pair by surprised, and placed them under arrest. The two soon escaped from the Vigilance, causing the death of Akar-Deshu and the Chagrian Kav Bayons, and boarded the Banshee, but Skywalker's quick thinking forced the renegades to crash land on the planet.[9]
The two Jedi pursued the three injured renegades to a Separatist tower, where they surrounded them. There, Kenobi and Skywalker witnessed[9] what appeared to be[165] Ventress' last moments before finding Vos. They transported Vos back to Coruscant where the fallen Jedi confessed all his crimes and Kenobi defended Ventress. After being placed under Yoda's supervision for some time, Vos was released to Kenobi's care so he could take Ventress' body back to Dathomir, where she would be finally reunited with her sisters.[9]
Attack on the Jedi temple
Kenobi was present when Jedi Master Depa Billaba came out of a coma, having been in the state for six months. Pleased to see her feeling better, he welcomed her back to her duties. Kenobi participated in the Initiate Trials at the Temple, as well as in an evaluation of Billaba's mental state, meant to clear her for service. Though she was unsure of her past failures, Kenobi assured her that success is has never been a prerequisite for service before offering her his council seat.[166] Nevertheless, Kenobi remained a member of the Council[13] and worked alongside her.[166]
Sometime after Billaba grew interested in making the youngling Caleb Dume her apprentice, Kenobi gave a lecture in the Jedi Temple central security station for younglings to learn about the Jedi recall signal, when Dume asked whether the same system could be used to warn Jedi away. Kenobi was intrigued by the possibility,[167] and the idea would later prove essential.[13] Kenobi was later present at the temple when it was attacked by Separatist general Rackham Sear. However, the attack was foiled by Depa Billaba just as he and Windu arrived on the scene.[168]
Struggle for Anaxes
- "I hope you at least told Padmé I said hello."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi, to Anakin Skywalker
After an assault on Cato Neimoidia,[170] Kenobi became involved in the Battle of Anaxes.[169] Following amounting losses on the Republic side in and Captain Rex's successful mission to a Separatist Cyber Center with the assistance of Clone Force 99 to discover if General Trench was in possession of Rex's battle strategy algorithm,[171] Skywalker and Rex were to go on a mission to Skako Minor. Clone Sergeant "Hunter" stated that Clone Force 99 would be heading to the planet as well. Skywalker believed Kenobi would approve the mission.[169]
While Rex was eager to go, believing ARC trooper Echo was still alive, Skywalker reminded his Captain that they had a "thing" to do: Skywalker was to contact his secret wife, Senator Amidala. Skywalker spoke to her via hologram inside the barracks with Rex keeping watch outside, but Kenobi approached Rex to ask where Skywalker was. Rex attempted to cover for his friend, but Skywalker soon exited, and the two began to depart for the Marauder. However, Kenobi called after Skywalker and revealed he knew his former Padawan had been speaking with Amidala.[169]
After their success, Kenobi took part on Windu's debriefing on the strategy to take the Separatist assembly complex by air, when Echo posed his plan to be escorted by the Bad Batch into Trench's new comm vault on a dreadnought on the planet's orbit and plug himself to feed the Separatist's strategic movements. Kenobi took part on the assault and the combined efforts managed to take the complex under their control and, with all other fronts falling to the Republic, Trench initiated a countdown for an explosion that could destroy most of Anaxes. While Windu deactivated the bomb, Kenobi assisted in the evacuation efforts; with Trench's death at the hands of Skywalker and his fleet's destruction, the battle was won. Thanking Captain Rex, Corporal Echo, and the Bad Batch, Kenobi told the clones they would receive medals for their actions, but the Bad Batch intended to leave before the ceremony. Additionally, Echo decided to leave with the batch.[172]
Battle of Yerbana
- "Yes, Cody. You can join in on the fun as well."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi, to Commander Cody
A short time after they undertook a mission to Cato Neimoidia,[53] Kenobi and Skywalker were sent to Yerbana to take down the Separatist forces that were oppressing the people in the planet. During the battle, Kenobi took his 212th Attack Battalion to fight in one front, while Skywalker led his 501st Legion into another offensive. The battle proved to be more brutal and problematic than expected to Kenobi and his clone troopers, who were suffering heavily damages from the Droids attacks, and were unable to destroy the commander droid. After saving Cody from a missile, Kenobi ordered his troopers to take cover. Kenobi wondered where his Padawan was as he needed his assistance. Fortunately, Skywalker, who successfully defeated the Separatist army in his offensive, arrived and convinced Kenobi to let him act as he had planned. Knowing that Skywalker had already decided how to act and would not change his mind, Kenobi gave his Apprentice the leadership of the battle. Skywalker faked a surrender to draw out the droid commander. After using his Force abilities to destroy it, Skywalker ordered his 501st Legion led by Captain Rex to attack rest of the droid army.[173]
Kenobi then gave permission to Cody to lead the 212th Attack Battalion in helping the 501st. Kenobi approached Skywalker complimenting him for his help, to which Skywalker thanked him for pretending to be defeated. Kenobi said he was always glad to help. Then, the two were contacted by Admiral Wullf Yularen who informed them of a transmission going under the code "Fulcrum." Skywalker guessed it might be Saw Gerrera, which worried Kenobi about the current state of the siege at Onderon. Yularen denied it was Gerrera and requested the Generals to attend the call.[173]
Locating Maul
- "I killed Maul once. Best to capture him. He doesn't seem to stay dead."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi, to Ahsoka Tano
At Yularen's ship, Kenobi and Skywalker entered the room only to witness Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan Kryze as the ones that had made the call. Kenobi asked Tano what was the information she had. Tano informed them that that Maul had been located on Mandalore and they had an opportunity to capture him.[173]
While going to greet Tano and her allies, Skywalker, who was still emotionally shocked to see his former apprentice again, claimed that it all made sense, in an attempt to understand Tano's decision to leave the Jedi Order. Skywalker told Kenobi that if Tano had not left the Order, then Maul would have never been located. As always, Kenobi was more reserved about the situation and decided to wait and see how the events were to develop, remaining cautiously optimistic.[173]
After a quick greeting, Tano, Kryze, and her Mandalorians were led by Kenobi to a private room to discuss Maul's whereabouts. However, Kenobi was not willing to help Tano and her allies unless the Jedi Council gave their permission, saying the Republic could not get involved with Mandalorian affairs. Kryze explained that there was not time to turn that into a bureaucratic decision, as Maul could escape before they made an offensive. Kryze reminded Kenobi that the former Sith Lord killed Satine and confronted Kenobi about how could he not want to capture Maul as Satine was supposedly important to him. Kenobi reassured Bo-Katan that he still cared deeply about Satine, but he could not allow his feelings to cloud his judgment. Kenobi proceeded to consult the Jedi Council.[173]
Rescue of the Chancellor
- "So that's it? You're going to abandon Bo-Katan and her people?"
"Ahsoka, surely you understand this is pivotal moment in the Clone Wars? The heart of the Republic is under attack!"
"I understand that as usual you're playing politics. This is why the people have lost faith in the Jedi! I had too, until I was reminded of what the Order means to people who truly needed us."
"Right now, people on Coruscant need us."
"No. The Chancellor needs you."
"That's not fair."
"I'm not trying to be." - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka Tano's argument, prior to the Battle of Coruscant
When Kenobi contacted the Council, he was informed that General Grievous had attacked the capital of the Republic, and that they lost contact with Shaak Ti, Chancellor Palpatine's assigned protector. He immediately informed Tano and Skywalker of this, at the same time ordering their fleet to travel to Coruscant, reassuring Anakin who asked after Palpatine, that they could reach the planet within the hour. This angered Tano, who accused her former masters of choosing to abandon Mandalore. Somewhat shocked by the accusation, Kenobi urged Tano to understand that they were entering a pivotal moment in the Clone Wars, as the heart of the Republic was under attack. Tano countered that Kenobi was playing politics, stating that it was proof as to how the Jedi Order had lost their way by forgetting that their duty was to help people and not politicians.[173]
Upon hearing Tano explain why so many had lost faith in the Jedi, Kenobi countered that the people of Coruscant needed them, but Tano believed that it was really about saving the Chancellor. Kenobi told Tano to be fair, but Tano retorted that she wasn't trying to play fair. Skywalker heard the argument and weighed in. So as to help Tano in the upcoming siege without compromising Mandalore's neutrality and the mission to rescue the Chancellor, Skywalker promoted Rex to Commander so he could lead the mission and had Tano assisting him as an advisor. When Kenobi agreed, Tano accepted the proposal. Instead of allowing his meeting with Tano to end on a sour note, Kenobi advised Tano to capture Maul, joking the former Sith did not seem to stay dead, before leaving the room to prepare the troops, leaving Skywalker and Tano behind.[173]
After Skywalker and Tano wished each other good luck on their respective missions,[173] Kenobi and Skywalker traveled to Coruscant to rescue the Chancellor. The two Jedi fought their way through a Separatist blockade and managed to board the Invisible Hand, only to find the Chancellor being held prisoner at the top of the ship's observation spire. Not long after they arrived to the room, Count Dooku appeared before them and the two Jedi engaged him in a duel.[13]
Though Dooku managed to gain the upper hand and knocked Kenobi out cold, Skywalker was able to defeat the Sith Lord, and subsequently executed him at Palpatine's urging. He then rescued Kenobi, carrying him until he woke up when they were hanging in an elevator. As they got out of there and ran through hallway 328, Grievous had them trapped in a ray shield and brought to the Invisible Hand's control room. The cyborg General personally taunted them, giving R2-D2 enough time to free them and for Kenobi and Skywalker to confront Grievous. The General, however, escaped in an escape pod and forced the two Jedi to pilot the ship and land on Coruscant as safely as they could. Following the ordeal, they escorted the Chancellor to the Senate building, where they separated, with Kenobi going back to Jedi Temple to report to the Council of Dooku's demise and what it meant to the Clone Wars.[13]
Dividing friendship
- "All of this is unusual, and it's making me feel uneasy."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi, on Anakin's appointment with Palpatine
Later, Kenobi attended another meeting, concerning the reports on the Outer Rim Sieges, including Saleucami's fall and the move of Quinlan Vos' troops to Boz Pity. At the end of the session, he met with Skywalker and told him to be careful with Palpatine, and that Palpatine had requested his presence for unknown reasons. Soon enough, Kenobi and the Council were made aware that the Chancellor had Skywalker appointed as his Personal Representative on the Jedi Council; though the Council approved of the appointment, they denied Skywalker the rank of Jedi Master, a decision which greatly angered Skywalker, prompting him to question the Council's decision-making. Kenobi remained silent. After being admonished by Windu, Skywalker reluctantly accepted his position and took his seat on the Council. During the same meeting, Kenobi and Master Mundi discussed the importance of Kashyyyk, prompting Master Yoda to assist the Wookiees himself.[13]
At the end of the meeting, Kenobi acknowledged to Skywalker that his appointment had been accepted so that, on behalf of the Council, Skywalker could spy on the Chancellor, an assignment that Anakin refused to partake in because he believed it to be an act of treason. He tried to convince Anakin that something out of place had to be happening for Palpatine to remain in office long after his two legitimate terms had expired and to have accumulated an unnatural amount of executive powers, but still, Anakin would have none of it. Later, before Yoda's departure to Kashyyyk, Kenobi conferred with Windu and Yoda of Skywalker's reluctant compliance on his task, when he heard of Windu's distrust of the Jedi Knight and Yoda's doubts about the prophecy of the "Chosen One."[13]
Following the Chancellor's disclosure of General Grievous' location on Utapau to Skywalker, who then passed it onto the Council, Kenobi was sent to capture the fugitive General.[13] Immediately prior to his voyage to Utapau, Kenobi contacted Tano and the Mandalorians on Mandalore via hologram. Kryze told him that the clones had been extremely effective against Maul's forces. While communing, Tano mentioned that Maul had said the name Darth Sidious while they confronted one another and Kryze asked who he was. Kenobi admitted that the Jedi did not know much about him, but told them that he orchestrated the Clone Wars and manipulated both sides of the conflict. He soon informed them about the death of Count Dooku during the Battle of Coruscant after Tano asked why they would no longer be able to get anymore information from him about Sidious. With this, he asked them once again to capture Maul so that they may finally be able to put an end to the mystery of Sidious. Tano asked for reinforcements, but Kenobi was forced to tell them that he was being sent to capture Grievous on Utapau and that he was unable to send support. Tano then asked if Skywalker could provide support to which Kenobi asked to speak to Tano in private.[174]
After Rex and Kryze left, he informed Tano of Skywalker's mission to spy on Supreme Chancellor Palpatine by the Jedi High Council. After Tano began to ask why they would give him such an assignment, Kenobi informed her that the Council wished to learn what Palpatine was truly plotting after remaining in the office of Supreme Chancellor long after his term's conclusion. Tano began to argue with Kenobi and said that she couldn't imagine Skywalker could be happy with the burden the Council had placed upon him. Kenobi knew this and informed Tano as much, asking her to speak with him after their meeting ended to help him with his burden. Tano began to grow increasingly agitated with the Council after Kenobi asked this, but Kenobi revealed that he knew the Council wasn't correct in every one of their decisions and that if Tano communicated with Skywalker, it could help them. Before Tano could respond, Rex rushed in and informed the two that there had been an attack and with that, Kenobi allowed her to leave. Before Tano left, she asked him to tell Skywalker something that she left unspoken. Kenobi assured her that he would and, with this, ended the transmission.[174]
With the destruction of R4-P17 and his Jedi interceptor during the Battle of Coruscant, Kenobi was assigned astromech droid R4-G9,[13] whom he had previously worked with during the search for Asajj Ventress,[175] and a blue Eta-2 Actis-class light interceptor before his search for Grievous. Before Kenobi's departure to engage Grievous, Skywalker apologized to Kenobi, who told him that he needed patience and that he would soon become a master. The two exchanged goodbyes in what would be their last meeting as friends and allies, a fact neither was aware of, before Kenobi departed for Utapau.[13]
Final clash with Grievous
- "Hello there!"
"General Kenobi! You are a bold one. " - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and General Grievous
Kenobi was accompanied to the planet by a fleet of Star Destroyers and battalions of clone troopers that were three times the size of what was normally required to take one minor star system.[176] Obi-Wan pushed the thoughts of his previous voyage aside as he traveled to the capital of Utapau, Pau City. On final approach, he noticed a significant difference: a Separatist core ship sphere that appeared to have blended with the sink hole's rock face.[56] Having arrived on Utapau, Kenobi discovered from Pau City Port Administrator Tion Medon that the inhabitants were secretly being held hostage by thousands of battle droids occupying the city's tenth level. Kenobi took this under advisement and hid out of sight after instructing R4-G9 to leave the spaceport in his Jedi interceptor, tricking the spying droids into thinking that he had left.[13] Allowing himself to be guided by the living Force,[177] Obi-Wan visits the holding areas where Utapaun wranglers captured native winged and wingless lizards for transportation.[178] He then addressed the Utai varactyl tamers in search of a quick path there that wouldn't interfere with city life.[177] Mounted on the varactyl Boga, Kenobi made his way to the Separatist holdout and waited for the Separatist Council to depart. He then leaped down from the scaffolding where he had been hidden,[13] just as he had done years before on Geonosis[40] and greeted General Grievous before being surrounded by various types of battle droids. Grievous ordered his MagnaGuards to dispatch Kenobi, who managed to crush them under a piece of the ceiling without engaging in combat.[13]
However, Grievous ordered them to back away as he decided to engaged Kenobi himself,[13] exactly as Obi-Wan predicted.[176] The cyborg was eager to be the one to directly kill Kenobi directly in retaliation for defeating him previously on Utapau, as well as vowed to prove Sidious' worth.[179] Kenobi had fought Grievous many times before and was well prepared,[180] and both were aware of the other's skill.[176] Each time proved inconclusive, but both realized that this could not always be the case;[83] it would not be an easy fight,[176] but the Jedi was not willing to allow him to escape this time.[181] Obi-Wan stood there watching Grievous shrug off his cloak, being told that he had been trained in the Jedi arts by Count Dooku himself. He extends his four menacing arms, ignites a lightsaber in each mechanical hand, laughs, and then the two engage in one final duel. Grievous has taken the lightsabers from his exploits against the Jedi,[13] Shaak Ti's lightsaber being one of his four primary weapons.[182] Kenobi would not allow him to do the same with his lightsaber; he learned patience, confidence in the Force, and lightsaber training from Grand Master Yoda and his late Master, Qui-Gon Jinn.[183] The two engaged on a walkway suspended above the hanger's lower levels. Grievous moved closer and closer, whirling two of his lightsabers above his head and the other two dragging along, burning the floor behind him, surprising Kenobi with his maneuver. Initially, Obi-Wan slowly retreated[13] and let go of his fear.[184] Waiting for the right moment,[181] he stab his lightsaber between Grievous' flashing blades. Grievous then straightened up and struck Obi-Wan with both lightsabers, but the Jedi parried. With the other two stabs narrowly missing Kenobi, he leapt over him and attacked him from the side.[13] The Jedi take advantage of Grievous's surprise to slip through his defense,[185] leaving him striking where he once stood.[13] The cyborg continued to fight back, but Obi-Wan's lightsaber remained.[183]
Obi-Wan was able to neutralize Grievous' customary more wide-ranging fighting technique by limiting his movement to the catwalk. Kenobi maintained the fight close to the cyborg, having grown accustomed to his maneuvers after so many encounters.[176] He kept his cool and aimed wisely for Grievous' vulnerable wrist[186] instead intercepting his blade, severing his hand. It didn't take long for a clawed mechanical hand clattered down onto the deck, along with the lightsaber he held.[13] Grievous, furious, launched a wild attack, but he had lost focus.[176] A few seconds later, Kenobi took another hand and weapon away from him and hands and keep up a solid defense against his unrelenting attacks.[13] The droids watched as their leader continued to lose ground, but before they could help Grievous fight back,[181] a pause occurred. Not long into the duel, the 212th Attack Battalion arrived and engaged Grievous's forces. As the battle intensified, Kenobi threw Grievous against a wall, knocking his remaining sabers out of his hands and forcing him to escape in his wheelbike. Obi-Wan had just made the jump to the lower level when Grievous fired it up and tore back into the hanger in an attempt to crush him.[13] All around them, laser blasts and explosions ring out, but Grievous rushes as if the road were clear, dodging collision after collision[185] or unleashing devastation on any clone soldiers in his path[176] or crushing those unlucky enough to stand in his way.[185] Kenobi chased after the fleeing cyborg on Boga, though his lightsaber was knocked out of his hand and recovered by Commander Cody hundreds of meters below.[13] Obi-Wan would lose his chance to capture Grievous if he stopped to retrieve it, but the thought of going up against the cyborg without his lightsaber was frightening. Knowing he could trust the Force, the Jedi raced after him, leaving his lightsaber behind.[183]
Obi-Wan and Boga finally caught up with Grievous, he intended to reach his personal starfighter, the Soulless One, stationed at a landing platform distance from the main Separatist base he was aiming for[13] as a backup plan.[176] The tunnels become increasingly packed as they travel deeper into the city. Obi-Wan smiles as the General was forced to slow down to avoid a swarm of droids, his mount capable of achieving things that the General's speeder-wheel cannot. He directs it to the tunnel's ceiling, where he will no longer be disturbed by traffic congestion. The Jedi quickly gains ground on Grievous, while the tunnel in front of him leads to a small landing perform. He accelerates once more, catching up to the general.[185] Obi-Wan had just pressed the general when the Separatist leader, able to control his bike and battle, used the electrostaff that he stored on the wheelbike and began attacking him, eventually being pulled onto the vehicle itself along with him. They eventually arrived at a landing platform, Obi-Wan snatched the electrostaff and was clutching it as Grievous raised the blaster,[13] the Grievance Striker.[187] He knocks the weapon out of Grievous's hand and lands a few solid blows on the General himself, his first to the chest, the second to the arm,[13] the metal bends, but does not break.[185] Obi-Wan knocked Grievous to the ground and plunged the shaft into his abdomen, but the cyborg kicked him away[13] with such speed that the Jedi cannot.[185]
With no weapons, they engaged in a swift fight using hand-to-hand combat[13] that Grievous was coldly confident of winning.[83] Grievous closed in on Kenobi, engaging him in a brawl, swinging his arm against him. Kenobi avoided his first swing but missed the second, backhanded across the platform, and bounce off the parked fighter,[13] putting him at a disadvantage.[176] The cyborg general's physical strength appeared to give him the advantage.[188] Continuing his assault,[176] Grievous lifted him and nearly punched his head out. Instead, he punched his own starfighter, leaving a huge dent in it. However, noticing that one of Grievous's plates was loose, Kenobi took advantage of his new action, grabbing the metal plates and pulling with all his might,[185] managing to partially tear open Grievous's chest armor, exposing his gutsack. Alarmed, Grievous tossed Kenobi aside.[13] Grievous laughed, he advanced on Obi-Wan, wounded but far from defeated.[176] Grievous attempted to crush Kenobi with his mechanical feet, but he avoided.[13] With the Force,[185] the Jedi attempted to knock down Grievous with a sweeping kick to the leg,[13] but Grievous, whose metal body was stronger than any droid's shell, hardly felt it[185] and only feeling great pain in his own shin. Kenobi was eventually thrown to the edge of the platform, but was able to summon Grievous' blaster,[13] abandoned a few meters from him,[185] forgotten by its owner,[183] and turned it against him[189] in defense of his own life,[41] just before Grievous could finish him off, firing five shots into his gut sack, igniting it and burning Grievous from the inside-out.[13] Screaming in pain,[56] letting out a sound that was halfway between a gasp of suffocation and a metal rustle. Then, a sequence of explosions ripped his body apart,[185] bursting into flame and erupting from his helmet's eye slits.[13] Grievous was already dead;[176] his charred metal body[180] slumped lifelessly[188] and hit the ground over the hangar[13] with a clang.[180] With his long-time rival and the Supreme Commander of the Droid Army slain, Kenobi headed off to rejoin his troops.[13]
Kenobi informed the clones that the general was dead but didn't have time to elaborate;[185] victory looked inevitable.[190] The battle of Utapau was one of the Clone Wars' last battles,[13] and with Grievous' death, the conflict that had claimed countless lives seemed to be coming to a conclusion, but the Jedi did not suspect it was also the beginning of the end.[190]
Order 66
- "My clone troops turned on me. I need help."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi to Bail Organa
Following Windu's and other Council member's duel against Chancellor Palpatine, revealed to be Darth Sidious, and the issue of Order 66, Kenobi met up with Commander Cody and ordered him to contact the troops to move to the higher levels of the city. The clone then returned him his lightsaber, and Kenobi proceeded to climb with Boga, just as Cody received a direct message from Sidious, ordering him to execute the order. Before Kenobi went too far, Cody ordered his men to shoot at the Jedi Master, bringing his fall to the water below.[13] Obi-Wan had no time or inclination to comprehend why his own men had turned against him. Hearing Boga's heartfelt tears, he felt a moment of sadness that he couldn't help her. Commander Cody, who was torn, saw Obi-Wan Kenobi as a threat to his operation. He knew from previous experience not to presume a Jedi was dead until he saw the body. Time and again, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka, not to mention the other Jedi he'd seen in action, had beaten seemingly impossible odds to come through.[176] However, unlike many others, he survived and swam towards a cave, fumbling his breather into place, then surfacing, stowing the breather, and managing to climb on his own while evading troops, only to discover the attack had been intentional.[13] He knew his best chance of escaping lay with the ship Grievous had escaped from so many times.[176]
Fortunately, the clones were unaware of Grievous' escape ship's existence. Even if the cruisers orbiting the planet see him, they will believe he is a Separatist trying to escape from the fight. Of course, he still has to make his way past tens of thousands of clones to reach the ship's platform, but at least his enemies won't be waiting for him there.[185] Kenobi took to the darkness of the caves, using his lightsaber as a torch, knowing he was still being pursued. At one point, he noticed approaching searchlights at one point. Before the Prowlers discovered him, they woken a nos monster, a gigantic predatory reptile that was protecting its nest. As the creature dealt with the droids, Obi-Wan slipped through.[176] Sneaking through Utapau's tunnels was difficult; not only did he have to avoid being discovered by the clones, but he also had to avoid the wild monsters that swarmed there.[185] Kenobi avoided the clone troopers, battle droids, and even the Utapau locals by using all of his abilities.[176] Arriving at the main staging area, he witnessed with horror his former troops rounding up Pau'ans and Utai and overheard Cody asking if his search teams had discovered the fleeing Jedi. His worst fears confirmed, Obi-Wan headed for his escape route. Carefully, the Jedi made his way back and arrived at the site of his final battle with General Grievous,[13] he was relieved to find the small, flat-landing form deserted.[185] Grievous' starfighter, the Soulless One, sat waiting near his former foe's smoking remains.[190] He rushes into the fighter, running past the remains of his cyborg rival one final time[13] without even sparing a passing glance at Grievous's body,[176] and fires up the engines and takes off[13] as quickly as possible, relying on the element of surprise to fly past his old flagship and away.[190]
Taking Grievous' starfighter, he left Utapau and made contact with Senator Bail Organa, who had seen the siege of the Jedi Temple firsthand and was trying to locate other surviving Jedi. Reuniting on the Tantive III, Kenobi met with the Senator and Master Yoda, who told him of the retreat message telling all Jedi to return to the Temple, saying that the war was over. Kenobi then suggested to dismantle the signal, so that others wouldn't fall into the trap, and Yoda agreed.[13]
On their way to Coruscant, Organa was contacted by Vice Chancellor Amedda, who told him of an emergency session to be held by the Senate. Kenobi and Yoda entered the Jedi Temple and witnessed with their own eyes the massacre that just taken place. During that, Chancellor Palpatine told the Senate of the Jedi's "sedition" against the Republic and declared the birth of the Galactic Empire.[13] Amidala's former handmaiden Sabé believed Kenobi died with the rest of the Jedi during the rise of the Empire.[191]
Age of the Empire
- "This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. I regret to report that both our Jedi Order and the Republic have fallen, with the dark shadow of the Empire rising to take their place. This message is a warning and a reminder for any surviving Jedi: trust in the Force. Do not return to the Temple. That time has passed, and our future is uncertain. Avoid Coruscant. Avoid detection. Be secret... but be strong. We will each be challenged: our trust, our faith, our friendships. But we must persevere and, in time, I believe a new hope will emerge. May the Force be with you always."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi's warning in the recall signal
The fallen apprentice
- "It can't be. It can't be."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi learns that Anakin Skywalker has turned to the Dark Side
Intending to infiltrate the building to shut off the Jedi recall beacon, Kenobi and Yoda made their way to the still-smoking Jedi Temple,[13] where they found clones were wearing Jedi robes in an attempt to trick Jedi survivors into a false sense of secruity.[185] Both Jedi fought the 501st patrols outside and entered, finding the aftermath of a slaughter[13] that distressed Kenobi even more than the smoke and robe-wearing clones.[185] When he made it to the central security station of the Jedi Temple,[13] Kenobi remembered Caleb Dume's suggestion that the signal could warn Jedi away;[167] instead of disabling the Jedi recall signal,[192] he changed it into a heartfelt holographic message of himself, warning any of the surviving Jedi to stay away from the Temple and the planet, to persevere for the future, and to trust in the Force.[13][167] Copies of the message would persist and be seen by Jedi in hiding in the following years.[193]
Desperate for answers and despite Yoda's warning that he would only find pain, Kenobi checked the security recordings to find that Skywalker had led his battalion of clones to attack the Temple, where he fought the Jedi & their Younglings and knelt to the newly-proclaimed Emperor, who was proud of his apprentice, now going by a new name—"Vader." Though Kenobi was horrified, Yoda determined that they had to destroy the Sith; Kenobi, however, refused to fight Vader and requested that he be sent to kill the Emperor instead, but Yoda vetoed the idea, claiming that Kenobi wasn't strong enough to go head-to-head with Sidious on his own. Kenobi expressed that Skywalker was like a brother to him and that he did not have the heart to kill him, but Yoda explained that the boy he had trained no longer existed and that he needed to be put out of his misery, and told Kenobi to use his instincts to find Vader.[13]
After that, he visited Senator Amidala, thinking she might know of Vader's location. He revealed what he'd discovered about Skywalker's betrayal of the Jedi and how the Clone Wars had been a lie orchestrated by Palpatine. Amidala harshly denounced Kenobi's accusations, believing that Obi-Wan intended to kill Anakin if she revealed where he'd gone. Correctly deducing that Anakin was the father of Amidala's child, knowing that the two had been together all that time, he apologized for everything wish he'd been supportive to them both and what he has no choice what he must do, as he left her apartment.[13]
Duel on Mustafar
- "You were the Chosen One! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them! Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!"
"I HATE YOU!"
"You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you." - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi, to the fallen Anakin Skywalker following their duel
Unbeknownst to Amidala, Kenobi stowed away in her star skiff, just as she and C-3PO departed for the Mustafar system to meet with Vader, who had already killed the Separatist leaders taking refuge there. Hiding in one of the compartments, Kenobi emerged from the ship, only for Vader to think she had betrayed him and brought Kenobi to kill him, choking her in a paranoid rage. As Kenobi checked her vital signs, Vader accused him of turning her against him, but the Jedi Master stated Anakin betrayed her for himself and that his anger & lust for power had already done that, and that he had allowed Sidious to twist his mind becoming a Sith.[13]
Unaffected by the Jedi's "lies" and unafraid of the dark side, Vader claimed that he'd brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to "[his] new Empire," and told Kenobi, who declared his allegiance was to the Republic and the democracy it represented, that if he was not on his side, then, he was his enemy. Realizing that his former apprentice was already too far gone to be reasoned with, Kenobi vowed to stop him at all costs, prompting the two to engage in a ferocious duel that caused substantial damage to the facility, just as Yoda and Sidious dueled in the Senate. Ultimately, Kenobi and Vader were hovering over the lava sea, when the Jedi Master reflected on his failure while Vader stated that he should have known about the Jedi's lust for power and domination. Kenobi tried again in vain to convince Vader to return to the light again and that Sidious was, in fact, an evil mastermind, but Vader continued to denounced the Jedi as the true evil.[13]
Eventually, Kenobi jumped to high ground on the embankment of the lava river, gaining advantage over Vader. Despite Kenobi's warning not to try the jump, the Sith apprentice ignored him and did so anyway, allowing Kenobi to sever his remaining natural arm and both legs in one strike. Heartbroken over his former pupil's fall to the dark side, Kenobi retrieved Vader's lightsaber and tearfully expressed his disgust and sadness over Vader's betrayal of the Jedi Order, shouting that his destiny was to restore balance to the Force and defeat the Sith, not join them and leave the Force in darkness. Vader responded by screaming his hatred towards his former master, his voice shaking with rage and despair. This statement only further crushed Kenobi, who responded that he had loved him like a brother.[13]
Vader's garments then burst into flames from the lava, along with his sliced flesh, severely burning him. Unwilling to help his former friend or murder him in cold blood, Kenobi left him to his apparent fate and returned to Amidala's ship, where C-3PO had already brought her back on board. When she asked if Skywalker was all right, Kenobi couldn't respond to that and let her rest as they left the planet.[13] Kenobi was left with the belief that his former apprentice had died, while thinking of how he's partly to blame for Anakin and Padme's relationship ending,[194] unaware of how the Emperor had arrived and saved his life by giving the new Sith Lord a suit of life-support armor.[13]
Birth of the Skywalker twins
- GH-7: "Medically, she is completely healthy. For reasons we can't explain, we are losing her."
- Kenobi: "She's dying?"
- GH-7: "We don't know why. She has lost the will to live. We need to operate quickly if we are to save the babies."
- Organa: "Babies?"
- GH-7: "She's carrying twins."
- ―GH-7 medical droid, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Bail Organa[13]
Just as the Emperor rescued Vader from the lava beach and gave him prosthetic limbs and the life-support suit, Kenobi, C-3PO, and R2-D2 took Amidala to Polis Massa. There, he, along with Bail Organa and Yoda, were informed that the dying Amidala was carrying twins. Kenobi was in the birthing room with Amidala as she gave birth to her two children, Luke and Leia. As she took her final breath, Amidala told Kenobi she knew there was still good in Skywalker.[13]
After arriving on Naboo so that Amidala's funeral arrangements could be made, Yoda suggested that the children should be kept hidden and separated until the time was right: Organa would adopt Leia and take her to Alderaan as he and his wife, Queen Breha, had always talked about adopting a baby girl and promised that Leia would be loved. Kenobi volunteered to take Luke to Tatooine where the boy would live with Skywalker's step family, Owen and Beru Lars. Kenobi also pledged that he would watch over him. As the trio prepared to go their separate ways, Yoda asked Kenobi to remain for a brief moment, revealing that he had training for him during his solitude on Tatooine and that Qui-Gon Jinn had reached the path to immortality, having returned from the Netherworld of the Force. Yoda told Kenobi he would teach him on how to communicate with Jinn.[13]
Hiding on Tatooine
The beginning
- "And what of the boy?"
"To Tatooine. To his family, send him."
"I will take the child and watch over him." - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda discuss the future of Luke Skywalker
Upon arriving on Tatooine, Kenobi purchased an eopie he named Akkani. While the twin suns set, Kenobi arrived at the Lars moisture farm to leave Luke with his uncle, Owen, and aunt, Beru.[13] When he delivered Luke to them, Kenobi stood at the door, explaining what had happened and asking for their help.[195] Like Kenobi,[194] Owen believed his stepbrother had been killed and blamed the Jedi Master for his fate.[196] Owen agreed to the task of raising Luke, though he told Kenobi to play no role in his upbringing.[195] Fearing the boy would end up following his father's footsteps, Owen did not want the Jedi Master to see or train Luke,[4] so he told Kenobi to stay away and not speak to him, hoping that Luke would learn nothing of his father.[195]
After leaving them with Luke, Kenobi left on an Akkani, heading to his exile.[13] He found a home surrounded by Western Dune Sea.[4][5] Kenobi had known immediately after finding this building, which was actually a long since abandoned prospector's hut, that it would serve him well.[195] Nonetheless, he instead set up living quarters in a cave,[197] where he had little outside of a few necessities and keepsakes.[7] To conceal his identity, he would once again use the alias of "Ben Kenobi,"[4] as he had done with Satine Kryze[30] and during the Clone Wars.[16] He also forfeited the use of his lightsaber for years.[27] He spent little time in the cities, and kept to himself, spending most of his time watching over the young Skywalker, who he hoped to eventually train. However, to avoid becoming too recognizable, Kenobi worked temporary jobs, including that of a farmhand, a barback, a custodian, a mechanic, and a laborer.[7]
Despite having taken the Barash Vow,[41] he struggled to repress his sense of duty as a Jedi and spent years battling monotony and inactivity.[27] He was haunted by the horrific events of the Clone Wars, with no amount of soothing able to stop his recurring nightmares.[7] Over the course of his exile, he learned much about the noises and sights of Tatooine's wilds, including how to mimic the call of a krayt dragon.[198] While Kenobi stayed on Tatooine to watch over Luke, the adopted parents of his twin, Leia, told her numerous stories of the Jedi Master during her youth. Over time, Leia came to cherish the memories of Bail Organa's Clone Wars adventures with Kenobi, regarding them as exciting and heroic,[199] but she would not learn his name until she was ten.[194]
Within the first year of the Age of the Empire, Kenobi visited the grave of Shmi Skywalker Lars, mother of Anakin and spoke of how he was sad for what had happened to her once innocent and promising young son. During the early years of his exile, Kenobi began to meditate deeply on the force. On one of these occasions he began to experience visions of the past causing the Force spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn to counsel him to let go of his attachments.[200]
Desperate to remain hidden, Kenobi buried his lightsaber, alongside Anakin's blade, in a box in the desert.[197] He also had Qui-Gon Jinn's lightsaber on-world.[201] Meanwhile, Anakin carried on his path as the Sith Lord Darth Vader. During his attempt to bleed the Kyber crystal from Kirak Infil'a's lightsaber, the Kyber crystal gave Vader a vision where Vader renounced the dark side, killed Darth Sidious, and then tracked down Kenobi to an unknown world, where he pleaded for forgiveness. However, Vader rejected the vision and remained on the path of the dark side,[202] becoming obsessed with finding his former master and inflicting the pain he had received onto Kenobi.[10]
Protecting Luke Skywalker
- "We don't need your protection. We don't need you at all. I could have handled this alone."
- ―Owen Lars, to Obi-Wan Kenobi
On one particular morning, Kenobi was awoken by sensing a young 3-year-old Luke Skywalker and his family in danger. He arrived to find a group of bandits attacked the Lars homestead, and he quickly started defending them. After successfully defeating the last of the bandits, he was punched to the ground by Owen for his interference and his influence on Luke getting involved. Out of fear that the boy could become like his father, Owen shouted for Kenobi to never come back.[195]
Kenobi came to consider that morning the moment he had failed the young Skywalker. Both he and Owen had seen the defiance and bravery in the boy's eyes, yet Kenobi listened to Owen, staying away instead of training Luke.[195]
Hunted by the Inquisitorius
A simple life
- "What about the people that need us? What about the fight?"
"The fight is done. We lost." - ―Nari and Kenobi
In 9 BBY,[203] the Inquisitorius—including the Grand Inquisitor, the Fifth Brother, and the Third Sister—arrived in Tatooine's Mos Eisley in search of a fugitive Jedi rumored to be hiding on the planet. By that same year, Kenobi had come to reside in a cave in the Dune Sea desert. Working at[197] Tibidon Station,[204] a sand whaling station, he rode a hovertrain into Anchorhead with his co-workers, continuing on his eopie[197] Akkani[205] to his cave. One day, Kenobi was visited by the Jawa Teeka, who presented the Jedi with several spare parts for a toy T-16 skyhopper. Teeka also offered to sell spare parts to Kenobi's malfunctioning moisture vaporator, but the Jedi realized that the Jawa had been stealing his parts and chastised Teeka. Before departing, the Jawa showed spare parts from an alleged Jedi starship that had crashed in the Dune Sea to Kenobi, who remarked that the Jedi were believed to be extinct.[197]
That night, Kenobi was haunted in his dreams by memories of Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Yoda. The following day, Kenobi rode his eopie to the Lars homestead, where he observed with macrobinoculars the young Luke Skywalker and Owen Lars from a distance. While riding his eopie through the desert the following night, Kenobi was confronted by the fugitive Jedi, a human male named Nari, who had managed to escape the Inquisitors earlier and pleaded for the Jedi Master's help. However, Kenobi urged the Jedi to bury his lightsaber and flee, much to the disappointment of Nari, who still believed in the fight—which Kenobi believed to be over and lost.[197]
In Anchorhead, Kenobi met with Lars to hand over the toy parts he had acquired from Teeka earlier, but the farmer refused to accept the presents and asked Kenobi to stay away from his family. After arguing with Lars about the future of Skywalker, Kenobi hid nearby as the Fifth Brother and the Third Sister arrived to address the inhabitants regarding the fugitive Jedi they were looking for. The Third Sister took a particular liking to Lars and threatened to kill his family unless information about the fugitive was brought forward, but the farmer stayed quiet until the Fifth Brother intervened. Afterward, Kenobi thanked Lars for not revealing anything about him or his whereabouts.[197]
Obsessed with finding Kenobi, the Third Sister plotted to lure out the fugitive Jedi Master and arranged for the kidnapping of Leia Organa on Alderaan. As she suspected, Kenobi received a distress call from Bail and Breha Organa, who pleaded with the Jedi to help retrieve their daughter. However, Kenobi—intent on protecting Luke and believing himself to have been out of the game for too long—declined the request. Later, after witnessing the dead body of Nari in Anchorhead, Kenobi was visited in person by Bail Organa, who again pleaded with the Jedi to help him. After relenting, Kenobi retrieved his lightsaber from the desert and headed for a spaceport, where be boarded a freighter to depart Tatooine in a commercial transport.[197]
Rescuing Leia Organa
- "You have no idea what I'm risking being here, Your Highness"
- ―Kenobi, to Leia Organa
Arriving on Daiyu,[194] the planet to where Bail had tracked the mercenaries who had kidnapped Leia,[197] Kenobi first encountered a homeless veteran clone trooper and gave him some change, and then a female spice dealer named Tetha Grig. Eventually, Jayco, a young boy, encouraged Kenobi to seek out Haja Estree, supposedly a Jedi who helped people, and took him to his lair, where Kenobi overheard Estree helping a mother and her Force-sensitive son, Corran, by mind tricking a spaceport worker to let the two leave the planet. However, Kenobi correctly suspected that Estree was nothing more than a con artist and confronted him at gunpoint. Pressuring Estree into locating Leia, Kenobi was advised by the con artist to look in the Spice Den.[194]
Infiltrating the Spice Den in a stolen cape and mask, Kenobi used the chaos brought on by the explosion of a small vat to steal a keycard from an employee and access a closed-off area of the laboratory complex. Confronted by two employees, a Zabrak and a human, he managed to overpower both, before finding a room with a small human-like figure with a cloak. As Kenobi entered the room, Vect Nokru—who had kidnapped Leia from Alderaan—and two companions ambushed the Jedi, but he was able to defeat the trio with the help of a vial of red spice. Checking another room, Kenobi found Leia and told her he was sent by her father, Bail, to rescue her.[194]
As the two changed clothes to avoid detection and started making their way to a port on the other side of the city, the Third Sister arranged for Kenobi to be hunted by bounty hunters and criminals throughout the planet. However, Leia eventually became suspicious of Kenobi and his intentions, not believing him to be a real Jedi. After Kenobi knocked down a bounty hunter in pursuit, the two saw a hologram of the Jedi Master, leading Leia to believe that Kenobi lied to her and correctly deducing that the kidnappers used her as bait. As Leia tried to flee through the streets and to a rooftop, Kenobi attempted to catch her, only for the two to be ambushed by bounty hunters looking for the Jedi. As Kenobi returned fire, Leia attempted to make the jump to another building, but fell short; as the Jedi used his Force powers to stop her from falling to her death, Leia finally believed he was a real Jedi.[194]
Realizing the spaceport of Daiyu was closed for travel, Kenobi and Leia made their way to a cargo port on the recommendation of Estree, who confronted the two in an alleyway after having a change of heart. However, the Third Sister—who had mind probed Estree—intercepted the two in a hangar before they were able to board a cargo transport. Telling Leia to go for the transport, Kenobi prepared to confront the Third Sister, who informed him that he was to be taken to Lord Vader, only to realize that Kenobi was not aware of the fact that Vader survived their duel on Mustafar. Kenobi was horrified when she revealed Vader was indeed alive and has been hunting for him ever since. Before a confrontation could occur, however, The Grand Inquisitor arrived in the hangar and ordered the Third Sister to stand down; unwilling to let her superior take the credit for catching Kenobi, the Third Sister stabbed him while Kenobi used the ordeal to make his way to the cargo transport where Leia was waiting. As the transport departed, Kenobi was shaken by the revelation of Vader's survival.[194]
Arriving on Mapuzo
- "How does it work? The Force. What does it feel like?"
"Have you ever been afraid of the dark? How does it feel when you turn on the light?"
"I feel safe."
"Yes, it feels like that." - ―Kenobi explains the nature of the Force to Leia
While cargo shuttle transported Kenobi and Organa to the planet Mapuzo, the Jedi reflected on the news of his former apprentice's survival. As he repaired the princess' smashed toy droid, Lola, the two conversed about the nature of the Force, with Kenobi comparing it to the feeling of safety lights were turned on in a darkroom. After the shuttle landed on Mapuzo, Kenobi and Organa began traveling to a rendezvous point to meet a contact of Haja Estree. Walking across the barren desert planet, Kenobi told the princess of Mapuzo's past as a lush planet filled with life, before the age of the Empire. As the two continued toward the rendezvous point, Kenobi spotted a hooded figure on the horizon—a vision of Anakin Skywalker. To avoid attracting any unwanted attention, he fabricated a cover-up story, where the Jedi was a traveling farmer and the princess was his daughter.[10]
The two eventually reached the rendezvous point, but the contact was nowhere to be found. As they noticed a vehicle on the horizon, Organa waved it down despite Kenobi's protests. When the driver, Freck, offered the two a ride to the nearest spaceport, Kenobi reluctantly followed Organa on the back of the vehicle. During the ride, Freck made conversation, revealing that he was a staunch supporter of the Empire; noticing a squad of stormtroopers, he pulled over and offered them a ride. The Imperial soldiers disclosed that they were searching for a nearby Jedi, and as they questioned Kenobi and Organa over their presence on Mapuzo, the Jedi accidentally used Organa's real name, instead of the fabricated name. However, Kenobi was able to cover up the mistake by claiming that his daughter reminded him of his late wife; satisfied with the explanation, the stormtroopers got off Freck's vehicle.[10]
After the close call, Kenobi was asked by the princess if he knew her actual mother or if he was her real father, with the Jedi denying both claims and telling Organa that he could barely remember his own family before his indoctrination into the Jedi Order. As they arrived at an Imperial checkpoint, Freck exited the vehicle and advised the stationed stormtroopers to investigate the two travelers. Asking Kenobi and Organa to step outside the vehicle, the stormtroopers called in a probe droid to perform a facial scan. Just as the probe droid identified Kenobi's face, he pulled out a blaster and quickly dispatched the droid and the stormtrooper squad before knocking Freck unconscious. Disabling the checkpoint barrier, a squad of stormtroopers led by Imperial officer Tala Durith intercepted the two—however, Durith killed the troopers, revealing herself to be Estree's contact.[10]
Rematch with Darth Vader
- "What have you become?"
"I am what you made me." - ―Kenobi and Darth Vader
Durith brought Kenobi and Organa to a nearby settlement and explained that they would have to wait several hours before one of her pilots could take them off-world. The trio sought shelter in Durith's workshop, where she revealed that she was working to help surviving Jedi and other Force-sensitives to escape the Empire as part of an underground organization called the Hidden Path. Kenobi was delighted to find that Quinlan Vos had passed through Durith's hideout at some point in the past. Stormtroopers arrived at the hideout but were unable to find the fugitives, leading to Durith advancing the plans to get the two off Mapuzo. As they were about to leave for the spaceport, Kenobi felt a sudden disturbance in the Force: Darth Vader, accompanied by a contingent of Inquisitors and stormtroopers had arrived in the settlement after being alerted by the probe droid Kenobi had destroyed earlier. Hoping to draw out Kenobi, Vader walked through the town, terrorizing and killing civilians at random. Intending to distract Vader, Kenobi urged Durith to get Leia off-world and back to Alderaan.[10]
Fleeing into a nearby quarry, Kenobi wandered aimlessly until he was confronted by Vader, who ignited his lightsaber. The Jedi, however, ran deeper into the quarry without igniting his lightsaber, but he was again cut off by Vader. Fleeing once more, Kenobi was ambushed by the Sith Lord, and the Jedi engaged in a brief yet fierce duel with his old apprentice. Overpowered, Kenobi was forced back by Vader, who knocked over a container filled with flammable rocks. Thrown into the flames by Vader, Kenobi was dragged across the burning rocks before the Sith ordered a stormtrooper to seize the wounded Kenobi. However, before Kenobi was caught by the Empire, Durith, who was nearby watching the events unfold, shot the trooper and reignited the rocks. Blockaded by the sea of flames, Vader was unable to catch Kenobi, who managed to escape, albeit wounded, with Durith.[10]
Infiltrating the Fortress Inquisitorious
Following his rematch against his old apprentice, the barely-conscious Kenobi was taken by Durith to Jabiim, one of the worlds where the Path helped move hunted Jedi to safety. He was submerged in a bacta tank tank to heal the burns on his upper body after Vader dragged him through the flames, but a mental link between he and Vader brought Kenobi back to consciousness. Durith took him to Kawlan Roken, one of the rebels helping Jedi and Force-sensitive individuals in the galaxy. Initially reluctant to help Kenobi rescue the young Organa, Roken relented and assisted Kenobi in the operation. They used Durith's Imperial security clearance to fly to Nur, a water moon in the Mustafar system, where the Fortress Inquisitorius was located. Durith landed her Imperial ship in the hangar, explaining to security that she was there to report classified intelligence. She then found a control room where she guided Kenobi in the stronghold via an underwater hatch.[206]
Once inside, Kenobi evaded seeker droids and stormtrooper patrols to eventually find Organa who was on the verge of torture at the hands of Third Sister. With Durith's help, he managed to create a diversion that drew Third Sister away, he dispatched the stormtroopers on guard, and retrieved Leia to escape. Rendezvousing with Durith, he donned a gray Imperial trench coat to blend in with the Imperial forces while they made their way back to the shuttle in the hangar. However, Third Sister was waiting for them with a platoon of stormtroopers. Vastly outmatched, the trio almost surrendered but Sully and Wade arrived in two T-47 airspeeders, dispatching most of the Imperial ground forces in the hangar. Kenobi, Durith, and Organa boarded Sully's airspeeder, though as they made their retreat Third Sister managed to destroy Wade's airspeeder, killing him. They arrived aboard Roken's ship and they departed Nur, mourning the death of Wade.[206]
After their departure, an infuriated Vader nearly killed Reva for disobeying his orders until she revealed that she planted a tracker that would lead them to Kenobi and the Path, revealing that she had modified Lola.[206]
The Siege of Jabiim
After arriving with Organa and Durith on Jabiim, Kenobi would reflect on a duel he had long ago with Skywalker when the latter was a padawan. Though Skywalker had been the stronger duelist and had skills to match his master's, Kenobi was still able to to defeat Skywalker because of his padawan's obsessive need to win. However, his thoughts on the matter were interrupted by an attack by Reva, now promoted to Grand Inquisitor, on the Path's base, locking their escape doors with Lola, which had been modified with a restraining bolt to make her obey the Inquisitor's commands. This began the attack on Jabiim, as Reva and Vader's troops began bombarding the doors.[52]
To stall for time, Kenobi parlayed with Sevander, during which he was able to deduce her origin; she had been a padawan during the attack on the Jedi temple by Vader and the 501st, and had become an Inquisitor to hunt Vader down and kill him for his slaughter of her friends and fellow Jedi. She also revealed her hatred for Kenobi to be part of her quest for vengeance, as she believed he was to blame for Vader succumbing to the Dark side. As a result, she was distrustful of the Jedi Master as he was not at the Temple to help her and her "family" escape the massacre, and thus rejected his help, pointing out that the Dark Lord had been his own Padawan and asking why he did not stop him.[52]
After a brief but fierce exchange of fire between the Imperial troops and the members of the Path in which Kenobi fought beside the defenders, Kenobi was forced to watch as Durith sacrificed herself against the oncoming troops after explaining her reasons for turning against the Empire to help the Path after bering mortally wounded. Kenobi then decided to surrender with the intention of bringing Reva to Vader himself, asking her if she will let him slaughter more civilians, including children, and offered her the chance to stop him again. When asked if the Dark Lord would see it coming, the Jedi Master reassured her that he would be too fixated in settling the score with his former teacher to see her deception.[52]
Soon, Kenobi was able to escape with the Path and Organa, leaving Vader, who had just reached the fortress, behind, open to Sevander's attack. Playing upon Vader's desire to win the battle, he and the Path used an empty decoy ship to cover their escape. Vader predictably took the bait as Kenobi, Organa and the Path retreated into space. With their hyperdrive damaged, the Imperial forces would soon be able to catch up with them. Beyond this, Kenobi could sense something wrong, but was forced to put it aside for the time, unaware that Reva, after being defeated by Vader and mortally wounded, found his communicator with Bail Organa, and had learned of Luke's location on Tatooine.[52]
The Second Rematch
- "Anakin…"
"Anakin is gone. I am what remains."
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Anakin. For all of it."
"I am not your failure, Obi-Wan. You didn't kill Anakin Skywalker. I did. The same way, I will destroy you."
"Then my friend is truly dead. Goodbye, Darth." - ―Obi-Wan Kenobi says goodbye to Darth Vader
With Vader aboard the Devastator as it pursued the Path's freighter, Kenobi knew that he would have to act in order to save the Path from the Sith lord's wrath. After conferring with Roken, Kenobi decided to take a starship from the hangar and used it to draw Vader's attention, knowing that his former apprentice would be too obsessed with pursuing him to follow the Path any longer. Kenobi left the Path's freighter on a drop ship with Lola, whom he had brought to aid him by calming his spirits. After landing in[207] the dry lands[208] in an Imperial shuttle, Vader found Kenobi nearby and asked if he had come to destroy him. Kenobi replied that he will do as he must before igniting his lightsaber. Vader vowed that Kenobi would die and the two engaged in a lightsaber duel, with Vader utilizing a combination of one-handed and two-handed combat. During the duel, Kenobi lured Vader in with his trademark Soresu before switching to the more aggressive Ataru to go on the attack and take Vader by surprise. As the battle moved into the nearby[207] labyrinth of rock pinnacles,[208] Kenobi also attempted to collapse a pinnacle on Vader, who stopped it with the Force. Remarking that Kenobi's strength had returned since their last duel but that his weakness remained, Vader hurled the pinnacle at Kenobi before resuming their duel.[207]
Vader collapsed the ground beneath Kenobi and hurled rocks to keep him down there. Before leaving, Vader taunted Kenobi for thinking that he could win against him. However, Kenobi, drawing on his desire to protect Anakin's children, managed to break free and charged at Vader again. On the offensive, Kenobi used his superior use of Soresu and Ataru to overwhelm the Sith Lord before using the Force to hurl Vader against a rock. With Vader stunned, Kenobi then pummeled him with a maelstrom of stones, briefly overwhelming the Sith lord. Kenobi then resumed his lightsaber duel with Vader, critically damaging Vader's chest plate with multiple strikes from his lightsaber's pommel, pummeling him with a boulder, and slashing him across the back before pushing him back with the Force again, and then leaping at him, striking Vader's helmet with his lightsaber and revealing the scarred face of Anakin beneath. Horrified, Kenobi addressed him as Anakin Skywalker, prompting Vader to respond that Anakin was gone and that he was what that remained. Kenobi was visibly distraught and apologized to Anakin. Vader replied that he was not Kenobi's failure and that Kenobi did not kill Anakin: instead, Vader replied that he killed Anakin and vowed to destroy Kenobi as well.[207]
Kenobi responded that his friend was truly dead before bidding Vader, whom he simply called "Darth," farewell. As Kenobi left, Vader called out to him while trying to rise to his feet. As Kenobi fled off-world, he could sense Luke was in immediate danger and jumped into hyperspace towards Tatooine.[207]
Return to Tatooine
After arriving on Tatooine at the Lars homestead, Obi-Wan found Owen and Beru desperately searching for Luke, who had fled after Sevander, still badly wounded by her duel with Vader, had attacked the homestead, defeating both adults and chasing after Luke when he fled into the desert. Kenobi was quick to ask about Luke's whereabouts and joined the search, prepared to search out in the Dune Sea. Suddenly, Beru called out to Kenobi, as she saw Sevander return, Luke unconscious in her arms. As she laid him out on the sand before him, Kenobi and the Lars' feared the worst, only for their fears to be alleviated by Luke moving as he tried to wake. Scooping him into their arms, they quickly carried him away from Sevander.[207]
As Sevander broke down in tears, Kenobi approached, now assured she was no longer a threat. Stating that she tried to bring herself to kill the young Skywalker but could not, she broke down saying that she had failed all of her friends that Vader had murdered. Kenobi, kneeling beside her, told her she hadn't failed her fellow padawans, stating that through her mercy, she gave her deceased friends peace and honored them. When asked if she had become like Vader, Kenobi assured Sevander that through her refusal to commit any further to the dark side, she had redeemed herself and that who she decided to become was now her choice. Rising to her feet, Sevander abandoned her Inquisitor lightsaber, and was helped to stand by Kenobi, who stated they were both free from their grief before they parted ways.[207] Soon after he reunited with the Organas, during which he returned Lola to Leia and told her that if she ever needed help, he will be there.[207]
After departing from his cave, Kenobi went to the Lars Homestead to speak with Owen. After being allowed to see the boy, Kenobi approached Luke with his customary greeting of "Hello there." Later, as Kenobi continued on through the Dune Sea, he finally saw the Force Spirit of his former master, Qui-Gon Jinn, appear to him. After Jinn revealed he had always been with his former Padawan, they ventured deeper into the Dune Sea together,[207] and Kenobi set up himself in the hut[4] he had found years prior.[195]
Continued exile on Tatooine
The Journals of Ben Kenobi
In preparation for Luke's future training, Kenobi wrote a set of journals and placed them in a box labeled "For Luke."[209] In one of his journals, Kenobi wrote about how he stopped Jabba the Hutt's men from collecting their "water tax" on the local farmers during the Great Drought. He kept Jabba's thugs from extorting the Lars family into paying their water tax; following an action which involved subtle use of the Force to cause the thugs' firearms to misfire with the intention of preventing harm from coming to the townspeople, he decided not to go into town anymore.[27]
That same night, he sensed Skywalker to be in danger, for the boy had gone to take the water back from Jabba's men and give it back to the farmers. Kenobi went to the encounter, but blew their vehicle's lights with the Force to hide his identity and proceeded to disable all of Jabba's henchmen with the Force. One of them became startled and pushed Skywalker to the ground, causing him to hit his head and pass out. Once Kenobi handled all the thugs, he carried Skywalker to the Lars' homestead and left before he woke up. Luke's courage assured Kenobi that it wasn't the end of the Jedi and renewed his up-until-then waning hope.[27]
A year later the Great Drought had ended, and Kenobi found himself observing a young Luke piloting a T-16 skyhopper through Beggar's Canyon. Kenobi noted how similar Luke was to his father Anakin, and expressed worry at the prospect. While attempting to impress his friends with an ostentatious maneuver through the canyon, Luke badly damaged the skyhopper and was subsequently grounded from flying by his uncle. Kenobi, feeling sympathy for the boy, took a job protecting a Jawa sandcrawler that had been experiencing troublesome raids by Tusken Raiders. That night, Kenobi meditated outside of the sandcrawler, communing with Qui-Gon and expressing his hope in Luke's abilities. Soon the Tusken Raiders arrived and Kenobi was able to easily dispatch the party with a disarmed raider's Gaderffii stick. He used whatever payment he earned from the job to hire the Jawas to deliver the necessary parts to fix the skyhopper. At a droid auction at an unidentified outpost, Luke received the the parts Kenobi had provided for him. Luke believed the parts had been a gift from his uncle and thanked Owen, as he eagerly rushed back home. Deriving pleasure from the boy's enthusiasm, Kenobi grinned fondly as he observed from behind a nearby tent.[196]
Later that day in his hut, Kenobi was cooking dinner when he was interrupted by a visit from Owen. Owen had put two and two together and sternly demanded that Kenobi have no part in his family's life. He had brought back the box of tools that he presumably confiscated from Luke, and dumped it on the floor of the hut. Kenobi responded back with several snarky replies before finally relenting and saying he that he only ever wanted to help. Owen continued to berate him, calling him dangerous and troublesome. As Owen departed, Kenobi regretfully admitted to himself that danger did in fact seem to follow him, remembering his confrontations with Count Dooku, General Grievous and Darth Maul. But he steeled his resolve and claimed that no danger would come to the young Skywalker boy as long as he lived. Coincidentally, Jabba the Hutt chose this time to send a Wookiee bounty hunter Krrsantan after Owen, who he believed was responsible for roughing up his tax collectors during the Great Drought.[196]
The next day, Owen had a change of heart and himself purchased a box of parts. He searched through the Lars homestead looking for Luke, hoping to fix the skyhopper with the boy as a way to apologize for his coarse actions the previous day. However, he was ambushed by Black Krrsantan and kidnapped. Luke, in childish defiance, was running away from home. He made it a short distance out before sensing – likely through the Force – that something had gone awry at the homestead. Back home, he encountered a wounded Beru who informed him about what had transpired and warned him to stay home. She ran out of the house armed with a rifle, leaving Luke with the discarded pile of tools Owen had earlier dropped.[210]
While meditating in the Dune Sea among a herd of Banthas, Kenobi felt a disturbance in the Force. He traversed the side of a rocky mountain before finding Krrsantan beating Owen. In the ensuing conflict, Kenobi was trapped under a mesh of stun net that was dispatched by the Wookiee. Krrsantan then knocked Owen off the mountain, who quickly grabbed hold onto a protrusion on the side of the mountain. Kenobi escaped the net and stunned the Wookiee, sprinting over to Owen to grab him back up. However, Krrsantan intervened and threw an enormous boulder at Kenobi. Kenobi used his lightsaber to split the rock in two, also blinding Krrsantan in one eye during the process. The debris from the rock crashed into Owen's ledge and he nearly fell if not for Kenobi's use of the Force. Kenobi held Owen in place using the Force before losing focus as a result of Krrsantan's constant attacks. Owen fell, but was deftly saved by Luke, who used the repaired skyhopper's turret to break Owen's fall.[210]
Kenobi then used this opportunity to disarm the Wookiee, who plunged off the side of the mountain. He did not die however, and proceeded off-world to escape Jabba's wrath. Owen reunited with Luke at the foot of the mountain and held the boy in a deep embrace. He cast a knowing glance up toward Kenobi who looked on in triumph. There were no words of thanks exchanged between Owen and Kenobi, but Kenobi was simply happy to see the family reunited. Kenobi then returned to his family, which was what he fondly called his herd of Banthas. Among them, he looked up into the sky to see Luke's skyhopper, soaring off into the sunset.[210]
Kenobi was later visiting Mos Eisley for supplies when he experienced a vision of a mysterious man. Kenobi recognized the man as Garro from a tale Jedi Master Yoda had told him. He would go on to recount this in his journal.[211]
Introducing himself once again
When Skywalker was twelve years old[22] in around 7 BBY,[212] he went on an adventure with his friend Windy, riding a dewback, but they soon encountered a sandstorm and both lost consciousness. When Skywalker awoke, there was a krayt dragon nearby sneaking up on him. Just as the dragon attempted to attack, Kenobi, his hood over his face, appeared and beheaded the giant creature. When Skywalker asked who the hooded figure was, Kenobi answered that his name was "Ben Kenobi" and revealed that he was an old friend of Skywalker's father.[213]
Kenobi took Skywalker and Windy back to their village, meeting with Skywalker's uncle, Owen Lars. Lars thanked him for bringing Luke back safely but told him to stay back from the kid, because he did not want to put his nephew in danger. In return, Kenobi said he was observing Skywalker and claimed that the Force was strong in him, telling Lars that he would leave the farm one day. Lars responded that the Jedi were done since the Republic had fallen, warning him once again to never visit their homestead again.[213]
The knight and the dragon
- "Yet you have wronged the people of the town, for you have taken your pain and made it theirs. This too, shall cease, for if you ever raid the settlements of others, I shall learn of it, and I shall return with this dragon and your village shall be destroyed."
- ―The knight to the Sand People
At some point in time, a story was spread on Tatooine of an altruistic knight, once a mighty warrior who had made the desert his home while guarding a treasure in solitude. The knight learned of the actions of a tribe of Sand People that had been raiding other settlements and capturing prisoners. Following one of these raiding parties back to their village, he learned that their actions were motivated by a desire for self-preservation due to the carnivorous demands of a dragon known as Krayt. Upon being discovered, the knight was held in captivity with the others which gave him the opportunity to break out all of the other prisoners while he stayed behind. Angered by his actions, the nomadic tribe placed him in view of the dragon, offering him up in sacrifice. Slipping free of his bonds, the knight produced a glowing sword of light which he used to hold back the flying dragon for a time.[214]
For more than an hour, he and the dragon engaged in a sort of dance, with neither one able to wound the other. Finally, the dragon sensed an opening when the knight seemed to tire. Just as the dragon was about to pounce, the knight held up his hand which seemed to put the dragon under a pacifying spell. Upon seeing the knight exercise control upon the creature, the nomads cheered. The knight, however, chastised them for their actions. He stated that while the dragon would no longer bother them, any whisper of wrongdoing from their end would lead to him and the dragon returning to punish them. The knight thus led the dragon away, never to be seen again. His actions eventually led to the nomadic tribe forever ceasing any attempts to raid or kidnap from other settlements, a trait which became unique to them.[214]
The Oil-Bringer and aid to needy
At some point, Kenobi took actions to aid and repair the droids of Tatooine. His efforts resulted in his earning the moniker Oil-Bringer. Tales passed around said that his heroics took place on a single night once a year, and that he traversed the entire galaxy. Kenobi rescued one such droid, LA-R1, and its companions from the clutches of Jawas. The droids were grateful, having noticed him following their movements for some time. LA-R1, upon meeting Kenobi, felt that he matched the description of the Oil-Bringer legends.[215] At some point after, he escorted a lost Tusken home, out of compassion.[216]
Encountering Maul
- "Look what has become of you. A rat in the desert."
"Look what I've risen above." - ―Maul and Obi-Wan Kenobi
In 2 BBY,[218] Maul arrived on Tatooine in search of Kenobi, following his vision of the twin suns. Kenobi managed to keep Maul from tracking him until Maul used a Sith holocron to lure Rebel Padawan Ezra Bridger from his base on the planet Atollon to Tatooine, hoping the young Jedi's pain would be enough to draw Kenobi out. Kenobi found Ezra unconscious in the Dune Sea and sheltered him from the storm. Ezra regained consciousness and, knowing of Maul's hatred towards Kenobi from his own encounters with the former Sith, tried to warn Obi-Wan of Maul's presence. Kenobi calmly replied that he knew of it already and that he hadn't gone into hiding unprepared. He told Ezra that it was Ezra's responsibility to help the Rebellion; not to handle Maul. That burden fell upon Kenobi himself.[217]
Soon thereafter Maul arrived, seething with rage upon seeing his old rival after so many years. Kenobi sent Bridger off on a dewback toward Maul's ship, which Bridger would use to fly back to Atollon. Maul mocked Kenobi's lackluster living conditions, and wondered out loud whether it would be crueler to simply leave Kenobi to what Maul believed was a life of misery and squalor. But rather than responding with mockery in turn, as he might have in his younger years, Kenobi calmly and succinctly explained to Maul that because he defined himself by his empty desires to kill, possess, and dominate, the former Sith Lord had nothing at all.[217]
This infuriated Maul, who ignited one of the blades of his saberstaff and struck the ground in front of Kenobi's small campfire, showering it with sand and putting it out. Maul questioned on his old nemesis's reasons for being on Tatooine, noting it wasn't simply to hide. He then began to speculate, quickly coming to the conclusion that Kenobi was there to protect someone. Stirred to action by the threat of Maul to Luke, Kenobi ignited his lightsaber and assumed his traditional Soresu ready stance. As Maul tightened his grip on his own saber and ignited his second blade, Kenobi shifted his stance to the one used by his old master Qui-Gon during the duel on Naboo in the Theed power generator.[217]
Maul noted Kenobi's change in stance and after a few tense moments, attacked. He crossed blades with Kenobi twice before attempting to hit him with the same hilt-strike that had allowed him to kill Qui-Gon. However, Kenobi had evidently anticipated this, and he struck down at Maul's hilt as Maul struck upwards, bisecting Maul's lightsaber and carving a lethal laceration into the former Sith Lord's chest. Maul dropped his ruined weapon and collapsed to one knee, but Kenobi caught him before he could fall to the ground and held him. As Maul laid dying, he asked Kenobi whether the person whom he was protecting was the Chosen One; the one prophesied to destroy the Sith. Kenobi, who at that point believed that Vader would never turn from the dark side, replied that he was. Maul appeared to take some modicum of comfort from this knowledge, seemingly certain that he and Kenobi would ultimately be avenged.[217]
Kenobi then traveled via dewback to the Lars' Homestead. Upon arriving there, he heard Beru Whitesun Lars calling to Luke and saw the teenager running back home against a binary sunset. Following the former Sith's death,[217] Kenobi built a funeral pyre for Maul, honoring his old rival.[195]
Final days on Tatooine
- "I feel my time here may be drawing to an end. For these long and desolate years I have often felt alone. But truthfully… I never have been."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi, in his journal
Shortly before the Battle of Scarif, Kenobi wrote a set of journals, recounting his service to the Jedi Order as well as the Republic during the time of the Clone Wars and prior, in order to pass the time whilst a storm occoured on Tatooine. During his final days on the planet, Kenobi encountered and rescued an injured stormtrooper named JM-909, whom he nicknamed Jim, before bringing him to his hut. Jim eventually escaped, but remembered Kenobi's actions after being scolded by his superior officer upon returning to the Empire. Following this, Kenobi stated that he knew his time on the planet was coming to an end, and that despite having felt alone for so many years, he came to realise that he never had been.[219]
Galactic Civil War
Coming out of exile
- "We will need every advantage."
"Your friend... the Jedi?"
"He served me well during the Clone Wars, but has lived in hiding since the Emperor's purge. Yes, I will send for him." - ―Bail Organa and Mon Mothma talk about the possibility of recruiting Kenobi to the Alliance
As the Alliance to Restore the Republic foresaw open war with the Empire becoming more of a possibility, they decided to take every advantage. Shortly before the Battle of Scarif,[220] in 0 BBY, Kenobi's old friend Bail Organa, who, by this point, was a high-ranking leader within the Alliance, decided to recruit the exiled Jedi Master to their cause at Chancellor Mon Mothma's urging.[220] Unable to attend to it in person[4] because he had to travel to Alderaan to warn his people of the coming war,[220] Organa sent his daughter Princess Leia Organa to request Kenobi's help.[4] Barely escaping from the battle that had just taken place at Scarif after having recovered the schematics for the Empire's planet-destroying Death Star,[220] she was captured in a battle over Tatooine. Leia transferred the plans into R2-D2's memory systems and sent the droid off to find Kenobi, leading R2-D2 and C-3PO on a crusade that led them to be captured by a band of Jawas and being sold to Owen Lars and Luke Skywalker.[4]
However, R2-D2 ran off from the Lars homestead and off into the Jundland Wastes to try and find Kenobi. C-3PO, who was unaware of the mission given to R2-D2 by Princess Leia, encouraged Skywalker to go after the wayward astromech droid, but, before they could return to the homestead, they were attacked by a group of Tusken Raiders. It was at that moment when Kenobi showed up on the scene and scared the Tusken Raiders off[4] by imitating the cry of a krayt dragon.[198] Upon turning to see where the call had come from, the Tuskens saw Kenobi and remembered Chieftain A'Yark had warned them of a mysterious "shaman" who lived in the area. Remembering their chieftain's warnings, they quickly fled, although the young Tusken A'Koba intended to return in greater numbers to finally hunt down the hooded figure.[221] Indeed, Kenobi knew the Tuskens were likely to return in greater numbers if they stayed in the canyon for too long, meaning he had to awaken Skywalker but also lead him to safety.[4]
With the Tuskens gone, Kenobi approached the unconscious Skywalker and checked that he was still alive before greeting R2-D2.[4] However, Kenobi acted as though he did not know the droid for Luke's benefit.[222] Restoring Skywalker to consciousness, the boy told him that R2-D2 was looking for someone named "Obi-Wan Kenobi," to which Kenobi replied that was, in fact, his real name. To avoid more Tusken Raider attacks, Kenobi brought the two droids and the farm boy to his home. There, Kenobi revealed that he had known Skywalker's father, and that he'd been a Jedi Knight during the Clone Wars, choosing to talk about him before his turn to the Dark Side.[4]
He then gave Skywalker his father's lightsaber, which he claimed that Anakin would have wanted Luke to have it. When Luke asked about how his father had died, Kenobi was careful not to tell him that Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader were one and the same; instead he twisted the truth, claiming that Vader, his former apprentice, had fallen to the dark side of the Force and helped the Empire hunt down and kill the Jedi, including Anakin. Though he wasn't technically lying to Luke - the man who Anakin Skywalker had been had died when he became Darth Vader - he wasn't being directly truthful either, and Luke would not learn the whole truth for another several years. Afterward, Luke decided to show Kenobi the partial message from Leia Organa. The message finally played in its entirety, stating her father's request for him to aid the Alliance and that R2-D2 contained information vital to the survival of the Alliance. After the message concluded, Kenobi requested Skywalker's help to see the mission through and learn the ways of the Force, but Skywalker refused to get involved as he believed his duties at home were more important, but he offered to take Kenobi as far as Anchorhead.[4] At the age of 57, and after more than nineteen years of exile, Kenobi was done hiding and being cautious, regardless of Luke's answer he needed to leave Tatooine and confront the Empire by aiding the princess who had begged for his help.[41]
On their way to the city, the two came across the skiff that had sold R2-D2 and C-3PO to Skywalker and his uncle; it had been destroyed and the Jawas had been killed. Initially believing it to be the casualty of another Tusken Raider attack, Kenobi correctly deduced that the attack was, in fact, the work of stormtroopers who were searching for the droids. Worried that the stormtroopers may have gone after his aunt and uncle next, Skywalker headed back home despite Kenobi's claims that it was too dangerous. While Skywalker discovered that the Imperials had attacked the homestead and killed both Owen and Beru, Kenobi arranged a small funeral pyre for all the Jawas killed by the Empire's soldiers.[4]
At this time that, Kenobi was met by the Force Ghost of Jinn. Kenobi's old master helped ease his anxieties about Luke, specifically his fear that Luke would suffer a tragic fate such as Anakin's. Qui-Gon marveled at how Obi-Wan had remained so steadfast and resilient after suffering through years of war and losing everyone he ever truly loved to a terrible end: Anakin, Satine, Padmé, and Jinn himself. Qui-Gon reassured Kenobi that he was making the right decisions with Luke. Sensing that Luke was returning from the remains of the Lars homestead, Qui-Gon bade his former student farewell and told him that they would see each other again, though kept to himself that Obi-Wan only had a short time to live.[23] When Skywalker returned, the young man agreed to go with him to Alderaan and be trained as a Jedi.[4]
Leaving Tatooine
- "If his ship is as fast as his boasting, we ought to do well."
- ―Kenobi regarding Han Solo and the Millennium Falcon
The four ventured out to Mos Eisley and to pay a visit to Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina[4]—a place Kenobi had made rare visits to throughout his exile[223]—in hopes of recruiting a pilot that could take them to Alderaan. During their journey,[4] they were stopped by stormtrooper Foot Patrol 7, as Commander TD-110 had spotted R2 and 3PO and thought they could be the droids they needed. One of his subordinates, trooper TD-7556, privately disagreed, thinking that the boy and whom he assumed to be his grandfather would never be chosen by the Rebel Alliance to protect their secrets.[224] Claiming that he and Skywalker had owned the droids for several seasons, Kenobi used a mind trick to ensure the stormtroopers did not check for identification and to ensure they could move along.[4] The trick worked, with it even making TD-7556 believe Kenobi had been an Imperial.[224] TD-110, meanwhile, was eventually left with an awful headache from the trick.[225]
Explaining to Skywalker that he had used the Force to ensure they made it past Foot Patrol 7, the four made their way to the cantina. Skywalker was skeptical about the prospect of finding a pilot in the cantina, but Kenobi assured him that the best pilots could usually be found there, but warned him that the cantina could "be a little rough." They ran into a small bout of trouble when a pair of wanted criminals, Cornelius Evazan and Ponda Baba, began bullying Skywalker, but Kenobi was able to defuse the situation when he sliced off Baba's arm in defense of the young man.[4] Although the patrons began to whisper of the lightsaber,[224] Kenobi continued with his business of looking for transport.[4]
Kenobi soon met a Wookiee named Chewbacca, who served as the first mate aboard a freighter known as the Millennium Falcon, which was captained by a Corellian smuggler named Han Solo. Solo boasted about his ship's speed to entice Kenobi. Though Solo's initial rate was 10,000 credits all paid in advance, Kenobi was able to compromise: offering to pay 2,000 credits upfront, with an additional 15,000 when they got to Alderaan, for a total of 17,000 credits. Solo was convinced and agreed to take them to Alderaan. Kenobi and Skywalker then exited the cantina when they saw stormtroopers,[4] actually the very same troops Kenobi had mind tricked,[224] who had entered to investigate the earlier disturbance caused when Baba lost his arm. Having been saved by Jedi during the Clone Wars, Wuher—the cantina bartender who had previously written Kenobi off as an old hermit—chose to lie to the soldiers, keeping the Jedi's presence a secret.[223]
As they departed, the two were confronted by another stormtrooper, who demanded to see their identification. In response, Kenobi cut the trooper's blaster and killed the soldier by throwing pieces of metal at them with the Force. Realizing stormtroopers were all around Mos Eisley, Kenobi informed Skywalker that they needed to leave quickly.[213] However, they had been spotted by an Imperial spy named Garindan ezz Zavor, who had entered the cantina after hearing Baba and Kenobi's fight, enabling the Kubaz spy to overhear Kenobi's discussion with Solo. Waiting until he could see Kenobi and Skywalker with the droids,[226] Zavor notified Imperial stormtroopers of their location[4] at Docking Bay 94.[226] Fortunately, the Millennium Falcon was able to escape Tatooine.[4] As Solo checked his ship's controls, Kenobi assured R2-D2 that he still remembered him and commented that it was good to fly with him again.[222]
As they waited for the Falcon to arrive at Alderaan, Kenobi arranged an exercise for Skywalker so that he would learned how to sense through the Force and deflect blaster fire from a training remote, when the Jedi Master sensed a disturbance in the Force caused by the Disaster. Soon enough, the Falcon exited hyperspace, and they discovered that the planet had been destroyed and replaced by an asteroid field. As a TIE fighter approached them, Solo decided to shoot the small ship, but Skywalker noticed that the ship was coming from what, at first, seemed like a small moon - the Death Star. As the space station's tractor beam pulled them in, Kenobi told Solo not to resist, saying there were alternatives to fighting.[4]
Duel on the Death Star and death
- "You can't win, Darth. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi to Darth Vader
As the Millennium Falcon was forced to land on Bay 327, Solo prompted everyone to hide on the ship's sensor-proof smuggling compartments, with Kenobi hiding alongside the two droids, to trick the Imperials into thinking they had abandoned the ship. As the Imperial scouts got off the ship, Kenobi told Solo he would take care of the tractor beam, which prompted Solo to call him a "damn fool"; soon enough, with Skywalker and Solo disguised as stormtroopers, they took control of the hangar's control room, where Kenobi learned the location of a terminal that, should one cut its power, it would allow the ship to leave. He decided to go alone despite Skywalker's protest, to whom he told that his destiny lay on a different path than his own, and reassured Skywalker that the Force would be with him always.[4]
As Skywalker, Solo and Chewbacca learned of Organa's presence on the station and set out to rescue her, Kenobi managed to disable the tractor beam; however, as he made his way to the Falcon, he encountered Vader and the two engaged in one final duel. Vader claimed to be the true master of the Force, but Kenobi,[4] refusing to use Anakin's name and instead simply calling Vader "Darth,"[195] instead claimed that he was only a "master of evil." During the duel, Vader noted that his age had made him weak, but Kenobi told his former apprentice that he wouldn't win because he would become more powerful than Vader could ever imagine, even if he managed to kill him.[4]
The two made their way to Bay 327 just as the team reunited to board the Falcon, only for Kenobi to see the young Skywalker and give Vader a mysteriously knowing smile. As he raised his blade in surrender and took a deep breath, Vader struck him down and his body disappeared, for he had become one with the Force,[4] with only his Jedi robes and lightsaber left behind on the Death Star.[227] Unable to attend to the body of his master, Skywalker was forced to escape on the Falcon with everyone else. Vader, meanwhile, stomped upon his former mentor's cloak[4] and collected his lightsaber.[227]
Post-mortem
Communion with Luke Skywalker
Ensuring the future
- "Remember… The Force will be with you. Always."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi, to Luke Skywalker
Kenobi's communion with Qui-Gon was successful as Kenobi did not vanish completely but instead became a Force spirit. As he did, he felt past, present, future collide, seeing the eventual death of Solo on Starkiller Base, and his apprentice's self-imposed exile on Ahch-To.[195] Using his new-found abilities, he was able to guide Skywalker during the Battle of Yavin so that he could successfully destroy the Death Star with proton torpedoes.[4]
About five days later, the spirit of Kenobi would go to Dagobah, where he would visit Yoda regarding Skywalker. Kenobi listened as Yoda explained that Leia was by far the best candidate to pick up the mantle of Jedi, as Luke was impetuous, headstrong, unruly, and inattentive like Anakin. Nevertheless, Kenobi remained steadfast in his resolve that Luke be trained and was successful in gaining Yoda's approval to bring the boy to him.[228]
Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the Yavin battle, Luke deeply grieved the loss of his mentor, having thought they would train together longer. He began to question whether he had heard the Jedi's voice in the Battle of Yavin, wondering if it was his own imagination. When he was sent to the planet Rodia on an Alliance mission, Luke often contemplated what Kenobi would think of his surroundings, and told the Rodian Taneetch Soonta that he considered the Jedi Master the personification of honor. While on Rodia, Luke did his best to learn more about the Jedi from Soonta, whose uncle was the Jedi Huulik. With his extremely limited training, Luke struggled to move objects with the Force, and felt dismay when recalling how easily Kenobi had mind tricked individuals on Tatooine. By repeating the few lessons about the Force he had received from Kenobi, the Alliance pilot became more determined to retain and build his knowledge base. After acquiring Huulik's lightsaber from his mausoleum with Soonta's help, Luke documented its inner workings, hoping to build another that would honor the Jedi that came before him.[97]
Cymoon 1 and Nar Shaddaa
- "Luke…Luke…listen to me carefully…Run."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi, to Luke Skywalker
When Skywalker was about to confront Darth Vader in the Weapons Factory Alpha on the assault of Cymoon 1, Kenobi reached out to Skywalker through the Force and told him to run.[229] After he recovered Kenobi's journal, which the Jedi Master had left behind to help Skywalker,[230] Skywalker tried to gain passage to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant by going to the "Smuggler's Moon" of Nar Shaddaa,[231] only to be captured by Grakkus the Hutt, who forced the young Jedi into an arena battle against the roggwart Kongo. Although he tried to call upon the lessons Kenobi had taught him,[232] Skywalker was outmatched, so he tried to call upon his mentor for help. Instead, his friends arrived to rescue him, while Grakku's gamemaster fought the Hutt, having secretly been an Imperial spy.[233]
Vrogas Vas
Later, while Luke was stationed above Vrogas Vas, he was attacked by Vader and crash-landed near an abandoned Jedi Temple[234] he had read about in one of Kenobi's journals, however while searching for something to use in the temple, he was contacted by Kenobi's voice, which told him to abandon the place, as he did not believe Luke was ready. As Luke asked how he should get ready, he was attacked and captured by General Karbin's stormtroopers. When Vader entered the temple, Kenobi called out to him, stating that Luke was the Chosen One and once again expressed his regret for Vader's fall; Vader dismissed Kenobi's presence as a delusion.[235]
Hoth
- "You will go to the Dagobah system. There you will learn from Yoda, the Jedi Master who instructed me."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi, to Luke Skywalker
Three years later, Kenobi would reappear to Luke on the ice planet of Hoth, where he instructed Skywalker to go to the Dagobah system to seek out Kenobi's former master, Yoda, for further Jedi training. Yoda once again expressed doubts concerning Skywalker, still believing him to be too old, impatient and reckless, as much as he had anger in him like his father once had. However, Kenobi reminded Yoda that he had been once similar to Luke, back when Yoda taught him.[18]
Dagobah
- "Luke, you will find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi, to Luke Skywalker
Over the weeks of Skywalker's training on Dagobah, Kenobi had needed to appear in six of Yoda's dreams to again and again convince him to continue the training, telling the old master that training the young Skywalker would be different from how Anakin's path had gone. Additionally, he needed to appear on Dagobah several times to serve as a mediator between Yoda and Skywalker. Throughout Luke's training, Kenobi often found himself thinking of his experiences with Anakin.[21] Later, when Skywalker received a vision of his friends in trouble on the Cloud City of Bespin, Skywalker rushed to aid them. Appearing as a ghost on Dagobah to try to dissuade him,[18] Kenobi, who thought to himself that Anakin would never have been able to stay on the swamp world as long as Luke had,[21] warned him that he was at a crossroads and that his abilities were what the Emperor wanted; Kenobi did not want to lose Skywalker to the Emperor the way he had lost Vader.[18]
He also told the Jedi apprentice that, if he was to face Darth Vader, he would do it alone as he could not interfere. Finally, Kenobi gave Skywalker some final advice that he should not give into his hate, for hate led to the dark side. As Skywalker departed from Dagobah, Kenobi was worried that the Jedi may have lost their last hope, only for Yoda to say there was another hope for the Jedi.[18] Though Yoda was speaking of Luke's sister, Leia Organa,[236] a long but quiet moment passed between the two Jedi as Kenobi remembered the hope was not Anakin, with Kenobi still believing that his old friend was as dead as he was[21] and had been replaced by Vader.[236]
Later, Luke created a projection of himself and communed with Yoda on Dagobah, believing the experience was a product of his imagination. After Luke disappeared, Yoda asked Kenobi his thoughts. Kenobi appeared, voicing a concern that despite all the boy had learned, he was "not ready." Yoda affirmed that the young Skywalker would be prepared when the time was right.[237]
About a year after Skywalker's initial visit, Kenobi reappeared after the death of Yoda to explain why he did not tell Luke the truth about his father. Though Luke wanted to believe that there was still good in his father, echoing Padmé's belief from twenty-three years ago, Kenobi no longer held that belief. He told Luke that he must face his destiny by confronting Vader once again. When Luke asked the meaning of Yoda's final words, "there is another Skywalker," Kenobi confessed that Leia was Luke's sister, and that they had been hidden from each other to keep them both safe. He also warned Luke about the powers of the Emperor.[236]
Amid the climactic Battle of Endor, Anakin Skywalker, rejecting his life as Darth Vader and killing Palpatine to save his son, was redeemed back to the light by Luke.[236] As Skywalker passed away, Kenobi and Yoda appeared to him, forgiving their old friend.[213] Kenobi appeared standing next to the spirits of Anakin Skywalker and Yoda as they watched Luke and the other rebels celebrate their momentous victory, although Luke was the only one able to see them.[236] Afterward, Skywalker asked Yoda and Kenobi if his son would end up okay; Kenobi responded that he had been thus far, so it was possible.[213]
For the next years, Kenobi's spirit, alongside Anakin and Yoda, continued to guide Luke in his late life.[238] While visiting the vergence on Gazian[62] between 3 ABY and 4 ABY,[239] Luke saw Kenobi's imprint in the world's Living Sea.[62] Kenobi was fondly remembered by Luke, and the memories of their limited training together were something he treasured. However, after Ben Solo's fall, he blamed Kenobi and Yoda for his lack of knowledge on how to permanently stamp out the dark, feeling that his err in teaching led to his student's demise as Kylo Ren.[240]
Kenobi also spoke to Leia on occasion, as she heard his voice throughout the years of her life.[241] While on Ahch-To, after Luke Skywalker reconnected to the Force, he felt Kenobi's spirit, along with Yoda, and his father Anakin with him again and felt comfort in that.[238] Sometime after as Skywalker was dying, he thought he heard the familiar voice of Kenobi urging him to let go and he did, joining Kenobi, Yoda, and his father in the Force.[242]
Communion with Rey
Takodana
- "You will be tempted. But you can learn. The Force will be with you…The dark side…The Jedi…You will do it alone…Rey…These are your…first…steps…"
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi, to Rey
Thirty years later, Obi-Wan spoke to the Force-sensitive scavenger Rey in the voice of his younger self during a vision she received upon touching the lightsaber that previously belonged to Luke Skywalker, and Anakin before him. Obi-Wan called out to Rey, telling her that these were her first steps, and that the Force would be with her in her fight against the dark side.[244]
Exegol
- "These are your final steps, Rey. Rise and take them."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi, to Rey
One year later in 35 ABY,[246] during the Battle of Exegol, Kenobi's voice was again heard by Rey among the voices of many Jedi of the past who aided her with destroying the resurrected Darth Sidious once and for all. The first to call out to her, he echoed his first message to Rey, telling her to rise and take her final steps to becoming a true Jedi.[247]
Legacy
- "You are named after legends."
"That's exactly it, Snoke. Obi-Wan Kenobi… Big famous Jedi. Everyone thinks I'm supposed to be like him. I never even met him." - ―Snoke and Ben Solo
Obi-Wan Kenobi was considered a legend by the time of the New Republic Era.[248] In the aftermath of the Galactic Civil War,[249] Han Solo and Leia Organa named their only son, Ben Solo, after the famous Jedi Master. However, the fame of Kenobi's name and his deeds as a Jedi weighed on the young Ben, who harbored feelings of insecurity due to the expectations that had been thrust on him because of his heritage.[248]
Solo grew resentful toward the late Jedi, especially as he thought that everyone expected him to be like his namesake despite never knowing Kenobi. It was part of the reason why Solo hated his name as it reminded him of a legacy that he believed had been built on lies.[248] Ultimately, he renounced his ties to the Jedi and adopted a new identity, that of Kylo Ren, following in the example of[250] Kenobi's fallen apprentice[13]—Solo's grandfather, Darth Vader.[250]
In time, however, Solo returned to the light, destroying the dark persona of Ren.[247] Where once he recoiled at the sound of his birth name, he regretted ever renouncing it.[251] His redemption came when he sacrificed his life to save Rey—a selfless act mirroring that of Anakin Skywalker.[252] Once revived, Rey looked at Solo and smiled, calling him by his name "Ben," who shortly afterwards became one with the Force.[247]
Kenobi's contributions during the Clone Wars were remembered long after the war's end, with citizens of Pau City on Utapau being able to recall Kenobi's name many decades after the Battle of Utapau. When the Force-sensitive human Karr Nuq Sin embarked on a journey across the galaxy to learn more about the Force and the Jedi, he used his powers of psychometry to experience visions of Kenobi visiting Pau City in search of General Grievous as well as moments of him and Luke Skywalker onboard the Millennium Falcon.[253]
Personality and traits
- "Who's the more foolish, the fool, or the fool who follows him?"
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi
Kenobi was a human male[5] who stood at 1.82 meters[6] and weighed 81 kilograms.[8] He had fair skin,[4] gray-blue eyes, and auburn hair[9] which had turned white in his later years.[4]
During much of his time as a youngling, Kenobi was known to be rebellious and willful, described as breaking the rules laid out by the Jedi left and right. However, throughout much of his early apprenticeship to Qui-Gon Jinn, Kenobi possessed strong fondness for rigid rules and a largely by-the-book attitude when it came to matters such as the Jedi Code. He felt as if he never truly understood his master and yet nevertheless wished to please him and earn his respect. He also had trouble understanding his master's hobbies and interests, such as study of arcane Jedi prophecies. At various points, he considered the fact that Jinn could be kicked out of the Order and wondered what would happen to him if such a case were to occur.[21] The two later came to realization that Yoda intentionally placed Kenobi with a maverick master in the hope that he would rebel in the only way possible: by attempting to become a model Jedi.[19]
Over time, Kenobi would become loyal and dedicated to Jinn, possessing a dry sense of humor and sarcastic wit. Yoda said that he sensed Qui-Gon Jinn's defiance in him, and Jinn himself reflected upon Kenobi's considerable knowledge and potential; he also considered his Padawan a lot wiser than he, if somewhat headstrong.[14] Leading up to his Jedi Trials, Kenobi was very nervous and lost sleep worrying about them. Although he could sometimes be impertinent,[228] he was often seen as wise beyond his years, his humble and soft-spoken demeanor belied his warrior prowess. Despite his numerous complaints during flight,[13] and deeply shaken by an experience involving autopursuit in his youth,[19] he was also a skilled pilot. In many ways, he represented the strength of the old Jedi Order: steadfast, selfless, and modest.[13] A tireless defender of the Republic's ideals of democracy and justice,[254] his later skill at resolving disputes without battle would earn him the sobriquet "The Negotiator."[13]
Over time, Kenobi lost some of his youthful audacity and assumed the role of a more cautious mentor to Anakin Skywalker, who was in many ways his opposite in personality.[14] The two had a very strange dynamic early on, with Kenobi feeling protective and responsible for his young Padawan and Skywalker worrying about Kenobi's commitment to him, having been abandoned in his life previously. Kenobi knew of these feelings, evidenced by waking up to see Skywalker had moved to sleep on the floor next to his bed. Kenobi often worried he was not fit to teach Skywalker and sometimes would lie awake at night thinking of things to teach his apprentice. As their relationship deepened over time, the two found that they could easily get on each other's nerves, with Kenobi becoming particularly annoyed by his Padawan's habit of grinding his teeth in frustration.[21] For all their bickering, they cared deeply for each other.[13]
Kenobi carefully measured his actions in any situation, garnering him the aforementioned nom de guerre. Kenobi was also known to be an accomplished storyteller. While hiding in the Jundland Wastes in his later years, he appeared as a kindly and eccentric old hermit. Owen Lars described him as "a crazy old man" 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.[14]
Kenobi often thought out plans and strategies rather than leaping into action. He would usually place his hand on his chin or stroke his beard as he thought. This was a common trait of the Jedi Master, one that his apprentice Anakin Skywalker did not practice very often.[80] He sometimes mentally repeated the Jedi Code to calm himself.[9] He had also served as a mentor to Skywalker's Padawan, Ahsoka Tano. Tano recognized that Kenobi had more patience than Skywalker, but she also fondly remembered how they would bicker. Tano believed Kenobi would have enjoyed the strategy game crokin.[200]
Kenobi's respect for the lives of others led him to emerge from hiding to save Ezra Bridger and the C1-series astromech droid Chopper from succumbing to the deserts of Tatooine. Kenobi then reproved Ezra for succumbing to Maul's manipulation and counselled the young rebel to return to his place with the rebellion. When faced with the Sith who slew his master, the Kenobi did not hate Maul and tried to talk him down, but when he made his violent intent clear and sensed Luke Skywalker, Kenobi was forced to fight and kill him in self defense. After mortally wounding Maul, Kenobi comforted the former Sith and assured him that he was watching over the "Chosen One," Luke Skywalker, though Luke was not the Chosen One by prophecy.[217] When he confronted Vader on the Death Star, Kenobi found himself unable to believe his foe was once his friend, even being unable to call him by his name; he used the title "Darth" instead, while he also realized his own anger was rising as Vader spoke.[195]
During his exile on Tatooine, Kenboi was forced to engage in self-reflection that he described as agonizing. Over the years, he was forced to dismantle systemic rituals and ingrained doctrines he had experienced during his time with the Jedi.[21] He was left broken and unwilling to fight[197] until his rematches with Vader[206] ten years after Order 66,[197] which left him with the belief that his friend had been destroyed by Vader. While he once blamed himself for Skywalker's fall, Kenobi, after hearing Vader's proclamation,[206] had come to believe that, while he and Jinn did have some blame, Skywalker had made his own choices and thus was at fault for his own fate.[23] As he noted to Reva Sevander, the adventure had freed both of them from the past.[206] As he learned to forgive himself for mistakes he made during the war, he also learned to forgive others.[21] Neverthless, despite finding himself unable to call Vader by his old name during their final duel on the Death Star, he did ponder if Anakin Skywalker still remained within,[195] but he later claimed to Luke that Anakin was truly gone. Luke proved him wrong when he redeemed his father, enabling Kenobi and Skywalker to renew their friendship as Force spirits.[236]
Romantic relationships
Siri Tachi
A fellow Jedi, Siri Tachi trained at the Coruscant's Temple at the same time as Kenobi. Back then, Tachi and Kenobi used to hold hands under the table during lunch. Years later, Kenobi mused that although the Jedi may have been exterminated, their dedication to posturing theatrics lived on in Yoda and that he needed just look back at moments with Tachi to feel as though he had deserved a punishment from the Jedi Council.[21]
Satine Kryze
- "I've loved you from the moment you came to my aid all those years ago." […]
"Had you said the word, I would have left the Jedi Order." - ―Satine Kryze and Obi-Wan Kenobi
During Mandalore's Civil War and his apprenticeship under Qui-Gon Jinn, Kenobi fell in love with the young Duchess Satine Kryze. The two lived on the run for over a year. Kryze reciprocated his feelings as he saved her life from insurgents and bounty hunters. When Kenobi's mission ended, he chose to honor his obligations to the Jedi Order in accordance to the Jedi Code. However, he regretted leaving the Duchess alone to rebuild Mandalore.[34]
Years later during the Clone Wars,[32] Kenobi and Kryze still had feelings for each other, but found themselves on opposing sides. Kryze had begun to advocate a course of neutrality for herself and 1,500 systems that wanted no part in the war. Meanwhile, Kenobi defended the use of military action to end the conflict with the Separatists, including a military presence on Mandalore to protect it from the Death Watch. As such, their inability to express their feelings led them to bicker relentlessly about their conflicting philosophies. Only when forced into action did their camaraderie return. When Kryze was taken hostage by Senator Merrick, she confessed that she had always loved him. Kenobi, despite the situation, confessed that he too loved her and would have left the Jedi Order if she asked it of him. Despite their confessions, Kenobi and Kryze continued with their responsibilities as peacekeepers.[34]
When Maul resurfaced on Mandalore, Kenobi attempted to rescue her from him, but the pair were captured. Kenobi was forced to watch Maul choke Kryze and ultimately kill her with the Darksaber. Kenobi mourned her, but refused to give in to his anger and desire to avenge her,[17] only doing so out of peace and justice nearly twenty years later.[217]
Powers and abilities
Lightsaber abilities
- "This weapon is your life."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi, to Anakin Skywalker
Kenobi was a very capable lightsaber duelist, one of the greatest swordsmen of his time. Throughout his training years, he had learnt several forms of lightsaber combat, especially Form III.[9][14] In contrast to the aggressive dueling styles of his master, Qui-Gon Jinn, and his apprentice Anakin Skywalker, Kenobi's combat style was mainly defensive, though he would use aggressive attacks when pressed. He faced some of the most dangerous people in the galaxy, such as the deadly Sith Lord Darth Maul and infamous Jedi Hunter General Grievous, respectively, the latter of whom he fought on at least seven occasions. Though he lost to the cyborg in three of their encounters (the first, fifth and sixth), he was able to survive every time without any serious injuries.
Kenobi was able to duel Grievous to a draw in their third and fourth encounters, and was able to overpower him in their second duel and ultimately killed him in the final round, albeit with a blaster rather than his lightsaber. However, his final victory may have been helped by Grievous' fresh injuries, which would have hampered the cyborg's fighting abilities.[13] Although Kenobi usually used only one lightsaber, he also seemed to have been well-versed in the art of Jar'Kai, which was perhaps most prominently displayed during his duel with Maul and Savage Opress, in which he wielded both his own lightsaber and the blade of the slain Adi Gallia. His mastery of dual-blade combat allowed him to hold his own against both the Sith brothers, and he even managed to break Opress's left knee and sever his left arm. The duel ultimately ended as a stalemate when an angered Maul used his Force powers to briefly incapacitate Kenobi, giving the brothers time to escape.[144]
Kenobi also situationally, and somewhat less successfully, used Jar'Kai against General Grievous and Cad Bane respectively.[110] He was also capable of using his lightsaber to ground Force lightning, as he demonstrated against Dooku on Geonosis. Kenobi was also able to defeat his former apprentice Anakin Skywalker, then Darth Vader, in an epic duel on Mustafar. Making use of his staunch Form III defense throughout the fight, Kenobi was eventually able to exploit Vader's aggressive nature, and dismembered the hate-filled Sith Lord when he recklessly jumped towards him.[13] While initially not as skilled due to having lost his connection with the Force,[10] Kenobi was able to get the edge once again over his former apprentice Darth Vader on another duel ten years later.[207]
Decades later, he defeated his old nemesis Maul within seconds despite the former Sith Lord having demonstrated the ability to hold an advantage against three Inquisitors simultaneously,[217] and duel his former master Darth Sidious for a short time.[17] A few years later, during his rematch with Vader on the first Death Star, Kenobi proved formidable enough to hold his own against the Sith Lord for a short time. However, Vader's cautious but relentless assault ultimately overwhelmed Kenobi's defenses, and he was forced to begin retreating. Ultimately, he chose to become one with the Force rather than continue the fight and in doing this, he taught both of his Skywalker students one final lesson.[4]
Force powers
- "The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi, instructing Luke Skywalker
Though Kenobi focused largely on lightsaber combat, he was also very skilled and powerful in use of the Force. He was trained in the use of the mind trick, making use of it whenever he wanted to avoid physical confrontations.[40][87][4][27] He was also able to use the Force to tame, control, and lead a group of angry gutkurrs on Ryloth.[91] As befitted a Jedi, Kenobi was adept at concealing his feelings in the Force when he chose to.[9] Kenobi was adept at Force healing, improving his physical capabilities, leaping around with the Force, knowing the future, and could, with great effort, make himself and his use of the Force go unnoticed by all.[255] He also felt when Alderaan was destroyed and so many died.[4]
He was also capable of using telekinesis to push or levitate objects,[27] or to crush them, as seen when he destroyed two commando droids to recover his lightsaber after a difficult hand-to-hand fight with Darts D'Nar.[128] He would also use the Force to augment his natural leaping ability. His ability to use the Force push technique was exceptional, as he was able to use it to blast back General Grievous dozens of meters with a single push during their duel. A short time later, he was even able to hold off a Force push from Anakin Skywalker during their duel, though after a short time the resulting telekinetic struggle launched both of them across a room.[13] During his third duel against Vader, Kenobi was able to lift many heavy rocks that were used to bury him and later effortlessly lifted more to throw at his former apprentice mid-fight.[207]
Prior to his exile on Tatooine, Yoda instructed him on how to communicate his late master, Qui-Gon Jinn, who was unable to visibly manifest as a spirit due to his incomplete training under the Force Priestesses.[13] Through Jinn, Kenobi eventually learned the ability to manifest his consciousness after death, a skill he would later put to good use to guide and counsel his apprentice, Luke Skywalker, during the Galactic Civil War.[4][229][18][236][21]
Other abilities
- "Obi-Wan is a great mentor; as wise as Master Yoda, and as powerful as Master Windu."
- ―Anakin Skywalker
Obi-Wan Kenobi proved himself to be a great military strategist and a highly studious man, demonstrating good knowledge on galactic history and conventions of war, like the Yavin Code.[45] General Kenobi personally led his troops to many famous victories during the Clone Wars, and his persuasive demeanor earned him the moniker of "The Negotiator."[13]
Despite his dislike of flying, Kenobi was an excellent pilot. During the Clone Wars, he led many attacks from the cockpit of his Jedi starfighter or his Jedi interceptor, proving to be an outstanding pilot when navigating through an asteroid field in pursuit of Jango Fett's ship and evading his seismic charges unscathed.[40] In fact, Kenobi had once rather enjoyed flying, prior to an incident during and his Qui-Gon Jinn's mission to Pijal.[19]
Kenobi was also a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, having developed enough level of skill in unarmed combat so as to compete with Pre Vizsla, leader of the Death Watch, in unarmed techniques, though he outclassed the Mandalorian in lightsaber technique.[32] During his duel with Jango Fett on Kamino, Kenobi was briefly deprived of his lightsaber, and fought the bounty hunter in unarmed combat.[40] Furthermore, while he preferred lightsabers, Kenobi was an excellent marksman, as demonstrated during his time as "Rako Hardeen" in Moralo Eval's Box and by his defeat of Grievous with his own blaster.[131] While hiding on Tatooine, he carried a BR-14 blaster pistol.[7] He manage to use it while saving young Princess Leia who was held at blasterpoint.[10]
He understood many languages, including Galactic Basic Standard, Twi'leki,[91] the Amani language,[162] Felucia's tribal language,[157] Old Alderaanian,[19] and Shyriiwook.[4] Though he admitted his skills were "rusty," Kenobi could read hand signals accurately enough to understand Eeth Koth's message to his location at the Saleucami system.[59]
Behind the scenes
The Original trilogy
Obi-Wan Kenobi, originally introduced as "Ben" Kenobi, made his first appearance in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, played by Sir Alec Guinness, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (the only acting-related Academy Award nomination for any Star Wars film).[256] During the casting process for the part of Kenobi for A New Hope, director George Lucas was looking for an actor who brought a certain authority to the role and could be powerful and gentle. Lucas found these qualities in Guinness,[257] who joined the cast because of the film's sense of moral good and the studio's doubling of his initial salary offer.[258] Guinness said working on the film provided many challenges. Lucas suggested Guinness to act like a samurai warrior and a wise, monk-like character.[259] Guinness reprised the role as Kenobi's force ghost in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Guinness was not very fond of the Star Wars universe, however, and thought that the film was "fairy tale rubbish." He disliked very much to be associated with the role of Kenobi.[258]
The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film stated that Lucas originally came up with the idea of having Kenobi die, to which Guinness initially objected. By explaining that the character would have little to do in the story after the Millennium Falcon escaped the Death Star, Lucas convinced him to allow it. However, other sources indicate that the idea to kill off Kenobi came from Marcia Lucas, after her husband complained he was unable to find a way to generate tension in the story.[260] In the draft script for what became Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, Kenobi, along with Yoda, would have appeared as a Force spirit during the battle between Luke Skywalker and the Emperor in defense of their pupil: both Jedi Masters would deflect the Sith Lord's Force lightning. Kenobi, Yoda, and Anakin Skywalker would have all returned to life as well.[261]
The Prequel trilogy
Obi-Wan Kenobi was played by Ewan McGregor in the 1999 film The Phantom Menace.[14] When he began the casting process, he thought that Star Wars didn't feel right to him. He was skeptical about playing Kenobi and thought "Well, I'm this independent, urban-y, grungy actor over here. I'm not this kind of guy." McGregor's anxiety eventually turned into excitement,[262] and he was excited to play a younger Alec Guinness.[263] In December, 1996, the actor did an audition interview in London. Shortly after that, McGregor was told that the role was offered to him. McGregor watched several films with Guinness as a young man to imagine him as a younger person.[259] He also studied Guinness and watched the original trilogy as preparation, but he didn't really think about the genre.[263] After director George Lucas showed McGregor around the studio, they went to the props-making department, and the prop master showed him a chest of lightsaber props. McGregor then got to choose which lightsaber he would use in the film.[259] The first lightsaber work he did was when he trained for the duel against Darth Maul.[264] McGregor had lightsaber training with stunt coordinator Nick Gillard.[262]
McGregor said that the crew were looking for a military sense or something in the world of monks for Kenobi's hairstyle. He said the padawan braid hairstyle was similar to the hair of people who shave their head for religious orders. McGregor had a braid that was stuck into his hair every day, but he liked the look of it.[265] Six to eight months after principal photography of The Phantom Menace, McGregor and other actors returned for reshoots. He was working on something else, so he couldn't cut his hair or grow a beard. The crew made a short hair wig for McGregor, but he found it difficult to hide longer hair under a wig.[265]
McGregor reprised his role in Attack of the Clones.[40] McGregor and Hayden Christensen, the actor who played Anakin Skywalker, practiced lightsaber rehearsals, which Christensen said was the most fun he had, and he described it as "playing with your friend every day."[262] Kenobi's hairstyle was inspired by the Bee Gees and was called a "Jedi mullet." The new hairstyle was meant to show a warrior and also progression.[265] In a deleted scene, Kenobi used a pair of macrobinoculars on Geonosis.[266] McGregor later played Kenobi in Revenge of the Sith.[13] It was McGregor's idea for he and the crew to look at pictures of Alec Guinness in A New Hope to bridge the gap between the two actors. Also, his hair and beard were grayed a little bit to get closer to Guinness's portrayal. Kenobi's hair was supposed to show a bit more age and show a master or teacher.[265]
Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels
James Arnold Taylor voiced Kenobi in the The Clone Wars film and TV series, as well as Star Wars Rebels. In the Star Wars Rebels third season episode "Twin Suns," Kenobi was voiced by Stephen Stanton.[217]
The Sequel trilogy
In The Force Awakens, Taylor returned to voice Kenobi in a brief scene during Rey's Force vision, but the voiceover was later replaced instead with one from McGregor.[267] Guinness's voice was also used, with his line "Rey" extracted from audio of him saying "afraid."[268] Both Guinness and McGregor were heard again in Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker.[247]
Kenobi's Force spirit was originally present in the early drafts of the 2017 film Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi, but director Rian Johnson ultimately decided to use Yoda instead, adding that the only version of Kenobi who interacted with Skywalker was the one of late Alec Guinness, and having Luke interacting with Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan would have felt too weird, as Luke never met Obi-Wan during his younger years.[269]
Obi-Wan Kenobi television series
- "It was nice to come back and to bridge that gap between me and Alec Guinness. I got as much, or more, out of playing him this time than I did in the first three movies put together. That's to do with the writing, and the people we were making the series with, and the technology, and how different everything is. If we were to get an opportunity to do it again, I'd be totally up for that."
- ―Ewan McGregor
In 2016, McGregor said that he didn't have a burning need to play Kenobi again and he said he didn't have any fascination for the Star Wars movies. He said it was possibly because he had already been in the movies and had "seen behind the curtain." He added that the movies didn't "have the same type of wonderment" to him. McGregor met many people who were kids when the prequels were released who expressed how important the films were to them. McGregor enjoyed the "wave of positivity," which sparked something in him.[262]
In interviews, McGregor stated that he was open to returning as Kenobi in Star Wars, but he worried he was too open. He told people he'd be happy to play Kenobi if Lucasfilm wanted, and people thought that he was "touting for work at Disney's door." It was publicly believed that McGregor was happy to play Kenobi again.[262] In 2018,[271] a meeting was held to see how serious the actor was to play Kenobi in an Obi-Wan Kenobi film as part of a series of stand-alone movies outside of the Skywalker saga. Lucasfilm Ltd.'s then head of story Kiri Hart and the people at the meeting said they were aware that McGregor was happy to do it, and Hart asked if he meant it or was just being polite. They asked if McGregor was in or not and he said he was in. Lucasfilm then actively began development on an Obi-Wan Kenobi film that would be directed by Stephen Daldry.[262][271] McGregor would be the producer, giving him more say over the story. He wanted Kenobi to start as a broken, faithless man and the film would show what gets him back together again.[271] At some point, McGregor did some testing for the film.[272]
When Stuart Beattie pitched his three Obi-Wan Kenobi stories to Lucasfilm, he explained that there are three different evolutions for the character to make to go from Obi-Wan to Ben. The first story was about surrendering to the will of the force and the second story was about Kenobi coming to terms with his own mortality. Lucasfilm and McGregor were on board with the idea of a trilogy.[273] In another meeting, Beattie explained that his two core ideas for the project involved Kenobi leaving Tatooine and coming face-to-face with Darth Vader. He was told that neither of those could happen, so he cited Return of the Jedi when Vader told Luke Skywalker that Kenobi once believed there was still good in him. Beattie explained that this never happened in Revenge of the Sith, which convinced them that he had a point. He added that people would need to believe that Vader killed Anakin Skywalker. This convinced the team to hire Beattie to write the script for the first of three Kenobi feature films. One of his main purposes in writing the story was to show Kenobi going on a journey to accept the fact that Anakin Skywalker had been killed by Vader.[274]
Beattie wrote Vader as being obsessed with Kenobi and revenge. From the beginning of Beattie's story, Emperor Palpatine would tell Vader to forget Kenobi and focus on the present problems. In one scene Palpatine sent Vader to crush a rebel uprising and he was trying to forget Kenobi. Vader told Palpatine that Kenobi and Yoda were the two biggest threats, causing Palpatine to get angry and remind Vader of his place.[274] When Cody went into a town on Tatooine, he would take Kenobi into an alley and hold a knife to his throat. Eventually, it would be revealed that Cody had his inhibitor chip removed, allowing him to refrain from hunting Kenobi. Cody then became Kenobi's "secret buddy" and they would both feel overwhelmed by guilt. Beattie's idea was that when Kenobi left Tatooine, he left Cody in charge of Luke Skywalker. Cody was planned as a way to show how disconnected Kenobi was from the Force due to forcing his will upon young Skywalker in a manner similar to when Superman lost his powers in the 1980 film Superman II. Beattie wanted Kenobi to surrender to the will of the Force, allowing his powers to come back in a climactic moment similar to when Superman's powers returned in the film.[275]
Beattie created the Inquisitor Reva to give the Jedi someone to defeat or save because he'd be unable to save Vader. Kenobi told the Inquisitor Reva that Vader was Anakin Skywalker, allowing her to realize she had been wrong the whole time. Reva then told Vader that she killed Kenobi, prompting him to kill the Inquisitor. This action saved Kenobi and ended Vader's obsession with the Jedi.[276] Vader and Kenobi would duel on a space station that was falling apart in the atmosphere of a large planet. The whole story would build up to Kenobi taking off or slashing Vader's helmet and giving him a scar. Vader would then push Kenobi off and he wouldn't have the chance to find Kenobi. Seeing Skywalker's face convinced Kenobi that Vader killed Anakin Skywalker. Beattie found it important to separate the two during the duel because he believed Kenobi would kill Vader if he had the chance. At the end of the story, Vader would believe Kenobi was dead, which would explain why Vader stopped hunting Kenobi and justify why he was shocked to learn that his master was alive in A New Hope.[274] After the poor box office performance of Solo: A Star Wars Story, it was decided that no more spin-off films would be made, and Beattie left the project.[273]
On September 27, 2019, StarWars.com announced that Deborah Chow would direct the Obi-Wan Kenobi television series and it would be written by Hossein Amini.[277] As the crew came together to work toward a summer, 2020 production start date, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy became concerned with the direction the scripts were heading in. The crew wanted to make a hopeful, uplifting story, but they found this to be difficult because of the bleak state that Kenobi was in after Revenge of the Sith. Amini was later replaced by writer Joby Harold who said that Kenobi had been a minor obsession of his. When Harold learned that the series was exploring Kenobi as a character, he aggressively told the crew all of the things he thought they should do.[262] Harold took Stuart Beattie's scripts and turned them into a six-hour series.[273] Harold and Chow crafted a new story that took place 10 years after Revenge of the Sith. Kenobi was meant to be a lost and broken man who felt responsible for what happened to Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith. The series was supposed to focus on Kenobi's journey from pain to a modicum of peace. Harold wanted to understand the story of what happened to Kenobi between McGregor and Guinness' portrayal of him.[262] Chow wanted the series to focus on who Ben Kenobi is instead of his Jedi identity.[259] Chow said the crew inherited some of the original plot, but they made significant changes and added a few different elements.[262]
The main goal was to slow everything down so that the imagery can have as much weight as possible, especially when it was going to help articulate Kenobi's arc. Because of this, the first episode's closing image was Kenobi's lightsaber on his hip. This goal was also the reason the second episode ended with Kenobi holding his lightsaber and not using it, causing the use of the weapon to be meaningful.[278] Harold tried to think of something that would be seismic enough to make Kenobi leave Tatooine, which led to him writing young Leia Organa as a call to action for Kenobi.[279] She was meant to bring out a maternal sense in Kenobi that told him life is not just about living by the book. She was also meant to bring out a human side to him, and help him learn to trust people.[259] Per director J.J. Abrams' advice, Harold decided that it should be a massive moment when Jedi use the Force and it must be earned, so Kenobi didn't use the Force until he saved Organa from a fall in the second episode. He looked at the films Paper Moon and Midnight Run for influence on Organa and Kenobi's relationship after the former's rescue on Daiyu. Harold wanted the series to begin with Order 66 to remind the audience of where Kenobi's journey began and to establish that the stakes are high for everyone.[279] During the writing process, Harold thought of having Kenobi learn that Anakin Skywalker survived their duel on Mustafar to get the series to a place of intense drama for Kenobi. He first had to ask[280] Star Wars lore advisor[197] Pablo Hidalgo how much Kenobi knows during the show's time period, and Harold was given permission to use the scene.[280] Harold had Kenobi and Vader duel in the series because he found that there was no line in a A New Hope that said they couldn't. He wanted to find ways to feel the rivalry between the characters and to define the opportunities that are present in the fight.[278]
To prepare for portraying Kenobi again, McGregor watched all nine movies in the Skywalker saga and he started reading science fiction, including books by Iain M. Banks.[263] To relearn his Kenobi voice, McGregor listened to a sound file that has all of Alec Guinness' lines from A New Hope.[281] McGregor wanted Kenobi to have an unkempt hairstyle and appearance to represent how Kenobi is faithless and somewhat given up.[265] When playing Kenobi, he made it seem like the character would grow up to be Alec Guinness by trying to sound and feel like Guinness, but he didn't want to do an impersonation.[281]
On the first day of production, McGregor starting filming his scenes in the Sandwhale Farm set.[259] Kenobi's costume was designed by costume designer Suttirat Anne Larlarb. She wanted to make Kenobi recognizable to fans, but his costume needed to show that he's a Jedi in hiding. For the story to make sense, Kenobi needed to match other residents of Tatooine by wearing clothes of simple construction and in readily available colors. A "woady" blue top was added to contrast with the shades of brown, beige, and cream associated with the Jedi.[282] McGregor and Christensen trained with lightsabers for the flashback of Kenobi and Skywalker training[259] in the fifth episode.[52] They both had dots on their face for the de-aging technology.[259]
Influence in popular culture
Meme culture
- "Hello there."
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi
Amongst the Star Wars fandom, the line "hello there"—which Obi-Wan Kenobi says upon confronting General Grievous on Utapau in Rev