Change in Perspective: How Obi-Wan Kenobi is Fast Becoming My Favorite Star Wars Character

We first meet Obi-Wan Kenobi under a veil -- literally. He comes plodding over the horizon Tatooine's Dune Sea, swathed in a shapeless brown cloak that covers his face, bellowing like a kyrat dragon to frighten away the Sand People that had just beaten Luke Skywalker into unconsciousness.

Then, he draws the hood of the cloak back to reveal an aged face, warm and energetic and quite grandfatherly, and Star Wars watchers the world over are introduced to Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of the greatest Jedi that ever lived.

By the time he and Luke made it to Mos Eisley, I regarded him as "the wise old mentor" who would lead Luke to his destiny. Great. Fine. I have always liked the notion of wise old mentors, but I didn't think of him as much else.

Then, two drunken cantina goers decided to get rough with him, and old Obi-Wan slices them both up effortlessly, gracefully wielding a shimmering lightsabre, like a beacon of purity amid a sea of corruption. My respect for him increased at that moment, and from then on, he was extremely cool.

He gave his life so that he could "become more powerful than [Vader] could possibly imagine" and for the rest of Episode IV as well as V and VI he became to me once again the wise old mentor, sans body. It was fitting that the first Jedi the audiences should meet would be old and dependent on others to finish the job he started.

Obi-Wan set the standard for the audience's perception of all the other Jedi, but he also showed us that, for all their vast power, the Jedi still succumb to one universal foe: time. He was old, and he was the first one to admit it, and I respected the character a lot for that reason alone.

Still, because of his brief but important role in SW:ANH and his cameos in ESB and ROJ, I regarded him as a secondary character; the mentor who had to die in what has now become a typical and greatly overused plot device, where the mentor always dies so the hero can face his destiny alone. Obi-Wan was still down there on my list of my favorite characters.

Then, in a virtually deserted movie theatre in the company of four of my best buddies, I beheld the 'Star War: Episode One - the Phantom Menace' teaser trailer and amidst dazzling special effects and John Williams's unforgettable score blasting over the sound system, I witnessed, for the first time, a new Obi-Wan Kenobi. An Obi-Wan Kenobi that was so much the same as the old one it could spark nostalgia in any seer of the original trilogy, and so very different it would draw double takes from virtually every fan the world over...

A young Obi-Wan Kenobi standing braced and battle-ready against an unseen enemy, eyes furrowed in grim determination, braid in hair, cloak ever-present, spinning a shimmering blue lightsabre, the gentle roar of the ancient weapon mixing beautifully with the escalating crescendo of the musical score.

"Wow..." I thought "That's Obi-Wan?!" Indeed it is, and for the upcoming three films, he will face armies of battle droids, sinister evil-doers, and the beckoning of his own dark side without ever uttering the phrase "I'm getting too old for this."

In an instant, Obi-Wan Kenobi went up another notch on my character list. About 40 seconds later, he went up another notch, when warning his mentor, Qui-Gon Jinn "The boy is dangerous... they all sense it. Why can't you?"

He was referring, of course, to Anakin Skywalker, who, forty-some years later, would strike him down in a rage as Vader. That single phrase revealed so much about young Obi-Wan: an extraordinary perception about Anakin, a lingering fear about Anakin's potential, the wisdom to interpret what he sensed into what he knew to be true, and the courage to confront and even contradict his master. My respect for him has grown all the greater with this.

A big part of my appreciation for young Obi-Wan and, I believe, what will be a lasting appreciation for audiences, is Obi-Wan's portrayal by Ewan McGregor, an actor that has already showed great talent and diversity by playing everything from a fly-by-night seventies rock star to an unrepentant heroin addict. I've seen in interviews that he is as giddy about the new movies as, well, we here at DFFQI are, and really values the character he's playing, and sees the importance of getting it right.

This is enough to shove Obi-Wan up another notch in my book, past Luke Skywalker, Jabba the Hutt, and Lando Calrissian, up to the Han Solo - Darth Vader level. The true test, of course, will be May 21st when we shall all behold the true outcome of what the trailer and Mr. George Lucas have only hinted at: Obi-Wan Kenobi, in the prime of his life, clothed in new flesh with new missions and new fights, while still retaining his timeless grace and abilities. An old character. A new hero.

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J. Paige
2.2.1999