Obi-Wan Kenobi

Obi-Wan Kenobi () is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He was introduced in the original Star Wars film (1977) and its novelization (1976). In Star Wars and its two sequels, Obi-Wan is depicted as a Jedi Master who trains Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Force. In the prequel trilogy, he mentors Luke's father, Anakin Skywalker. Obi-Wan is portrayed by Alec Guinness in the original trilogy and by Ewan McGregor in the prequel films. McGregor also plays the character in the television series Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022). Guinness's performance in Star Wars earned him the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor, as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Creation and development

George Lucas, who wrote and directed the original Star Wars film, created Obi-Wan Kenobi as a mentor for Luke. Lucas originally planned for Obi-Wan to continue training Luke in The Empire Strikes Back (1980), the first sequel to Star Wars. Although Obi-Wan's death was not in the final version of the Star Wars script, Lucas decided during filming that Obi-Wan should die. Alec Guinness said he begged Lucas to kill off his character because he hated Obi-Wan's dialogue. Lucas, however, claimed he added Obi-Wan's death because the character served no purpose after his duel with Vader. Lucas later reflected: "It would be much more powerful, satisfying and interesting if Darth Vader were to kill him and he were to go on to a different form."

When outlining The Empire Strikes Back, Lucas decided he wanted Obi-Wan to return as a spirit to continue training Luke. Partly due to Guinness's failing health, Lucas realized that he would also need another mentor character. This new mentor would eventually take the form of Yoda.