A
dedicated and legendary Jedi
Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi has had a long and tumultuous
career that has helped shape the fate of an entire
galaxy. When he was 25 standard years old, he was caught
up in the important events of the Battle of Naboo.
At the time he was a Padawan learner, apprenticed to
Jedi Master Qui-Gon
Jinn.
At the behest of Supreme
Chancellor Valorum, Obi-Wan and his master secretly
voyaged to Naboo to negotiate a peaceful settlement to
the tense Trade
Federation blockade of the planet. Aboard a Trade
Federation vessel, the scheming Neimoidians
sprung a trap on the Jedi, and attempted to kill them.
Kenobi and his master escaped and stowed away on Trade
Federation invasion craft landing on Naboo's surface.
Following his master, Obi-Wan voyaged from Naboo to
Coruscant
and back during the intrigue that surrounded the Battle
of Naboo. When Qui-Gon Jinn brought a freed young slave
boy, Anakin
Skywalker, before the Jedi Council, Obi-Wan was taken
aback. Qui-Gon claimed that Anakin was the Chosen One of
an ancient Jedi prophecy, and that he was to be Jinn's
new Padawan learner, replacing Obi-Wan. The council
refused Jinn's proposal to train the boy.
This was just one of many disagreements that Obi-Wan
Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn had during their time together.
Jinn, a proponent of the living Force over the more
serene unifying Force, had long been a maverick in the
eyes of the Jedi Council. Obi-Wan implored his master
not to go against the Council, but Qui-Gon always
responded by saying that he must do as the will of the
Force advises.
During the liberation of Naboo, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan
were challenged by a deadly Sith
Lord. A forgotten menace, the Sith had returned after
centuries of seeming extinction. For the first time in
ages, Jedi and Sith dueled. The dark warrior, Darth
Maul, used his incredible speed, rage and his double-ended
lightsaber to fend off both Jedi. As the duel
progressed, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon became separated. He
watched helplessly as Maul killed Qui-Gon, and rushed to
kill the Sith Lord in turn.
Qui-Gon's dying words were a request for Obi-Wan to
train Anakin, despite the Council's objections. The
Council ultimately agreed with Obi-Wan taking Anakin as
a Padawan -- though Jedi Master Yoda
had strong reservations about it. The Council also
bestowed upon Obi-Wan the title and rank of Jedi Knight.
For over a decade Obi-Wan guided young Anakin on the
path to Jedi Knighthood. Having to rein in an
adventure-seeking youth made Obi-Wan wise -- and cynical
-- beyond his years. True to his role, Obi-Wan
recognized both Anakin's strengths and weaknesses, and
he tried to impart his lessons with the patience and
understanding that his mentor, Qui-Gon, did.
As Anakin progressed, Obi-Wan grew increasingly
concerned that the young Padawan's raw power had
fostered a dangerous arrogance. He frequently expressed
these reservations to the senior members of the Jedi
Council, but they continued to trust in Kenobi's
mentorship.
After returning from a border dispute on the world of
Ansion, Obi-Wan and Anakin were called by the Supreme
Chancellor to protect the life of Senator Padme
Amidala. Though Obi-Wan carried a
less-than-favorable impression of politics, he
nonetheless took the assignment very seriously. A failed
assassination attempt left Obi-Wan with a valuable clue
-- an exotic weapon not recognized by the droids of the
Jedi
Temple.
As Anakin voyaged off-world on his first mission,
escorting and protecting Padmé Amidala on her home
planet of Naboo, Obi-Wan continued the investigation. He
journeyed to Coruscant's Coco Town, a shabby stretch of
city where an old friend, Dexter
Jettster, lived and worked. Dex, the proprietor of a
simple diner, was a wealth of knowledge, and was able to
identify the weapon as a Kamino
saberdart.
In searching out Kamino,
Obi-Wan discovered a dangerous and disturbing mystery.
The vaunted Jedi
Archives, perhaps the largest repository of lore in
the galaxy, had no record of the planet that Dex
described. Conferring with Yoda, Obi-Wan learned that
Kamino had been erased from the archives.
Aboard a Jedi
starfighter, Kenobi journeyed to the storm-shrouded
world of Kamino. There, he made contact with the Prime
Minister, Lama
Su, and the mystery surrounding the planet became
even more tangled. As explained by the Kaminoans,
Obi-Wan was expected. A decade previous, the Kaminoans
had begun crafting an immense clone army on the behalf
of the Jedi for use by the Republic. Jedi Master
Sifo-Dyas, believed dead at the time, had apparently
commissioned the army.
The courteous Kaminoans gave Kenobi a tour of their
cloning
facility in Tipoca
City. Obi-Wan saw hundreds of identical clone
troopers, training and preparing, encased in modern,
white armor. This seemed to have nothing to do with the
assassination attempt on Amidala, until Kenobi met with
the original genetic template for the clones.
Jango
Fett, notorious bounty hunter, had called Kamino
home for a decade. Obi-Wan, never breaking his cover
story of inspecting the clones, had a brief yet tense
conversation with the hunter. Kenobi recognized the
man's armor from the assassination attempts on
Coruscant, and was tasked by the Jedi Council to take
Fett into custody for questioning.
This resulted in a fierce brawl between Kenobi and
Fett. Jango Fett's weapon-covered suit aided him in
landing blows on the Jedi, and the bounty hunter also
benefited from cover fire by his young son, Boba.
Ultimately, Jango escaped aboard his starship, Slave
I, but not before Kenobi was able to secure a
homing device to his ship.
Kenobi shadowed Jango to the ringed world of Geonosis
before he was discovered pursuing Slave I. A
dangerous chase ensued through the rocky rings of the
red planet, and Kenobi's starfighter sustained light
damage from a blistering hail of laser fire. Fett again
thought he lost his pursuer and proceeded to land, but
Kenobi continued his chase.
Obi-Wan secretly landed on Geonosis, and snuck into
one of its massive spire-complexes. Inside, he found a
gathering of Separatist minds, including the leader of
the movement, Count
Dooku. He learned that Dooku was gathering the heads
of the commerce guilds and pooling their military
resources, making one huge army to challenge the
Republic. Kenobi returned to his ship to make contact
with the Jedi Council. He warned of the impending
Separatist action, but his communication was cut short
when he was taken captive.
Held in a Geonosian
dungeon, Kenobi was approached by Dooku. The charismatic
renegade Jedi spoke fondly of Kenobi's old mentor,
Qui-Gon Jinn, who had once been Dooku's apprentice.
Dooku seemed to genuinely regret that events had
escalated to their current level. His disillusionment
with the Republic seemed sincere. Dooku even revealed to
Kenobi that the Senate was under the control of the Dark
Lord of the Sith, Darth
Sidious. Kenobi refused to believe the words of the
elder Jedi, and refused, too, an invitation to join
Dooku in battle against the Sith.
As per Geonosian custom, Kenobi was sentenced to be
executed. Joining him were Anakin and Padme, who had
journeyed to Geonosis in a vain rescue effort. The trio
was chained to pillars in a massive Geonosian
execution arena, and three horrible beasts were
unleashed upon them. The Jedi and Padme, however, proved
difficult to kill. Unarmed and shackled, they were
resourceful enough to escape certain death. Kenobi
escaped the deadly cutting swipes of a vicious acklay
creature long enough for Jedi reinforcements to arrive.
A hundred Jedi Knights infiltrated the arena, and the
Separatists
countered by unleashing many more battle
droids into combat. Jedi fell by the dozen, but
Obi-Wan fought valiantly and survived. This was but a
prelude to the start of the Clone Wars, as the newly
formed Republic military stormed Geonosis.
Dooku attempted to escape the battle, but Obi-Wan and
Anakin gave chase. They caught up with the old Jedi in a
hidden hangar. Though Obi-Wan instructed Anakin to join
him in a coordinated attack against Dooku, the
headstrong Padawan rushed in only to be incapacitated by
Dooku's surprising dark side attack.
Kenobi moved in for the attack, but Dooku proved far
too powerful. The rogue Jedi's lightsaber
skills outpaced Kenobi's parries, and Obi-Wan fell to
the ground, wounded in the arm and leg from glancing
saber strikes. As Dooku was about to administer the
death blow, Anakin leaped forward and saved his master.
Skywalker and Dooku dueled, but again the Count proved
his superiority. Anakin was maimed and collapsed in an
exhausted heap, joining his helpless master.
Finally, Jedi Master Yoda arrived and attempted to
stop Dooku. Though Yoda's withering lightsaber attack
nearly stopped the evil Jedi, Dooku was able to distract
the diminutive master by endangering Obi-Wan and Anakin
with a fallen pillar torn free by the Force. Yoda used
his telekinetic abilities to stop the pillar before it
crushed the two younger Jedi, and Dooku was able to
escape.
Kenobi healed, and was able to reflect upon the
immense changes in the galaxy that had occurred. He
conceded that the Jedi had needed the clone army,
otherwise the Separatists clearly would have won at
Geonosis. Yoda sadly noted that the victory on Geonosis
was in fact no victory at all. It was only the start of
the darkest times ever to be faced by the galaxy.
As a General in the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi served
the Senate and the Republic heroically, on numerous
historic battlefronts. Despite his misgivings, he became
a seasoned starfighter pilot, learning several tricks
from his unorthodox Padawan as the duo blazed a trail of
victory through Separatists lines.
The exploits of Skywalker and Kenobi became legendary
throughout the Republic. While Anakin was elevated as
the "Hero Without Fear" for his daring heroics,
Obi-Wan's more measured tactics earned him the
reputation as "the Negotiator." Many times Kenobi was
able to cease hostilities without the raising of a
single blaster.
When diplomacy failed and it did come to violence, the
General was ready. Kenobi had the control of a complete
army of clone troopers and the latest military hardware.
His most trusted clone soldier, Commander 2224 -- also
known as Cody -- served him well during close calls on
Cato Neimoidia and elsewhere.
During the Clone Wars,
Kenobi ascended to the rank of Jedi Master, and he
occupied a position in the Jedi Council. He was able to
contribute to the highest levels of Jedi strategy, and
such a vaunted position allowed him to witness the
strain between the Jedi order and the Office of the
Chancellor firsthand.
Whatever reservations Kenobi had about Palpatine
had to be discarded when the Jedi undertook the
important mission to rescue the Chancellor from the
clutches of General
Grievous. The cyborg general of the droid army led a
bold strike against Coruscant, and managed to abduct the
Chancellor. Obi-Wan and Anakin came racing into the
battle aboard their Jedi starfighters.
High above Coruscant, an enormous battle raged, as
capital ships from the Republic tangled with the
escaping forces of the Confederacy. Weaving through the
chaos were Obi-Wan and Anakin, backed by Squad 7 of the
clone starfighter forces. An attack by a swarm of buzz
droids did little to change Obi-Wan's attitude about
piloting -- the tiny mechanical vandals stripped his
ship in mid-flight, leaving him to land hard in the
hangar bay of General
Grievous' flagship.
Aboard the starship, Anakin and Obi-Wan cut their way
through droid forces as they raced to free the
Chancellor. It was certainly a trap, but the Jedi had no
shortage of confidence in their abilities, as indicated
by Obi-Wan's strategy: "Spring the trap."
They found the Chancellor bound to a chair in the
spacious observation deck of the General's quarters.
Waiting for them was Count Dooku, and unlike the
impulsive and disorganized attack of their last
confrontation with Dooku, Obi-Wan and Anakin challenged
the Sith Lord as a team.
Dooku proved a formidable opponent. He Force-pushed
Obi-Wan with terrible strength, tossing the Jedi Master
like a ragdoll against the wall of the quarters. Kenobi
was knocked unconscious. Out cold, he never saw the
final moments of the duel, where Anakin killed an
unarmed Dooku in cold blood at the Chancellor's goading.
When Kenobi recovered, he woke up in a canted
turbolift shaft, draped over Anakin's shoulder. The Jedi
and the freed Chancellor were not only fighting battle
droids, but also the ship itself as the massive vessel
fell apart around them due to damage suffered from the
prolonged space battle. As they tried to reach the
hangar bay, the three fugitives were captured in an
energy shield, and marched before General Grievous
aboard the ship's bridge.
Obi-Wan and Anakin were able to break their bonds and
overpower their captors. Grievous escaped, leaving the
prisoners on the abandoned bridge as the starship
succumbed to Coruscant's gravity well and began plunging
to the surface of the planet. It was Anakin's piloting
skills that saved the day, landing the wreck of the
starship in an abandoned industrial area.
With the death of Dooku, the Republic could claim a
major victory, yet the Chancellor was not willing to
relinquish any of the power he had attained during the
threat of war. General Grievous still remained at large,
so the state of emergency could not be lifted. The Jedi
Council next focused their attentions on bringing the
cyborg general to justice. That task fell to Kenobi.
But before that, Obi-Wan was given another tough
task; challenging not for its tactical difficulty, but
for the awkward strain it put on his relationship with
Anakin. At the Chancellor's behest, Skywalker was put on
the Jedi Council. Ordinarily, the Council would not
allow the Chancellor to dictate the affairs of the Jedi,
but they accepted Anakin. They refused to grant him the
rank of Master, though, a decision that angered the
powerful young Jedi.
Fueling that anger all the more was the reasoning
behind the Jedi Council's acceptance. Obi-Wan explained
it to Anakin outside of Council sessions, so that it
would remain off official Council records. The Council
wanted Anakin to report on the Chancellor's dealings --
he would in effect be spying on the leader of the
Republic. Anakin was torn; he counted Palpatine and
Obi-Wan among his closest friends, and now both were
asking to spy on the other.
Obi-Wan grew concerned about Anakin's moodiness. He
approached Padme to discuss the troubled man's dilemmas,
to gain any insight into Anakin's stresses.
Unfortunately, his presence and closeness to Padmé would
only fuel Anakin's irrational suspicions that everyone
was conspiring against him.
When clone intelligence reports indicated that
Grievous had fled to Utapau,
Obi-Wan took three battalions to the planet. He flew
ahead of them, to scout out the area by himself before
his troops arrived in force. Landing in a massive
sinkhole city of the Outer Rim planet, Kenobi made
contact with Port Administrator Tion
Medon. The tall Utapaun
revealed that the world had been under Separatist
martial law, and that General Grievous and the
Separatist leadership were on planet, on the Tenth Level
of the sinkhole city.
Kenobi, riding atop a loyal lizard named Boga,
climbed to Tenth Level and found Grievous. He confronted
the droid general, backed by his Republic forces led by
Commander
Cody. The Battle of Utapau commenced, with Obi-Wan
squaring off against Grievous.
The droid general had been trained in lightsaber
combat by Count Dooku. Grievous lacked the finesses of a
master swordsman, and instead used brute and whirlwind
tactics against Kenobi. Grievous' artificial anatomy
allowed him to wield four lightsabers at once, and spin
them like deadly buzzsaws. But, since he could not use
the Force, Kenobi was able to anticipate his blows, and
counter them. Obi-Wan sheared off several of Grievous'
lightsaber hands, and forced the General to flee.
Grievous climbed aboard his waiting wheel
bike and tore off into the alleys and corridors of
the sinkhole city. Kenobi gave pursuit atop Boga,
jumping onto Grievous' vehicle and wrestling him to the
ground. In a knuckle-crunching brawl that followed,
Grievous and Kenobi traded fierce blows on the General's
secret landing platform. Grievous had the advantage of
raw physical strength and an armored body. Kenobi was
nearly bested, but in the course of the brawl, the Jedi
had loosened the plates that protected Grievous' organic
innards.
Snatching Grievous' blaster
pistol, Kenobi fired at the General. The blast
pierced Grievous' pressurized gut sac and burned its way
through his vital organs. The General was dead. The
Clone Wars were over.
But the betrayal of the clone forces had begun.
Unbeknownst to Obi-Wan, back on Coruscant, Palpatine had
put his master plan into motion. The Chancellor enacted
Order 66, a secret command that turned every clone
commander against their Jedi Generals. Absolutely loyal
to the Republic, Cody believed that the Jedi were
conspiring against the Republic. The clones opened fire
on Kenobi. He barely escaped Utapau.
Fleeing the sinkhole planet aboard General
Grievous' starfighter, Kenobi made contact with Bail
Organa and Jedi Master Yoda. The loyalist Senator
reported that the Jedi Temple had been attacked by clone
forces, while Yoda also confirmed that the clones had
turned against the Jedi all over the Republic. The
emergency beacon contained within the Jedi Temple was
calling all the Jedi home. This signal was luring the
scattered Jedi into a trap. Yoda and Obi-Wan realized
that they needed to shut off that signal if the Jedi
order was to be preserved.
Returning to Coruscant, Kenobi and Yoda found the
ruins of the temple. Dead Jedi littered the once
polished corridors. The corpses were burned by blaster
fire, but several exhibited slashes from a lightsaber.
Kenobi realized the terrible truth, a suspicion verified
by holographic records of the attack. Anakin Skywalker
had caused this destruction. He had succumbed to the
dark side. The Chancellor was Darth Sidious, and
Skywalker was his new apprentice, Darth
Vader.
Kenobi rushed to Padme, to tell her this horrific
news and determine Anakin's whereabouts. Padme was
shocked, and though she knew where Skywalker was headed
next, she did not divulge this to Kenobi. She knew that
Kenobi's next mission would be to stop Anakin -- perhaps
even kill him. Protecting the man she loved and the
father of her unborn children, Padme secretly departed
Coruscant to confront Anakin. Kenobi stowed away aboard
her vessel.
Arriving on Mustafar,
Kenobi emerged from Padme's ship as the two lovers
reunited. Padme was distraught by Anakin's
transformation. She pleaded for him to return from the
dark side. When Anakin saw Kenobi aboard her ship, he
snapped. Anakin accused Padme of betraying him, and used
the Force the strangle her. Kenobi witnessed the evil in
Anakin, and attacked his former apprentice.
The lightsaber duel
that followed was the stuff of legends. The two
incredible warriors crossed blades throughout the barren
industrial facility on Mustafar, oblivious to the
volcanic danger surrounding them. The duel spilled over
onto Mustafar's fiery surface, with Kenobi and Vader
clashing atop automated platforms floating on the molten
rivers of lava. The duel returned to solid ground as
Kenobi leapt to the black-sand shores of one of the lava
flows. He had the high ground, the tactical advantage.
He urged Vader not to press on in a fight he could not
win, but the Sith Lord's arrogance got the better of
him.
Anakin leapt towards Kenobi, and Obi-Wan sheered off
his legs and one of his arms in a single swipe. Anakin's
maimed body rolled down the embankment, towards the
river's edge. Obi-Wan was crushed. The supposed Chosen
One was no more, but only after wreaking so much
destruction on the galaxy. The Jedi were gone. The
Chancellor now ruled the galaxy, and the young hero he
had come to regard as his beloved brother lay dying on
the charred gravel of a hellish world. The heat from the
river washed over Anakin, and he burst into flames. His
last words professed his utter hatred for Kenobi.
Kenobi picked up Skywalker's dropped lightsaber and
returned to Padme's starship. She was dying, but the
life of the babies she carried within her still glowed
brightly through the Force. They flew to the nearest
refuge, the asteroid mining colony of Polis Massa. The
alien medics tried to save her life, but it was no use.
She died as she gave birth to twins: Luke and Leia.
Yoda, Bail and Obi-Wan were the only ones who knew of
the children's fate. They recognized that should the
Emperor ever discover that Anakin had offspring, they
would be in danger. Obi-Wan was instrumental in hiding
the children, so that the Dark Lords would not know of
their whereabouts. He took the young boy, Luke, to live
with Owen and Beru
Lars, moisture farmers on Tatooine.
The young girl, Leia, was taken to Viceroy Bail Organa
of Alderaan.
As the Jedi's ranks were wiped out by the
machinations of the emergent Empire, Obi-Wan went into
hiding on Tatooine. He would stay there for decades,
adopting the name of Ben. The locals would refer to him
as a "crazy old hermit," and gave the eccentric old man
a wide berth. During this time, Kenobi spent years
communing with the Force. Through meditation, he made
contact with the spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn. His former
Master had discovered the secret of immortality, a way
of preserving his identity in the netherworld of the
Force. Obi-Wan studied from him, learning this ability.
During the height of the Galactic Civil War, Leia
Organa secured plans to the
Empire's most diabolical weapon -- the Death
Star. Her mission was to contact Obi-Wan Kenobi, and
bring both Kenobi and the plans to her adoptive father
on Alderaan. Captured by the Imperial agents, Leia was
unable to complete either goal. She instead placed the
plans into the memory systems of an R2
unit, and dispatched the droid to Tatooine.
The droid R2-D2
and his companion C-3PO
came into the ownership of Owen
Lars. R2-D2 was adamant in continuing his mission of
getting the plans to Kenobi, and fled the Lars
Homestead. When Luke
Skywalker pursued the little droid, he came face to
face with Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan explained to Luke about his father, though
the Jedi didn't reveal the whole truth to the lad.
Uncertain that Luke would be ready for the burden,
Kenobi explained to him that Anakin Skywalker was an
amazing pilot, a great warrior and a good friend.
Obi-Wan attributed Anakin's death to a rogue pupil of
his, Darth Vader, who betrayed and murdered Anakin.
Since, Kenobi reasoned, Anakin ceased to be upon the
emergence of Vader, what he told Luke was true, from a
certain point of view. Obi-Wan even gave Luke a gift
from his father: Anakin Skywalker's blue-bladed
lightsaber. Thus began Luke's journey into the world of
the Jedi.
Obi-Wan tried to train Luke as much as he could in
their short time together. As testament to the
desperation of these dark times, Kenobi knew full well
that Skywalker would never have been trained in the old
days of the Jedi. He was far too old to begin training.
Nonetheless, Kenobi saw a chance to redeem his fallen
pupil through Luke.
Having taken the mission to rescue Princess
Leia from the Empire, Obi-Wan and Luke hired Han
Solo's Millennium
Falcon as transportation to Alderaan. During the
trip, Kenobi began Luke's lightsaber training. The brief
session was cut short as the Falcon emerged from
hyperspace to find Alderaan destroyed by the Death Star.
The tramp freighter was captured by the Empire and
taken aboard the Death Star. Once aboard, it was
Kenobi's mission to disable the tractor
beam terminal responsible for holding the ship.
Kenobi did so, carefully sneaking through the
labyrinthine corridors of the battle station. Though his
skill in the Force kept his presence a secret from stormtroopers
and Imperial officers, it only served to draw the
attention of Darth Vader.
The Dark Lord confronted Kenobi as the Jedi was
returning to the Falcon. After decades of delay, Vader
finally squared off against his former master. As a
diversionary tactic to help the others escape, Kenobi
sacrificed himself to Vader. The Dark Lord struck the
Jedi down, and Kenobi became one with the Force. He left
behind no body, just empty robes and his own Jedi
weapon.
Kenobi's death strengthened Skywalker's resolve to
serve both the Rebellion
and the Force. At times of great trial, Kenobi's voice
would reach out to Luke, offering counsel. Later, the
spectral form of Kenobi would appear to Luke. The
ghost-like image advised young Skywalker to venture to
Dagobah,
where he could complete his training under the guidance
of Yoda.
Later, Kenobi appeared to Luke and revealed the truth
of his lineage. Though Kenobi felt that the dark side
could only be defeated by bringing about the deaths of
Anakin and the Emperor, Luke strongly believed that his
father still had good in him. Luke set out to turn
Anakin away from the dark side and succeeded, though at
a great price. Anakin suffered grievous wounds in his
final battle, and died having returned to the light. His
spectral form joined that of Kenobi and Yoda during the
Rebel's celebration of the Empire's defeat.