To many Star Wars fans, Obi-Wan Kenobi signifies an undying devotion to the light side of the Force, a powerhouse of competence and strength that stands tall against the unrelenting tide of darkness. To his true fans, however, the experienced Jedi Master and Clone Wars veteran is an embodiment of sass and epic one-liners and a person who is singlehandedly saving the Jedi from drowning in a sea of self-importance.
Whether it’s in the main Skywalker Saga movies or spinoffs like Dave Filoni’s animated shows, you can always count on Obi-Wan to have the best words for any situation. Need to berate your Padawan for his disobedience? Well, do it in style as Obi-Wan does. Want to motivate the story’s main protagonist so much that he has no choice but to save the day? It takes only six words. Yes, only six. How about explaining the most complicated aspect of Star Wars lore in such a succinct and profound way that no writer even attempts to improve on it in four decades?
Obi-Wan has got all of that covered. The Jedi Master is a well of wisdom, a champion of humor, and the ultimate mentor figure in cinema. In this article, we’ve decided to rank some of his best dialogue from the Star Wars movies to his solo Disney Plus outing, in doing so, reminding you of why he is the most beloved figure in the franchise’s history.
10. “Another happy landing.” — Revenge of the Sith (2005)
You might be wondering why I decided to start this list with what is essentially a meme line from Revenge of the Sith, but perhaps that’s precisely why it should be so. Star Wars don’t just love Obi-Wan because he’s a badass with a laser sword. There are loads of badass people with laser swords in Star Wars. What makes Kenobi unique, in a sense, is his ability to always see the silver lining and use a humorous sentence to make light of a life-and-death situation.
Our guy is essentially crashlanding a Separatist mothership amidst a raging starfighter battle with the leader of the democratic world (well, technically) onboard and acts as if this is just another Tuesday for him. If that isn’t the definition of cool, I don’t know what is.
9. “Why do I get the feeling that you’re going to be the death of me?” — Attack of the Clones (2002)
Talk about divination and self-prophesying. This is a line Obi-Wan speaks to Anakin as they’re racing to catch up with the assassin who tried to take Padme’s life. It’s ironic given that Anakin not only brought about Obi-Wan’s final death in A New Hope but the death of everything he held dear.
I’m sure that Master Yoda would tell us that there isn’t such a thing as coincidence when the Force is involved, so perhaps some part of Obi-Wan knew, even as he spoke, that those words would turn out to be true. It’s just like Anakin’s premonition when saving the Chancellor in Episode III. He tells Palpatine that Obi-Wan’s fate will be “the same as ours,” and when you think about it, all three died on the Death Star.
8. “Chancellor Palpatine, Sith Lords are our specialty.” — Revenge of the Sith (2005)
There’s something compelling, epic, and chill-inducing about Obi-Wan Kenobi casually referring to the Jedi as professional Sith Lord-killing machines. Well, maybe he doesn’t exactly mean it like that, but the implication is close enough.
A huge motif of the prequel trilogy is the Jedi’s folly, how the Order has fallen from grace and lost itself in a fog of ambiguous moral dilemmas and other unproductive thought circles. But with this line, we know that at least some of them remember their mission and know that all of their training isn’t just to help them police the galaxy and be the heralds of “peace and justice,” but to fight the dark side practitioners when the time comes. If only more people in the Order thought like Obi-Wan did.
7. “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 and binds the galaxy together.” — A New Hope (1977)‘
George Lucas has occasionally written himself into a corner when talking about the Force and what it really is on a fundamental level. Even barring the incredibly controversial Midi-chlorins, which he introduced in A Phantom Menace, there hasn’t really been a memorable exposition moment for the Force. Sure, it’s supposed to be mysterious, and part of the fun is in the puzzle of it all, but we should still have some basic understanding of what it inherently is, right?
Well, look no further than the description old Ben Kenobi provides Luke in A New Hope. When talking about his father and the Jedi of old, Obi-Wan describes the Force simply as an “energy field” that surrounds all living beings and “binds the galaxy together.” Those words have become a historic part of Star Wars now, but even besides the nostalgic value, they still offer the best explanation of the Force to date.
6. “Use the Force, Luke. Let go!” — A New Hope (1977)
Star Wars is always asking its protagonist to trust in the Force to see them out of a tight spot, usually in an ominous way that doesn’t signify anything on the meta-level. The only real exception is in A New Hope, where Obi-Wan urges Luke to let go of his doubts and fears and just trust in the Force to guide his aim. Our protagonist does precisely that and manages to destroy the Death Star without even using the X-Wing’s computer system.
Up to that point, we’d only seen theatrics and gimmicks from the Force, but that moment not only establishes Luke Skywalker as our definitive hero but also gives audiences a perfect glimpse into how powerful the Force can really be.
5. “If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine” — A New Hope (1977)
By now, you must have realized that many of our picks are from Alec Guinness’s immortal performance as Ben Kenobi in A New Hope. It makes sense, too, as Obi-Wan turned into the ultimate mentor figure in that movie. With great wisdom comes excellent quotes, and Old Ben certainly rode that to its fullest thanks to Lucas’s script.
Kenobi’s final words to Darth Vader perfectly illustrate his importance as a light side figure. This is not Ben taunting his old apprentice about his failings or saying that he can never be as powerful as him, but Obi-Wan giving Anakin one final lesson; that the most significant power a Force-sensitive individual can attain is to become one with the Force.
4. “I will do what I must.” — Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
This line from the Obi-Wan Kenobi series perfectly captures what makes him such a compelling character in the first place. Obi-Wan always does his duty, no questions asked. If the Force wills it that he should fight his Padawan and brother, then that’s what Obi-Wan is going to do.
At the beginning of that epic duel in Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan comes to the conclusion that he can’t redeem Anakin, so he says, “I will do what I must.” In the Disney Plus finale, he once again realizes that their clash is inevitable. That acceptance, combined with the confidence that the tragic Jedi Master has just regained, turns the scene into one of the biggest highlights of Obi-Wan’s journey in Star Wars.
3. “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. You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you.” — Revenge of the Sith (2005)
The disappointment and pain that Star Wars fans feel after Anakin’s betrayal all come to a crescendo after Obi-Wan dismembers him on the molten slopes of Mustafar. The Jedi Master lets it all out, his voice becoming one with the viewers, and accuses his Padawan of ruining everything they’d worked so hard to achieve.
This is also a testament to Obi-Wan’s own pain. While many consider Anakin to be the most tragic character in Star Wars, I think his pain ultimately pales in comparison to Kenobi’s, which takes us to the following quote on this list.
2. “You can kill me, but you will never destroy me. It takes strength to resist the dark side. Only the weak embrace it.” — Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2010)
Obi-Wan’s resilience against the dark side is one of the most empowering themes in all of Star Wars. This is a man who lost his mentor and friend, forsook the love of his life, saw that woman die in his arms, lost his Order and purpose, and lastly, fought his own brother and killed him.
When Darth Maul returns and confronts Kenobi in The Clone Wars, he tempts the Jedi Master to join the dark side, claiming that “it’s powerful than you know,” but Obi-Wan’s response to that gibe is the perfect summary of his character. “You can kill me,” he proclaims. “But you will never destroy me. It takes strength to resist the dark side. Only the weak embrace it.”
1. “Hello there.” — Different media and spinoffs
As must be apparent to everyone by now, Obi-Wan has a lot of great quotes in Star Wars, but none of those are as iconic as “hello there” — a catchphrase that Ewan McGregor and Alec Guinness share in their portrayals. “Hello there” isn’t a simple line of dialogue; it’s a universe within a universe. I’d even go so far as to suggest that it has a fandom of its own.
There are only two real ways to recognize a Star Wars fan for sure; either a very knowing grin when you tell them, “May the Force be with you,” or a prompt “General Kenobi!” response to your “Hello there.” And yes, it happens every time. As the Grand Inquisitor would say, the litany is like an itch, and they can’t help it.