The story of Obi-Wan Kenobi is almost as important as that of the Skywalker family in Star Wars – one that will thankfully be continuing in its own Disney Plus series. First, as the master of Anakin Skywalker (played by Ewan McGregor in the prequels), and then the mentor of young Luke (played by Sir Alec Guinness in the original trilogy), Kenobi’s played an integral role in the long-lasting saga.
Now, one fan theory suggests that Obi-Wan may not only be one of the most important Jedis to ever walk the face of the galaxy, but one of the strongest, too.
Posting to the Star Wars r/FanTheories subreddit, user WesSkywalker explains that there is evidence in each one of the six episodes the character appears in that proves Kenobi was the strongest force user of the bunch.
We’ve gone ahead and broken down the arguments for you below and here are the events of the prequels to start you off:
- Episode I: The Phantom Menace – Obi-Wan is able to kill Darth Maul just moments after the Sith apprentice slays his master, Qui-Gon Jinn. In doing so, the young Jedi proves that he can suppress his emotions enough to avoid taking “a dark turn.”
- Episode II: Attack of the Clones – Foreseeing the troubles that would push his apprentice closer than ever to the Dark Side, Obi-Wan was the only Jedi who sensed that Anakin (Hayden Christensen) wasn’t ready for the mission to protect Padme. Kenobi also pulls off his first “mind trick,” something that, the user points out, he never fails in completing.
- Episode III: Revenge of the Sith – Though Yoda tells Kenobi that he’s not powerful enough to face the Emperor towards the end of the film, the characteristics of Order 66, which involved isolating Obi-Wan from Coruscant, indicate that “the Emperor knew Kenobi was more powerful than Yoda.” Palpatine also sent the largest Clone Battalion (the 212th) to Utapau to take down the Master, which still didn’t work.
And now, here’s a rundown of the Original Trilogy, where, to reiterate, the character is played by Sir Alec Guinness:
- Episode IV: A New Hope – Obi-Wan is the first Jedi to fully achieve immortality (whereas Qui-Gon was only able to partially discover this), sacrificing himself for the effort of the Rebellion. He becomes, in the iconic line, “more powerful than [Vader] could possibly imagine.”
- Episode V and Episode VI – As a Force Ghost, Kenobi keeps Luke’s hope alive several times when it almost seems lost. First, he sends young Skywalker to seek out training from Yoda, and the second time, he tells Luke that his sister, Leia, will make a great leader for the Rebellion.
This will surely spark some debate amongst you Star Wars fanatics out there, but tell us, do you think this theory rings true? Is Obi-Wan Kenobi the strongest Jedi to ever exist? Be sure to drop your opinion in the comments section down below.
