How much do you really know about Obi-Wan Kenobi?
Aside from the likes of Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan is one of the most instantly recognizable faces in the Star Wars universe. Master to both Anakin and Luke Skywalker, he has overseen the training of two of the most influential Jedi around.
With Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney Plus giving us a window into what Obi-Wan got up to during his exile on Tatooine between the first two Star Wars trilogies, we took a look back at the Jedi Master's life and charted the major events he was tangled up in throughout the Star Wars movie saga. Plus, we've also included what happened during the Disney Plus series now that it's coming to an end.
Training under Qui-Gon Jinn
Born on the planet Stewjon, the Force-sensitive youngling Obi-Wan Kenobi was quickly inducted into the Jedi Order for training and was made a Padawan under Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Jinn.
During The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan accompanied his Master to rescue Queen Padmé Amidala from the Trade Federation on Naboo. During their escape from the planet, Padmé's ship is damaged, forcing them to land on Tatooine to conduct repairs.
Obi-Wan remains behind on the ship while his Master goes out to look for parts. On Tatooine, Qui-Gon finds Anakin Skywalker and sends data from Anakin's blood sample to Obi-Wan, who analyses it; he finds that Anakin's midi-chlorian count is the highest known count from this sample. Qui-Gon is later attacked by Darth Maul as they are attempting to escape Tatooine.
Obi-Wan accompanied his Master to meet with the Jedi Council, where Qui-Gon Jinn pushed them to allow Obi-Wan to take the Jedi trials to become a Jedi Knight so that he could begin training Anakin.
During the Battle of Naboo, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were confronted by Maul once again. This time, Obi-Wan was separated from his Master and was forced to watch in horror as Qui-Gon was impaled by the Sith Lord. Out of rage, Obi-Wan overpowers and defeats Darth Maul before promising to train Skywalker to his dying Master.
Becoming Anakin's Master
During the events of Attack of the Clones, Obi-Wan is dispatched by the Council to guard now-Senator Padmé Amidala by Chancellor Palpatine after an assassination attempt. That same night, Kenobi tracked down bounty hunter Zam Wessell after they attempted to poison the senator, but Zam is killed before she could tell Obi-Wan who hired her.
Obi-Wan and Anakin are then split up; Anakin remains by Padmé's side as Obi-Wan continues to look into Padmé's attackers. His research leads him to Kamino, where Obi-Wan discovers the assembled Clone Army.
On Kamino, Obi-Wan questions bounty hunter Jango Fett about any potential visits to Coruscant. When Jango tries to escape with his son, Boba, in his ship, Obi-Wan intervenes. During their brawl, Jango gains the upper hand and seemingly knocks Obi-Wan into the sea, but the Jedi Knight manages to cling onto the structure and attaches a homing beacon to the ship before Jango escapes.
Obi-Wan pursues Fett to Geonosis to continue the search. There, the Jedi Knight discovers Count Dooku was behind the attempts on Padmé's life. After revealing his findings to the Jedi Council, Obi-Wan is captured by droids.
Dooku visits Obi-Wan in his cell and asks him to help him put a stop to Darth Sidious' plans, who he implies controls much of the Galactic Senate, but he refuses. Anakin and Padmé go to rescue Obi-Wan but get caught by Jango Fett and sentenced to death. Luckily, Yoda, Mace Windu and some clone troopers rescue them. Dooku escapes and the conflict kickstarts the Clone Wars, in which Obi-Wan plays a significant part as a Jedi General.
Anakin's betrayal
By the events of Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan and Anakin are dispatched to rescue Chancellor Palpatine from General Grievous, whom Obi-Wan had clashed with numerous times throughout the Clone Wars. They locate Palpatine and then duel Count Dooku together for the final time. During their duel, Obi-Wan is knocked out and Palpatine successfully convinces Anakin to execute Dooku. Palpatine later elects Anakin as his personal protector.
Obi-Wan is dispatched to Utapau to confront General Grievous. This proves to be their final duel, as Obi-Wan finally defeats the infamous Jedi hunter.
Meanwhile, Palpatine finally corrupts Anakin and chooses him as his next Sith apprentice. He then executes Order 66 and dispatches Darth Vader to Mustafar to eradicate the remaining Separatist leaders in order to secure his throne as the new Galactic Emperor.
Although countless Jedi are lost as the clones turn on them, Obi-Wan manages to survive the chaos of Order 66. He returns to Coruscant with Yoda — who also survived Palpatine's scheme — and learn what happened to Obi-Wan's former apprentice.
After discovering Anakin's corruption, Obi-Wan seeks out Padmé to find out where Vader (nee Anakin) has gone, telling her what's happened. He then stows away on her ship when she travels to Mustafar to seek out her husband.
After Vader nearly Force chokes Padmé to death, Obi-Wan engages him in a fierce duel across the planet. Eventually, Obi-Wan outmaneuvers his former apprentice (he had the high ground) and leaves him to burn up in lava. He then works with Yoda to conceal Anakin and Padmé's twins, Luke and Leia, from the Sith.
Obi-Wan's final act before the events of the original trilogy is to willingly enter exile on Tatooine in order to watch over Luke Skywalker at the Lars family home.
Life as Ben Kenobi
By the events of Obi-Wan Kenobi, the hero has adopted a new identity as Ben Kenobi and has been keeping watch over Luke Skywalker on Tatooine for a full decade; Obi-Wan is keen for Luke to receive Jedi training, but his adoptive father Owen Lars is determined to keep Obi-Wan away from him.
Members of the Inquisitorius— a team of elite agents who are dispatched to hunt rogue Jedi who survived Order 66— arrive on Tatooine, on the trail of a rogue Jedi known as Nari. Nari seeks Obi-Wan out to ask for his assistance, but Obi-Wan refuses to help and the Inquisitors eventually catch and execute him.
Following Nari's death, Bail Organa enlists Obi-Wan to rescue Princess Leia from a gang of bounty hunters. Unwillingly, the Jedi heads to Daiyu on her trail. He rescues the girl, but not before crossing paths with the Third Sister of the Inquisitorius, Reva Sevander, who is determined to hand Obi-Wan over to Darth Vader.
As Obi-Wan and Leia attempt to leave the planet, Reva reveals that Vader survived his duel with Obi-Wan on Mustafar and that he seeks his revenge on his former Master.
Obi-Wan flees to Mapuzo with Leia. There, he finds Tala Durith, an Imperial officer who secretly helps rogue Force-sensitives evade the Empire by following "The Path". Whilst trying to escape the planet, Obi-Wan senses the arrival of Darth Vader; he sends Leia with Tala, and goes to confront his former Padawan.
Vader brutally overpowers Obi-Wan and begins torturing him in flames, but Tala steps in to rescue him; meanwhile, Reva locates and captures Leia once again. This prompts Obi-Wan to launch a covert rescue mission to the Fortress Inquisitorius on Nur, where he sneaks aboard the fortress and rescues the young Princess before Reva can begin torturing her for information on Obi-Wan's whereabouts or information about The Path.
The trio successfully escapes the fortress, but not before Reva places a tracker on Leia's personal droid. They return to Mapuzo, where they are greeted by Tala's allies and a number of survivors who are anxious to get off-world as soon as possible.
Imperial forces mass on the hangar, forcing Obi-Wan and his new friends to prepare for an assault on the building. During the process, he receives a message from Bail, who says he's heading to Tatooine to help Owen Lars protect Luke.
To buy everyone extra time to prepare for the attack, Obi-Wan goes to negotiate with Reva personally; here, he learns that Reva secretly wants to kill Vader, as she was a youngling who survived Anakin's attack on the Jedi Temple.
Obi-Wan tries to convince her to team up, but she refuses and launches a full-scale assault on the facility. To prevent further bloodshed, Obi-Wan surrenders himself as bait for Vader, telling Reva that she could kill Vader when he arrived to capture his former Master.
His plan works, and the survivors narrowly manage to flee Vader's grasp once again. They're heading back to Tatooine, but the Imperial forces are on their tail. How will the series come to a close?
The original trilogy
When Luke is searching for R2-D2, Obi-Wan steps in to save Luke and C-3PO from Tusken Raiders and the lost R2-D2 plays the infamous "Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope" recording. This prompts "Ben" to reveal his true identity and the ways of the Jedi to Luke, and the two begin training together.
Obi-Wan tells Luke that Darth Vader was responsible for the death of his father and begins training him after Luke's family is murdered by stormtroopers. Obi-Wan and Luke bargain with Han Solo to gain passage to Alderaan aboard the Millennium Falcon, but they discover the planet has been destroyed by the Empire.
The Falcon then gets trapped in the Death Star's tractor beam after they encounter a TIE Fighter. Obi-Wan manages to disable the beam but is confronted by Darth Vader. As Luke looks on, Obi-Wan allows Vader to strike him down during the duel and disappears, becoming one with the Force.
Throughout the rest of the original trilogy, he manifests as Luke's guide. Thanks to his encouragement, Skywalker manages to destroy the first Death Star. In The Empire Strikes Back, he directs Luke to Dagobah to train under Master Yoda and he appears in Return of the Jedi where he encourages Luke to finally defeat his own father. He also returns alongside the Force ghosts of Yoda and the now-redeemed Anakin Skywalker at the celebration following the Empire's defeat.
Although he's become one with the Force, Kenobi's voice can also be heard at multiple points in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, offering words of encouragement to Rey (Daisy Ridley) to push her to undergo her journey towards becoming a Jedi.
