The character is loosely inspired by General Makabe Rokurōta, a character from Akira Kurosawa's film The Hidden Fortress, played by Toshiro Mifune (whom franchise creator George Lucas also considered casting as Obi-Wan). Guinness won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in A New Hope, while McGregor was nominated for the same category 20 years later for his performance in The Phantom Menace. McGregor is set to return as Obi-Wan in a streaming series on Disney+ centered on the character that takes place ten years after Revenge of the Sith and prior to A New Hope, with Hayden Christensen returning as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader alongside McGregor. McGregor's performance as the character in the prequels received praise as well, considered to be among the highlights of the trilogy. Guinness' performance as Obi-Wan in the original Star Wars (1977) earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, the only acting nomination for a Star Wars film.

He is frequently featured as a main character in various other Star Wars media. The character briefly appears in the sequel trilogy as a disembodied voice, speaking to protagonist Rey. In the prequel trilogy, set decades earlier, he is initially a Padawan (apprentice) to Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, and later mentor and friend of Luke's father Anakin, who falls to the dark side of the Force and becomes Vader. After sacrificing himself in a duel against Darth Vader, Obi-Wan guides Luke through the Force in his fight against the Galactic Empire. In the original trilogy, he is a mentor to Luke Skywalker, to whom he introduces the ways of the Jedi. In the later-released prequel trilogy, a younger version of the character serves as one of the two main protagonists, alongside Anakin Skywalker, and is portrayed by Scottish actor Ewan McGregor. Within the original trilogy, Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master as a supporting character and is portrayed by English actor Alec Guinness. Obi-Wan ' Ben' Kenobi ( / ˈ oʊ b iː ˌ w ɑː n k ə ˈ n oʊ b iː/) is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise.

Obi wan kenobi images