Hello, there! Obi-Wan Kenobi is hot and we love him. Throughout the now many decades of Star Wars (will it ever end etc.), we have seen the Jedi Master in many forms: old man, snarky Padawan, sassy general, meme extraordinaire, sad boy. In honor of Obi-Wan Kenobi, who has the titular role in Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi, here is a ranking of every iteration of Obi-Wan Kenobi, from films to television shows. There isn’t much rhyme or reason to this ranking other than performance, personality, and, perhaps most importantly, hair.
8. Star Wars Rebels (2014-2018) Obi-Wan
Obi-Wan makes a brief appearance in the animated series Star Wars: Rebels. Obi-Wan Kenobi (voiced to near perfection by Stephen Stanton) is almost exactly as he was originally introduced in the original Star War wars film: an old, wise man and mentor with a white beard living in exile on Tattooine. Basically, he’s animated Alec Guinness. The animation style gives him sharper edges that make Obi-Wan look kind of mean. Still love him, though, but last place is where this Obi-Wan belongs.
7. Return of the Jedi (1983) Obi-Wan (Force Ghost)
At the end of Return of the Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi appears as a Force ghost which is, apparently, different from a normal ghost. Blue and slightly transparent. Force ghosts are nice and a perfect device for emotional moments, but it does not seem like Obi-Wan’s force ghost can do much besides standing in the distance, staring at Luke Skywalker and his friends.
6. The Phantom Menace (1999) Obi-Wan
The Phantom Menace introduced us to Ewan McGregor’s now-iconic Obi-Wan Kenobi. It wasn’t the best of introductions, though. We all went through an awkward phase when we were teens and young adults, and Obi-Wan Kenobi is no exception. As a young Padawan, Obi-Wan had to have the same haircut as everybody else. His face looked good, but the cut wasn’t the right fit. Young Obi-Wan is a little snarky (“the negotiations were short”) and incredibly rude to droids, but he’s defiant to authority and fiercely loyal to his closest allies. Even though Obi-Wan in Phantom Menace is dozens of parsecs away from who he is by A New Hope, McGregor captured Gunniess’ essence without mimicking him. If Obi-Wan had a better haircut, maybe The Phantom Menace wouldn’t be so bad?
5. The Clone Wars (2008-2020) Obi-Wan
Being attracted to a cartoon is wrong when it’s Space Jam’s Lola Bunny, but it’s completely fine when it is Obi-Wan Kenobi in the television series The Clone Wars. The Clone Wars gives an even deeper, quite necessary look into the brotherly bond between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi (voiced by James Arnold Taylor), which enhances the overall story, particularly Obi-Wan’s pain after leaving Anakin for dead. On Clone Wars, Obi-Wan is a little bit arrogant and sometimes straight-up rude but his clever quips – often at the expense of his enemies or Anakin – make him hot. I mean… interesting.
4. Attack of the Clones (2002) Obi-Wan
Obi-Wan in his Jesus era. In Attack of the Clones, Obi-Wan has a glow, as if the sun at golden hour is always in front of him. His hair is softer than Baby Grogu coos, his eyes glisten like the Tatooine moons. But it’s not just Obi-Wan’s hair that has evolved since Phantom Menace. Obi-Wan is a little more likely to listen to authority, but he’s a little sassier.
3. Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022) Obi-Wan
The Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi focuses on a broken and emotional Obi-Wan Kenobi years after his life as he knew it is over. Obi-Wan lives with undiagnosed PTSD in a cave on Tattoine and has grown bitter as a result of the Empire massacring Jedi and taking over the galaxy. The sassy, slightly rebellious Obi-Wan who could make light of any moment is gone. For the first time in his life, he is hesitant to help anyone because the person he tried to help the most, Anakin Skywalker, is the reason all of this happened in the first place. But he helps a young Princess Leia and is basically a rugged daddy now. On Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan Kenobi has slightly disgusting Kendall Roy sad boy energy that is, for some reason, irresistible.
2. Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) Obi-Wan
Sir Alec Guinness is the Obi-Wan Kenobi blueprint. In his performance in Star Wars, which earned him an Oscar nomination (the only Star Wars performance to do so and, honestly, probably the only one that will ever do so) Guinness brought a mysterious edge to the old guy mentor who dies trope that made the character compelling enough to return in so many Star Wars stories. He also looks good doing it.
1. Revenge of the Sith (2005) Obi-Wan
By Revenge of the Sith, Ewan McGregor assimilated into the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi so well that it looks like he is floating in his signature Jedi robes. Years of training the unpredictable and moody Anakin Skywalker as well as fighting in the Clone Wars have turned Obi-Wan Kenobi into a meme king. He’s sassier than ever, but most importantly he has a new haircut that makes his hair look good enough to eat. Revenge of the Sith is McGregor’s best performance as the character because, for the first time, it shows an emotional Obi-Wan. The pain Obi-Wan experiences in Revenge of the Sith completes the character and the Skywalker saga.
