Summary
- Obi-Wan Kenobi’s defeat of Darth Maul solidified his status as one of the strongest Jedi.
- Compared to Alec Guinness’ portrayal in A New Hope, Ewan McGregor’s finesse in the prequels confirms Obi-Wan as one of the best lightsaber duelists of his time.
- Although Obi-Wan excels when alone, he tends to struggle in group battles due to his selfless nature, prioritizing the well-being of others over himself.
Obi-Wan Kenobi may very well be the most impeccable Jedi in Star Wars, but he still has one major flaw few people bring up. Ever since he defeated Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, the Jedi Order has seen him as one of their strongest. After all, Darth Maul was one of the first Sith to publicly appear in over a millennium. Up till that point, no Jedi in the prequel era ever expected to see a Sith again, much less fight one. Nevertheless, Obi-Wan managed to defeat Maul multiple times thereafter, proving his merit as a Jedi time and time again.
Alec Guinness’ Obi-Wan may have lost a bit of his edge in A New Hope compared to Ewan McGregor’s finesse in the prequels, but it’s still safe to say Obi-Wan was easily one of the best lightsaber duelists of his time. Yes, Anakin Skywalker was also powerful, but his lust for power ended up making him shortsighted. Obi-Wan, on the other hand, remained steadfast in following the core beliefs of the Jedi. Even when he watched Maul kill his beloved Duchess Satine during The Clone Wars, he refused to give into the allure of the dark side.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Is The Ultimate Jedi
In Matt Stover’s novelization of Revenge of the Sith, the Jedi Council unanimously choose to send Obi-Wan to deal with Grievous because he was the best Jedi. Bits and pieces of this notion can be seen in the movie, as Yoda comments on how a Master with experience will be needed to capture Grievous. Ki-Adi-Mundi then volunteers Obi-Wan, given Obi-Wan’s history of defeating powerful enemies. And while its clear the Council chose Obi-Wan to hunt Grievous because of his skill, there may have been another reason they sent him alone.
Obi-Wan Is The Worst Team Player
Despite Obi-Wan’s impressive skill with a lightsaber, he tends to lose badly when fighting in a team. In The Phantom Menace, he quickly fell behind while fighting against Qui-Gon and Maul. It was only after Qui-Gon was put out of commission that Obi-Wan was able to step up his game and defeat Maul. Similarly, Obi-Wan was quickly tossed aside while fighting Count Dooku Revenge of the Sith, leaving Anakin to pick up where he left off. In short, whenever Obi-Wan is paired up with another Jedi (especially that Jedi is Anakin), the battle doesn’t tend to go in their favor.
Of course, there’s a fantastic reason for Obi-Wan floundering in groups; he’s so selfless as a Jedi that he tends to look out for others when he should be more concerned about himself. When Obi-Wan is on his own, he excels at defeating General Grievous. Or in Star Wars Rebels when Maul comes to Obi-Wan on Tatooine for revenge, Obi-Wan dispatches him with ease. And when Obi-Wan is forced to fight Anakin at the end of Revenge of the Sith, he’s able to stand his ground and take down his friend. In other words, Obi-Wan Kenobi is at his best in Star Wars when he’s alone.
