The first time I watched ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ back in… well, way back when it was released in cinemas, while Luke and Leia, Han and Chewie stayed foremost in my mind, I gradually realised I was spending more time quietly thinking on the role Obi-Wan Kenobi had played.

In ‘A New Hope’, his first appearance reminded me of an eccentric old uncle, someone with many interesting stories to tell.

Obi-Wan/Ben Kenobi in ‘A New Hope’ (Alec Guinness)

By the time we get to Mos Eisley, it’s clear he’s more than that, with the way he easily deflects the troopers’ questions.

In the cantina, he slips with ease into another persona, seemingly comfortable dealing with “scum and villainy”.

On the Millennium Falcon, he becomes one who is used to assessing dangerous situations and giving orders, who has obviously dealt with the Empire before.

Yet, it’s clear he’s also a man who cares, who has a big heart, in the way he is with Luke.

I think it was the calm way Kenobi faced his death at the hands of Darth Vader that left me wanting to know more about him.

For that, I had to wait for the prequel trilogy.

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) in ‘The Phantom Menace’

Despite their flaws, I still enjoyed those 3 films, especially in how they gave us more about Kenobi.

Even as he embraced the Force as a Jedi, he wasn’t reticent about questioning aspects of it.

Although he sometimes questioned the actions of his Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, Kenobi remained respectful.

He wasn’t afraid to show his emotions.

I liked how playful, almost mischievous, he could be, not just as a young Padawan, but even after he’d become a Master though those moments would become rare.

We also witnessed his rage in the moment Darth Maul killed Qui-Gon.

One of the aspects of that scene I appreciated was Kenobi having to wait until the energy thingies turned off and he could face Maul – in that pause, we could see him having to hold his mounting energy in check until he burst through and launched his attack.

By the end of that duel, Kenobi had demonstrated not just his fighting abilities, but his mental acuity also.

Into the 2nd and 3rd films of the prequel trilogy, it was obvious he not only cared about Anakin but Padmé too; he knew of their relationship, but never divulged it to anyone.

Into the 2nd half of ‘Revenge of the Sith’, it wasn’t only Anakin’s descent into the Dark Side that was heart-breaking but also Kenobi’s own breaking heart as he witnessed what his ‘brother’ had done in the Temple and, afterwards, as they fought on Mustafar.

Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) in ‘Revenge of the Sith’

The recent series, ‘Kenobi’, while not perfect – after all, what is? – in my opinion, answered the question of how Kenobi got from the young Master he’d been at the end of ‘Revenge of the Sith’ to the ‘old hermit’ who was obviously at peace with himself in ‘A New Hope’.

Having watched the 3rd prequel film before starting the series, we were reminded just how much Kenobi had gone through; the boys know more than me as they’ve watched ‘The Clone Wars’ series, whereas I’ve only watched a handful of episodes but looking forward to watching that in its entirety soon.

In the 10 years between the events of ‘Revenge of the Sith’ and the ‘Kenobi’ series, it’s plain to see that the blame and guilt Kenobi is carrying has taken its toll on him, and he seems to have lost his way and his strong connection with the Force.

For those who haven’t watched the series and are planning to, I won’t say how he eventually finds his way again.

Despite all he’d been through including the betrayal of his trusted clone squadron, repeatedly witnessing the deaths of those he cared for – Qui-Gon, Satine, Anakin (whom he mistakenly thought had died on Mustafar), Padmé, his Jedi brethren – and despite his belief that he’d failed Anakin and was, somehow, responsible for the rise of the Empire, and the immense guilt he carried because of that – despite the depths of despair he sank into, not once did he succumb and fall to the Dark Side.

He remained true to the Force and, ultimately, to himself.

Although briefly forgetting those aspects of himself, Kenobi remains dependable and with a strong, almost cast-iron, sense of responsibility and ‘doing the right thing’.

When it truly matters, he has the back of those he fights with and protects, no matter the odds.

And that is why Obi-Wan Kenobi is my favourite ‘Star Wars’ character.

Why Obi-Wan Kenobi Is My Favourite Character in 'Star Wars'