Obi-Wan Kenobi is one of the greatest heroes of the Star Wars Saga. The master of the high ground, Obi-Wan has become especially beloved in recent years, thanks to Ewan McGregor’s impeccable performance and the re-evaluation of the Prequel Trilogy brought on by the success of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Obi-Wan has proven to be one of the toughest characters in the entire Saga, with his sardonic sense of humor making him a treat to behold.
However, Obi-Wan wasn’t always the best Jedi, and many of his actions have made things a lot worse over the years, no matter how good his intentions were.
10 His Grudge With Darth Maul Got Satine Killed
Satine Kryze was the duchess of Mandalore and a leading voice in the planet’s pacifism movement. She and Obi-Wan had an undisclosed relationship at some point, with many fans speculating that their relationship was romantic. Her time as leader of Mandalore was marred by the Death Watch’s machinations, a situation that would cost Satine her life.
What made the whole situation worse was when Darth Maul joined with the Death Watch. Maul was motivated both by his lust for power and his grudge with Obi-Wan, making the whole situation that much more dangerous for Satine.
9 Always Letting General Grievous Get Away
General Grievous was one of the most dangerous foes that Obi-Wan fought, and they fought a lot. This in and of itself is the problem. Obi-Wan was eventually able to kill Grievous but his failure to do so earlier made things in the Clone Wars so much worse.
Obi-Wan was a very skilled lightsaber combatant and Force user, and the fact that he was never able to stop Grievous from escaping and ending the cyborg general is really kind of mystifying. If Obi-Wan had tried just a little harder, he could have beaten Grievous earlier, robbing the Separatists of one of their most dangerous weapons.
8 Never Noticed Palpatine’s Manipulation Of Anakin
Obi-Wan and Anakin were the best of friends, with one of the closest relationship Master-Padawan relationship in the Jedi Order. However, for people that were so close, Obi-Wan didn’t notice a lot of what was going on in Anakin’s life. This would cause a lot of problems, with the biggest caused by Obi-Wan not noticing Palpatine’s manipulation of Anakin.
If Obi-Wan would have noticed this, things would have been very different, but he didn’t. This blindspot in their relationship made things a lot worse for everyone in the galaxy.
7 Not Making Sure Darth Maul Was Dead On Naboo
No one could have predicted that Darth Maul would have survived Obi-Wan cutting him in half on Naboo. It was a shock to all involved, but the fact that Maul survived caused a whole lot of trouble for many after his return. A lot of pain could have been saved if Obi-Wan had made sure Maul was dead.
From striking higher and cutting through his heart, beheading him, or just having someone try and find his body to make sure he was dead, if Obi-Wan would have made sure Maul was truly deceased, a lot of lives would have been saved. While it would have deprived fans of one of the best lightsaber casualties in Star Wars, it would’ve also saved a lot of trouble.
6 He Incessantly Sasses Everyone
Obi-Wan Kenobi was known for being a bit mouthy. His sarcastic one-liners and constant sassing of friend and foe led to a lot of bad things for a whole bunch of people. Obi-Wan made enemies rather easily because of his mouthy nature, ones who would do anything to see him dead.
While it made Obi-Wan entertaining and endeared him to some people, if Obi-Wan was less of a sarcastic person, he would have made fewer enemies. As one of the premier Jedi of the Clone Wars, him having so many enemies made things worse for everyone.
5 Secretly Hitch-Hiking With Padme To Mustafar Made His Confrontation With Anakin Worse
Obi-Wan and Yoda learning the truth about Anakin was terrible, and having to go and confront Anakin was bad enough. However, Obi-Wan made it even worse by secretly hitch-hiking on Padme’s ship to Mustafar. Anakin believed Obi-Wan turned his wife against him and Force choked her, a move that would break her heart and lead to her death.
The weird thing is that Obi-Wan had so many other options–he could have put a tracker on her ship and then gotten to her another way, hitching a ride with someone under Bail Organa’s command or using General Grievous’s fighter, which he still had access to.
4 Not Telling Luke About Leia Being His Sister & Having Them Train Together
Obi-Wan kept a lot of secrets, and one of the biggest was the relationship between Luke and Leia. It made sense to keep this secret for a while, but after his death, when he was communicating with Luke a lot, it’s just kind of mystifying why he never told Luke the truth about his sister and had them start training together.
It would have made a whole bunch of things easier for everyone if Luke and Leia were both training together between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. It would have given the Rebels two Force users, which is better than one.
3 Not Telling Luke The Truth About His Father
While the reveal of Luke’s paternity is one of the biggest moments in Star Wars and movies in general, it was also a devastating blow to the young Jedi. If Luke would have known that Vader was his father before, he could have worked harder to redeem his father, which would have changed the war between the Alliance and the Empire tremendously.
Vader seemed very open to his son, and if Luke would have started earlier, there’s a good chance Vader may have broken away from the Empire sooner, making the Alliance’s war easier. Obi-Wan’s decision to not be fully transparent was a terrible choice.
2 He Never Finished Anakin Off
Obi-Wan’s battle against Anakin on Mustafar is one of the greatest lightsaber fights in Star Wars history, not only because of how great it looked but because of the sheer emotion of the battle. The violent dissolution of their relationship set both of them on different roads, roads that would intersect nineteen years later on the Death Star.
However, Obi-Wan could have saved everyone a whole lot of trouble if he had just killed Anakin on Mustafar. He had already cut off Anakin’s limbs, so it wouldn’t have taken much more to kill him. While it would have been emotionally difficult for him to do, it would have been best for everyone involved and saved billions of lives.
1 He Never Should Have Trained Anakin In The First Place
Obi-Wan taking over Anakin’s training had repercussions that would be felt throughout the galaxy for decades. While it’s hard to say that anyone would have been a better choice to train him than Obi-Wan, the Jedi Order was full of experienced Masters who could conceivably do better than him.
Later in life, Obi-Wan knew what a mistake he had made in taking over Anakin’s training. While their relationship was a highlight of both of their lives for a long time, they still could have been friends without Obi-Wan training him, and another Master may have been able to keep Anakin from the dark side better.
About The Author
