Obi-Wan Kenobi

Ewan McGregor vs. Alec Guiness: Who is the better Obi-Wan?

The story of Obi-Wan Kenobi is one of the most profound in the galaxy far, far away. The facts speak for themselves: he was the (supposedly, see above) first Jedi in 1,000 years to kill a Sith. He trained the Chosen One and then watched him turn to the Dark Side. Whereupon he dedicated his life to trying to correct his mistakes. Yes, Obi-Wan is a damn complex character. And was consequently embodied by two damn good actors. But who played the Jedi Master better? Alec Guinness or Ewan McGregor? We try to answer this impossible question

That's in Guinness's favour

When we first meet Obi-Wan a.k.a. "old Ben" in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, we see strange hermit who lives in the middle of the desert, doesn't have much to do and can drive sand people away with funny noises. The not exactly positive picture is further coloured by Luke's uncle Owen, who thinks nothing of the old man. And yet it only takes a few seconds for our impression to change dramatically. As soon as Alec Guinness opens his mouth, the crazy hermit mutates into a wise teacher in whom we immediately trust. With his nuanced, self-confident manner, Guinness lends the character a profundity that is downright palpable.

As great as McGregor is as Obi-Wan, Alec Guinness' presence, indeed his earnestness, conveys something to us as viewers that doesn't need explaining. His Obi-Wan knows what he's talking about. Knows what to do. And faces his problems without fear or hesitation. Which is far too rarely emphasised: Alec Guinness was the first actor to have to consider how the hell you actually use the Force. And his almost soothing voice paired with subtle gestures is for us to this day the most competent way to bring Jedi skills to life.

Not to mention: Alec Guinness has the iconic exit. Even before his final duel with Darth Vader begins, he's long aware that his journey ends here. Which doesn't scare him at all, on the contrary. He faces his fate, helps Luke Skywalker and his friends to escape and almost casually achieves a mental victory over his former student. Guinness manages all this with a) very little screen time and b) extremely little information as far as the tragic story of Anakin Skywalker is concerned. A feat that is hard to top. Or is it?

That's in McGregor's favour

Before the prequel trilogy came out, the very thought of a new Obi-Wan actor caused unease. But Ewan McGregor managed, possibly as the only actor, to achieve exactly what every prequel wants: to fill important gaps in a character, to add new shades to it and still remain true to the character. It's no coincidence that McGregor is the big exception when it comes to criticising prequels.

Anyway: It's hard to compare him to Oscar-winner Alec Guinness because the whole Star Wars universe changed a lot in the years between the original and prequel trilogies, plus there was a lot more information available to him. And anyone who says McGregor is the better lightsaber fighter might as well say that his 4K UHD HDR TV from 2023 is better than the old tube from yesteryear. For the sake of completeness: of course McGregor is better with the lightsaber! He was much younger, the fights had a completely different status and Guinness' Obi-Wan wasn't supposed to be much of a warrior (anymore) at all.

In other ways, McGregor's Obi-Wan is "clearly above" Guinness's for us. If the Obi-Wan of the original trilogy had long since mastered his fear, McGregor's Obi-Wan is marked by his fear, especially in the series. The terror in his eyes when he catches sight of Darth Vader is immediately transferred to us viewers. He has obviously not yet overcome his trauma. These supposed character flaws, coupled with a dash of humour, make his Obi-Wan more real, more approachable. Which applies not only to the fictional character but also to the actor: it's no secret that Alec Guinness hated Star Wars. McGregor, on the other hand, went into his role, brought more diversity and depth to the character and thus managed to become as recognised as Obi-Wan as Guinness. That's about as good as it gets.

Conclusion: No clear winner. Or is there?

You must have guessed it: we can't objectively say who is the better Obi-Wan. The character from the original trilogy is too different compared to the prequels. Too much has changed in the Star Wars universe. And too much additional information was available to McGregor. Alec Guinness and Ewan McGregor have, for us, equally shaped the character. However, let's give McGregor an outright win: Although the famous "Hello there" crossed the lips of both actors, it was McGregor who turned the iconic line into a worldwide sensation ;-)

Whereas, there is another category where Ewan McGregor clearly wins: in merchandise! You can see that in our Obi-Wan Kenobi shop, where you'll find everything your heart desires. These include the big highlights like Obi-Wan's lightsaber in the Force FX Elite variant from Hasbro, but also Obi-Wan Kenobi shirts, Obi-Wan Kenobi figures and other Obi-Wan Kenobi merchandise. If that's not enough, there's always the big wide world of Star Wars merchandise that's not specific to the Obi-Wan Kenobi series