The 25 most influential Star Wars characters

5. Obi-Wan Kenobi

We all have Obi-Wan Kenobi to thank for finding (and keeping an eye on) Luke Skywalker. Luke was living with his aunt and uncle and just working on their land when Obi-Wan revealed himself. While this isn’t where Star Wars began, it’s where an important leg of the overall story kicks off. Could you even imagine what Star Wars would be like if Kenobi didn’t keep tabs on Luke? Luke would still be moisture farming and we would have had several movies of evil British men doing wrong and going nigh-unchallenged.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about Ewan McGregor reprising his role as Kenobi for a standalone film. Nothing has been confirmed, but it seems like quite a few fans want to see that happen. You have to be a pretty special Star Wars character to land your own film. Han Solo was the first with Solo: A Star Wars Story, and while it didn’t set the box office on fire, there are many more characters eager to get their turn. Obi-Wan is one of the best.

Kenobi did do so much more for Star Wars beyond watching out for Luke. He was once a mentor to Anakin Skywalker, a relationship we see explored in detail in the prequel trilogy and The Clone Wars. He doesn’t want to see Luke go down the same path as Anakin, and does a better job mentoring the son than he did the father. He knew that Anakin couldn’t be trusted with his own kids and did what was needed of him, even if it meant living as a hermit under the name Ben Kenobi. That’s true dedication.