5. James Arnold Taylor is an awesome Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi, in contrast to his ill-fated Padawan, has had the blessing of being portrayed each time by excellent actors. Sir Alec Guinness played “old Ben Kenobi” with class and grace, and Ewan McGregor brought youthful zeal and heaps of sass to the character. Without taking anything away from either of those men, James Arnold Taylor is an excellent Obi-Wan as well.
The voice actor has played a number of characters across multiple mediums, including video games such as Ratchet & Clank and Final Fantasy, shows such as Johnny Test and even Fred Flinstone in a few commercials. Yet he has made himself a legend among Star Wars fans for become the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi in The Clone Wars.
In the series, as in Episode II, Kenobi is a polished Jedi Knight often exasperated by the rash decisions of his Padawan, Anakin Skywalker. In The Clone Wars movie it appears Anakin has become a full-fledged Jedi Knight, and we see Obi-Wan seeking to provide guidance while letting Anakin find his footing.
The sighs, offhand comments and sarcastic quips are all delightful ways that Taylor brings this version of Kenobi to life. In The Clone Wars film Obi-Wan is fighting Asajj Ventress and fires a barrage of witty remarks and sarcastic quips as quickly as his lightsaber strikes. It’s quintessential Obi-Wan Kenobi and helps to cement our acceptance of this new voice of our beloved character. As the rest of the series will illustrate, Taylor is the cream of the crop for voice acting and for bringing us hours more of Obi-Wan Kenobi.