“Hello There!”, this is my Tribute Blog to my life-long hero Obi-Wan Kenobi, and to the late iconic actor who played Obi-Wan Kenobi, Sir Alec Guinness (86 years – 1914-2000).
Of all the countless Star Wars episodes out there, “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” was the wan for me.
All within one single movie, we get to witness the awesome Lightsaber, Darth Vader, the Force, and, of course, my life-long hero Obi-Wan Kenobi. Here’s where I pay tribute to the late Marcia Lucas for her invaluable input for sharpening the plots to the first Star Wars trilogy.
And Sir Alec Guinness Is Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The movie director George Lucas‘ only stipulation to Sir Alec Guinness was to act like a samurai warrior and a wise, monk-like character.
Who can forget his immortal words – “You can kill me but you will never destroy me.”
As Obi-Wan Kenobi mentored Luke Skywalker (Darth Vader) about The Force – “The Force is hat gives a Jedi his power. It’s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.”
As Obi-Wan Kenobi mentored Anakin Skywalker (Darth Vader) about the Lightsaber – “This weapon is our life.”
There Can Be Only WAN (above image). My used US South Dakota 2008 car license plate. Even the registration sticker agrees – there can be only WAN.
The great Sir Alec Guinness (above image).For his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Sir Guinness was paid 2.25% of the royalties paid to the movie director, George Lucas, who received one-fifth of the overall box office. Sir Guinness’ ultimate movie royalty is 1.80% of movie taking$. A rich, wise man indeed.
Not bad for a man who regarded the Star Wars movie as “fairy tale rubbish”.
“Hello There!” (above image). The very first sighting of Obi-Wan Kenobi. A WOW moment for me. He introduces himself “Ben Kenobi”, the exiled hermit to Luke Skywalker and his loyal droid R2-D2.
The full script is – “Hello there! Come here, my little friend. Don’t be afraid.”
From this simple, kind, warm and protecting phrase, I immediately got the feeling that Obi-Wan is a wise winner. Nothing and no one will get the better of this Jedi Master.
The iconic “Hello There!” greeting was repeated in “Revenge of the Sith” (2005) movie, when Obi-Wan (starring Ewan McGregor) greets General Grievous.
My Used “OBI-WAN” And “JEDI MASTER” US South Dakota 2006 and 2000 car license plates (above image).
My “The Force” Kenner Toy Figure (above image).
Fun Fact – I received a urgent distraught message from the courier to alert me that the toy figure in the blister pack seems to be missing. I reassured him not to worry, The Force (invisible) is intact. We had a good laugh.
My beloved Obi-Wan Kenobi Paraphernalia (above image). The sought-after “Obi-Wan Kenobi” ILM VFX 2022 pin is gifted to the Industrial Light & Magic visual effects graphics team who worked on the mini-series. Yes, a Jedi needs his blue bubble tea nourishment.
The “Retired” tag reflects my reclusive, bearded, hermit-like Jedi Master capitalist hippie persona these days.
Ulica Obi-Wan Kenobiego (“Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Street” in Grabowiec, Poland (above image).
The Final Resting Places Of Sir Alec and Merula Guinness (above image). Sir Guinness passed on in 5 August 2000. His wife Merula died just two months later on 18 October. They were interred in Petersfield, Hampshire.
Every morning, Sir Alec Guinness would recite verse 8 from Psalm 143, “Cause me to hear your living kindness in the morning.”
Ultimately, Sir Alec Guinness reminisced that the royalties that he obtained from working on the Star Wars movies gave him “no complaints; let me leave it by saying I can live for the rest of my life in the reasonably modest way I am now used to; that I have no debts and I can afford to refuse work that doesn’t appeal to me”.
In 2003, Obi-Wan Kenobi as portrayed by Sir Alec Guinness was selected as the 37th greatest hero in cinema history by the American Film Institute.
