Just how good a General WAS Obi Wan Kenobi?

Uh... nah, too easy.

 

So where do you rank Obi Wan in terms of being a military leader.

 

Well, if that was a general question...very high. Up there with Thrawn.

 

They're not really comparable. One is like Bonaparte, the other like Nelson.

E_S

 

Which is which?

It's an interesting point that Obi Wan Kenobi didn't want to hold the territories underneath him. However, he was apparently an inspiring figure and also had the business of reconquering taken territories along with territories that may not have wanted to join the Republic.

 

Thrawn is Napoleon for the purpose of comparison.

Kenobi was, like Nelson, an inspiring commander but an (as stated) average soldier. He was also not tasked with coordinating an entire empire. Napoleon wasn't limited to a certain theatre, but rather multiple aspects of the campaign, like Thrawn.

Yes, it's very simple but no worse than hagiographically elevating Kenobi to the level of Thrawn, and I dig Obi-Wan as ac haracter, evidenced by my revolving door Obi-Wan icon collection.

E_S

 

I'm aware of this....

However, it's important to note in Star Wars that there is a SEVERE lack of an officer's class. It's been evidenced in several books and outright part of the point of the works that specialists are not available for many tasks.

Admiral Ackbar and General Madine are amongst the few who generally got to play solely with ships and soldiers.

Obi Wan Kenobi and the rest of the Jedi had the unfortunate problem of being essentially forced to fight the Clone Wars in whatever role was needed from. Starfighter command, ground command, Naval, and special operations (which he usually lead himself).

Thrawn's benefit is of course that he was able to handle tactics on several levels but so was Obi Wan.

On a related but odd note, Han Solo also has apparently a fantastic reputation as a naval commander. Having been given the rank of Commadore for reasons that can be presumed to be related to his time as commander of the fleet that hunted Zsinj and before that was a Rebellion Special Forces General.

At least Han had SOME naval experience beforehand

 

Please note that anyone can lift Greevy up in the air, keep him there, and this allegedly buffed up wizard killer's fight is over. To say Ewan fought well is an overstatement.

But in a movie, everything is visual; and you can burp the Sith baby two ways: realistically, the nomral way, tear Greevy's arms off right away; or expand the scene to show more, even if a metre more power ends things too quickly, and dazzle the audience.

Anyway, they're all dead and it's good and over. If plot, page limitations and directives for reducing their numbers are hanging over your head.

As Petr Littlefinger says to Neddy Stark: "If you have to bed an ugly woman, get under the cover and get ot over with. You don't have to to like it, but some things must be done." Granted, Stark's naive reaction was amusing, but then again, so wa shis rolling head.

 

Obi-wan was one of the few jedi that survived geonosis, took out Caito Nemioudia, and he took out a seperatist bioweapon lab in republic 53.

 

No, he didn't. He most certainly didn't. He did nothing in that comic.

It's one of my favs, though.

 

Durge took out the bioweapons lab if you wanna get technical.

Forgot about cato neimoida.

so-update

Defense of Kamino(Clone wars volume 1)
Ohma Dun(Clone Wars volume 2)
Ord Cestus (The Cestus Deception)
Palpatine rescue operation(ROTS)
Utapau(ROTS)
Muunilinst (Clone Wars cartoon)
The "scores" of Seppy infections(ROTS novel)
Cato Neimoida(LoE)
Queyta(Clone Wars Volume 2)

So..4 major land battles (Kamino, Utapau, Muunilinst, Cato Neimoidia) 4 special missions (Ord Cestus, Palpatine rescue, Queyta, Ohma Dun) and dozens of unspecified operations. Not a bad record at all-hell, for a man with almost no military experience prior to the clone wars, I'd say it's a fantastic record.

 

Wouldn't it be great if a real author (besides Tim Zahn) like George RR Martin wrote Star Wars?

All the good guys would be developed well then killed off!

E_S

 

And character resurrection wold be the same both series, be it Thoros the priest or Forceful.

 

Thoros, Jedi Master?

I like!

E_S

 

Aaron Allston =/= George RR Martin

ES