What if Obi-Wan Kenobi had lived past Episode 4?

Lucas himself admits he didn't plan for Ben to die right away.

I really like Alec Guiness' acting. He was a really very skillful actor and I think it would've been cool to give him an even larger role within the Star Wars universe.

It would've redeemed him much more for failing with Anakin and made it more touching just to see him and anakin together at the end, because they are both father figures.

Yoda is pretty cool too but, Ewan MacGregor has been a good young Obi-Wan wheras young yoda is so lame when digitized. This is especially confounded by his once amazing wisdom being transformed into statements of the obvious in the prequels: "BEGUN THIS COLD WAR HAS ... blah blah blah."

Do you think the movies would've been better with Ben alive.

My answer is yes.

 

Welcome to the boards, hope you like it here.

Anyway I can't really say. It would be cool and very interesting to see Ben live in the rest of them. I kind of think that would be cool because Ben is one of my favorite characters. However I don't know if the movies would be any better because the movies would have been way different with him and they are already great.

Anyway, here is an ANH fanfic where Ben lives.

 

I dislike Alec Guiness very much.

I just wanted to say that.

 

Alec Guiness was awesome, but if his character survived all 3 movies, it would take away from Luke.

 

I believe Obi-Wan died for these two reasons:

1. He didn't have anything to do after the Death Star escape.
2. Alec Guinness hated being on the set so much that he convinced Lucas to kill his character off.

I'm not sure about the first, but the second is true. Sorry, but the lines we find to be so kewl is just rubbish in his eyes.

 

But he did live after Episode 4. (from a certain POV I suppose)
In an early draft of ROTJ, he even materialises back into his full body.

 

"Alec Guinness hated being on the set so much that he convinced Lucas to kill his character off."

That's not true, in fact Lucas had to convince him that killing off his character was a good idea.

 

Even more powerful! Remember when Vader striked him down he became more powerful then anyone can imagine! He helped Luke become a Jedi in all three films. Now thats powerful

 

If Ben had survived it would have taken away from what the story was really about--the path to redemption for Anakin Skywalker. Obi-Wan living beyong Ep.4 would have made the story too much about Luke, Obi-Wan and Yoda, and it wasn't about them--they were just the catalysts for Anakin's redemption.

 

I think he made more of an impact as a ghost, quite frankly.

And yeah, Guinness could be an ass, but he was one hell of an actor, with a long and distinguished career behind him. I think it annoyed him then that people only remembered Star Wars rather than say, Doctor Zhivago or Bridge on the River Kwai.

 

Alec Guinness hated being on the set so much that he convinced Lucas to kill his character off.

This is a common misconception. Alec actually really enjoyed Star Wars and getting the chance to portray a wise mentor. It wasn't until much later in his career that he had any negative thing to say of Star Wars, and that was merely because people seemed to associate him with Obi-Wan rather than his other roles.

He was always friendly on set, taking the time to talk with the other, much younger actors and such.

The only time I believe he was a bit upset is when the London crew thought so little of Star Wars. Being he such a well-known actor, I think he felt the film to be a mistake for his career. After its enormous success however, he felt much different about the film, and was greatful to return for The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

I think the saga worked better with Obi-Wan being killed early. It gave Luke a more personal reason to hate Darth Vader. Sure Vader had killed his father(so he thought at the time), but Luke never knew his father. It also allowed for ESB's introduction of Yoda and a few nice scenes such as the voice in the Death Star trench and the Hoth vision.

-TheMcGuffin
(I'm only here to advance the story after all)

 

If Ben had survived it would have taken away from what the story was really about--the path to redemption for Anakin Skywalker. Obi-Wan living beyong Ep.4 would have made the story too much about Luke, Obi-Wan and Yoda, and it wasn't about them--they were just the catalysts for Anakin's redemption.

Yeah, NOW. Back then it was about Luke, Leia, and Han. Lucas didn't even decide for sure that Vader = Anakin until after ANH was released. Lucas has turned Star Wars into a saga about the fall and redemption of Anakin Skywalker. That wasn't how it started, however.

L8r

 

^^^ sure it wasn't

 

I'm as big a fan of Obi-Wan as you can ask for but Kenobi living past A New Hope would be pointless. Granted he shows up in the final two films, but having him as a living breathing character who needs to go on would really ruin the character as we know him. He doesn't really have a purpose after he gets Luke on the path of a Jedi Knight. Sure he could have stuck around and trained him but he was 0 for 1 with Skywalkers was he not?

 

Sure he could have stuck around and trained him but he was 0 for 1 with Skywalkers was he not?

So this also could not have been the redemption of Obi-Wan Kenobi?

L8r

 

I think that Ben's death was just about the greatest thing that he did and to take it away would weaken his character. It's really rather tragic, in a way, how he almost sacrificed himself to keep Vader from paying attention to anything else that was going on. He was also old and probably rather tired of life, having seen basically all his friends die. And he had successfully passed on the Jedi legacy to Luke. Keeping him around would just have been pointless.

Also, if he had lived, we may have not seen Yoda, because living!Ben could teach Luke stuff (though after Anakin, he may want a second opinion)




The Cleric 007

 

The performance of Alec Guiness was a huge part of what made me a Star Wars fan in the first place.

His 'death' scene was very dramatic. As a kid, when Vader appeared to cut Ben down, I had practically the same reaction as Luke.

That scene is one of the most memorable and powerful moments in the series.