On “The Clone Wars,” voice actor James Arnold Taylor has created the definitive Obi-Wan Kenobi. Before you react harshly to that statement, let me explain: It’s like the “standing on the shoulders of giants” theory of science. Alec Guinness created Obi-Wan. Ewan McGregor based his performance on Guinness’. And now Taylor is basing his performance on McGregor’s.
By virtue of building on what’s already there, each subsequent performer has an advantage over the previous one. Also, we got only three films worth of Guinness and three films worth of McGregor, but we will soon have three full TV seasons worth of Taylor, so it’s no wonder that I gravitate toward “The Clone Wars” version of Obi-Wan now.
Taylor gives a lightly exaggerated, slightly playful take on McGregor’s Obi-Wan. There’s a sardonic lilt to almost everything Obi-Wan says (and the animators add appropriate facial expressions), which certainly fits with the Kenobi we know from the movies: One who found a way around outright lying by embracing “a certain point of view.” Amidst this horrible war, Obi-Wan is an anchor. While Anakin and Ahsoka are cocky and Admiral Yularen is cautious, Obi-Wan is cautiously confident — outwardly, at least.
Season 2’s three-episode Mandalore arc provided the most shocking Obi-Wan character revelation, but also one that makes perfect sense. He tells Duchess Satine that he would leave the Jedi Order for her if she asked him to — and for a moment it appears that such a scenario might actually go down, even though we know better.
“The Clone Wars” has shown us that even the most Jedi-like of Jedi don’t religiously adhere to their Order’s tenets. Some people are always looking for love; others give it one good shot and call it a day. Obi-Wan found love, it didn’t work out, and he opted to focus his energies on being a Jedi. It enriches his character so much: He’s not a tragic hero because the Order kept him from finding love, but rather because his one shot at true love didn’t work out. It’s not that he doesn’t understand Anakin’s reckless love for Padme — rather, he understands it all too well.
Main image: Lucasfilm