Before the events of Order 66, there were around 10,000 Jedi in the Jedi Order.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is one of the most well renowned and most powerful Jedi Masters to ever live. But he didn’t always hold the rank of Master, and like many other Jedi Knights, he went through a lot before achieving this rank.
To find out when and how Obi-Wan Kenobi became a Jedi, keep reading.
Table of Contents
Early Training
Obi-Wan Kenobi’s backstory starts on the planet Stewjon where he was born. Most Jedi are discovered at a young age, and Obi-Wan was 3 years old when he was taken to the Jedi Temple after it became clear he was force-sensitive.
In most cases, Jedi training begins under Grand Master Yoda until they receive the rank of Padawan and move on to train with a Jedi Master. When Obi-Wan was old enough he began his Padawan training under Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn.
Obi-Wan took part in many missions with his master over the years, with one of the most notable being a mission that took them to Mandalore to protect Duchess Satine Kryze. Obi-Wan fell in love with the Duchess at this time, but this was against the Jedi Code, and he ultimately left her to remain a Jedi.
The Phantom Menace
The event of the Phantom Menace served to shape Obi-Wan’s life as a Jedi, and the fate of the galaxy itself. What started as a simple negotiation with the Trade Federation ended up leading Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan to Tatooine along with Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo.
It was there that Qui-Gon met Anikin Skywalker. After sensing Anikin’s connection to the force, Qui-Gon determined that he was the chosen one, and endeavored to take him back to Coruscant to train him as a Jedi.
The Jedi High Council denied this request as Qui-Gon already had a Padawan, but Qui-Gon insisted that Obi-Wan was ready to face his trials and become a Jedi Knight. Shortly after this, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan ended up in a duel against the Sith Lord Darth Maul.
Obi-Wan managed to defeat Darth Maul, but not before Maul fatally wounded Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan defeated Maul with his master’s lightsaber after Maul had kicked Obi-Wan’s own one into a pit. This lost lightsaber is replicated in the Obi-Wan Legacy Lightsaber.
Obi-Wan promised his former master that he would train Anikin to be a Jedi. The council was still against the idea, but ultimately decided to promote Obi-Wan to Jedi Knight at the age of 25, and permitted him to train Anikin.
Jedi Knight
Obi-Wan trained Anikin as his Padawan over the years with the pair growing closer throughout the many missions they went on together. One mission they went on to Dallenor led to Anikin returning his lightsaber to Obi-Wan and almost leaving the Jedi Order, but in the end, he remained and continued his training.
Obi-Wan later followed the bounty hunter Jango Fett to Geonosis while on a solo mission. He was captured, as were Anikin and Padmé when they attempted to rescue him. Mace Windu and Yoda then left a larger rescue attempt along with many other Jedi and the newly implemented clone army.
This rescue involved 212 Jedi, and only around 30 survived. This was one of the largest losses the Jedi had suffered in years, although the mission itself was a success. This was how the Battle of Geonosis began, which is considered the first battle of the Clone Wars.
Jedi Master
The Jedi were always known as keepers of the peace, which made the Clone Wars lead to a lot of conflict and uncertainty within the Jedi Order. Obi-Wan was one of the most influential Jedis throughout this period. He was promoted to the rank of Jedi Master at the age of 35 and named High Jedi General during the Clone Wars.
Obi-Wan and Anikin both fought in many missions throughout the Clone Wars, with their last mission together being one to rescue Senator Palpatine from Count Dooku. At this point, they didn’t know that Senator Palpatine was also Darth Sidious, the Sith Lord who had been controlling both sides of the war.
Palpatine convinced Anikin to kill Count Dooku, further pushing him towards the dark side.
Order 66
Obi-Wan and Anikin weren’t together when Order 66 happened. Obi-Wan was on the planet Utapau where he managed to defeat General Grievous. Shortly after this, Order 66 was given, and the clones he had commanded attempted to kill him, though he managed to survive and headed back to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant
Before Obi-Wan made it back Anikin had led an assault on the Jedi Temple with the 501st Clone Legion, slaughtering almost all of the Jedi inside. As two of the only surviving Jedi, Obi-Wan and Master Yoda led one final attack on the Sith.
Due to the bond they had formed over the years, Obi-Wan didn’t want to fight Anikin. Yoda insisted he would not be able to defeat Darth Sidious, so took this challenge on himself. Yoda was unable to defeat Darth Sidious and went into exile on Dagobah.
This was where the Jedi Order as it was known ended, and the few remaining Jedi went into hiding. The new Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader continued to hunt down any surviving Jedi they could find.
Obi-Wan Kenobi After the Revenge of the Sith
Obi-Wan Kenobi defeated Anikin and remained with Padmé as she died giving birth to Anikin’s twin children. The girl was given to Bail Organa to raise as his own, and Obi-Wan took the boy to Tattoine to be raised by his family in secret. Obi-Wan continued to watch over Anikin’s son for years until the events of A New Hope.
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