Obi-Wan Kenobi is one of the most recognizable characters in Star Wars Universe and he has some of the most memorable dialogues in the franchise. However, there is still one simple line that people connect to the character throughout the years, and it's only two words.
But how did such a simple two-word quote become so iconic? Ewan McGregor discussed Obi-Wan Kenobi's legendary opening line and spoke about he wasn't even the one responsible for making it so recognizable.
In 1977's Star Wars, Luke Skywalker is attacked by Sand People but is rescued by Ben Kenobi. When Luke gains consciousness, Ben immediately greets him with, "Hello there." It's a line that Ewan McGregor later repeats when he faces off against General Grievous in 2005's Revenge of the Sith.
Since then, the line has become one of the most famous Star Wars memes and Ewan McGregor is quick to credit the late Alec Guinness for it.
"You know, it's [original Obi-Wan actor] Alec Guinness' first line in Star Wars, in A New Hope, as well -- that's where it comes from," he told Joe. "I always just thought that people liked it because it was Alec Guinness saying it [first]. I almost don't remember saying it when I drop in on Grievous, but I know I did. Yeah, I'm asked to say ["Hello there"] a lot. People want me to say it to them in the street, you know?"
We're not surprised that people want to keep reliving that moment over and over again. After all, who wouldn't want Obi-Wan Kenobi to say "Hello there" to them? Needless to say, it's great to know that Ewan McGregor continues to have a huge respect for Alec Guinness and we thank them for making such a simple line so memorable.
McGregor recently returned as the Jedi in the limited Obi-Wan Kenobi series, which premiered on Disney+ in May 2022.
