Every Star Wars fan thought Ewan McGregor’s time as Obi-Wan Kenobi ended with Revenge of the Sith. And there was no reason to think otherwise. The prequel trilogy ended in 2005. We didn’t know streaming sites like Disney+ would come along and make any return possible in the galaxy far, far way. But now that the Obi-Wan Kenobi series is set to debut, McGregor is looking back at his time, both past and present, playing the famous Jedi Master. He’s not talking about the character’s regrets over training Anakin Skywalker, though. He talked to Entertainment Weekly about far more egregious errors. Mistakes that will haunt him long after he’s become one with the Force. Because there’s no way to talk about the history of his Obi-Wan without mentioning his terrible hairstyles.
McGregor’s monk-like hair in The Phantom Menace wasn’t just aesthetically bad. (Though it certainly was very bad.) The returning Star Wars alum said reshoots for the film forced him into an ill-fitting wig that did not hold up on close examination. That wouldn’t have been a huge problem if not for the fact they used one of those bad wig images for a poster. And Obi-Wan’s hair was definitely not ready for that close-up. (Heads up to whoever made that decision. McGregor still wants to find you and yell at you.)
Not that things got much better in Attack of the Clones. That’s when McGregor rocked what the cast and crew called a Jedi mullet. A mullet he said the Bee Gees specifically inspired. Making that movie’s look officially a Bee Gees Jedi Mullet. A phrase we very much appreciate having in our lives.
Fortunately, Revenge of the Sith finally graced Obi-Wan with some better hair. This hairstyle served as a bridge between his version of the character and the short-haired version played by Sir Alec Guinness in the original trilogy. Of course, the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi offers another step of hair between the two. And like with all of the character’s looks this new one is designed to reveal something about Obi-Wan’s current status in life. Obi-Wan’s longer, shaggier, unkempt hair reflects his feelings of hopelessness.
We still prefer McGregor’s Revenge of the Sith look. As well as Guinness’ A New Hope appearance. But at least 20 years from now he won’t look back and regret his Obi-Wan Kenobi cut. Not unless he ends the series with a thin ponytail or another Bee Gees Jedi mullet.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.
