There’s a lot of Britishness in Star Wars (Episode IV, A New Hope) – Peter Cushing’s creepy Tarkin and Anthony Daniels’s pompous C-3PO in particular spring to mind, but the most inspiring to me is Alec Guinness’s gentlemanly Obi-Wan Kenobi; he’s relaxed, polite and ready to fight. And that’s a powerful combination.
Old Ben Kenobi has been hanging out* in his desert hovel for decades, waiting to exact revenge on his former pupil. His dialogue is direct, insightful and eloquent:
- “You must do what you feel is right, of course.” Invites Luke to learn the ways of the force, help the princess and defeat the evil empire, to which Luke whines about it how it’s ‘all so far away from here’. Despite having his generous offer of heroism, fulfilment and glory being turned down by the whiny teenager, Ben responds politely because he knows Luke’s going to change his mind (I’d have repeated it all slowly and loudly while maintaining an annoyed expression and direct eye contact).
- “This little one’s not worth it.” Goes to bar with Luke, politely advises alien trouble-maker to leave it and then when it all kicks off HE REMOVES THE GUY’S ARM. ‘Oh, I’m friendly old Ben, rest easy son you’ve had a busy day, but what’s that? Some hoodlum’s starting a fight with my surrogate nephew? In that case, taste the sabre, Walrus face – it’s limb removal time’. Then he goes and sits down in the same bar and strikes a deal with Han, cool as you like. OK, the instant alien arm amputation (‘armputation’, if you will) is not speaking as such, but it’s an action which shows calm courage and a necessary, appropriate ruthlessness. When someone is rude then sometimes it’s worth meeting their level of commitment. Not with actual fisticuffs of course, but verbally instead.
- “…if it’s a fast ship”, “Who’s the more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him?” Obi-Wan’s sarcastic to Han because he sees that Solo, whilst often a dynamic hero, can also be a bit of a tool. Which he is (a bit).
- “That’s no moon.” Ben clocks the Death Star for what it is because he’s always mindful of his surroundings, instead of taking things at face value. Makes Han look silly in the process. Coolest line in the film.
Ultimately, he checks out in precisely the way he wanted, consequently defeating his arch-enemy ex-pupil Vader in the best way possible, by enabling Darth’s son to (much later) mortally wound Vader in combat and bring about his redemption before dying. Superb.
Overall Obi-Wan’s amazing because he’s measured, dedicated, desiccated**, and a true gentleman.
* Growing vegetables, probably. I’ve no idea. Practising his sand people scaring shout?
** A little joke there. Not an especially funny one perhaps, but it felt good to write and that’s what’s important here. My blog, my rules.
What lessons can I learn from him, Obi-Jon?
- Relax, keep your cool and for goodness’ sake remain polite. Does it really matter in the grand scheme of things if you don’t succeed at this particular interaction? If it goes wrong why not simply learn from it and move on?
- Stick by your beliefs, stand up for what’s right. People will respect that even if they don’t agree with you.
- Have fun – show a sense of humour. A moment of levity can transform an important conversation or presentation into something memorable, making you likeable (a very good thing indeed).
- Be present, in the moment, and aware; look, listen, learn. Sometimes the most effective communication strategy is to listen, and then to speak/write. Then you’re more informed and your audience feels you’ve made an effort to connect with them (ka-ching! More likeability).
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