Ewan McGregor OBE is undoubtedly one of the greatest Scottish actors in history, appearing in a number of acclaimed films and TV shows with a career that spans more than two decades. But we’d be lying if we said he’s mostly recognized as anything other than Star Wars‘ Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The talented Alec Guinness portrayed the stoic and charismatic Ben Kenobi in the Original Trilogy. Wishing to explore his character in the Prequels, George Lucas went on to cast the perfect person to portray Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. And thus, the legend of Ewan McGregor as the ultimate Space Jesus, not to mention an icon of the meme culture, was born. Even after so many years, the actor’s performance as Obi-Wan remains a memorable and fan-favorite part of the Galactic Republic era, which is probably why the Mouse House greenlit a live-action TV show based on the character that’d center around his life after the fall of the Jedi Order.
Of course, it’s true that people tend to get critical of the Prequel Trilogy and undermine almost everything about those films, but there’s no denying that McGregor did a wonderful job of bringing a young Obi-Wan to life. And apparently, some fans believe that he deserves to get a monument as recognition of his work.
A new petition on Change.org to the John Muir Trust institute asks for a life-size statue of Obi-Wan Kenobi at the summit of Ben Nevis, Scotland’s tallest mountain. As of now, almost 20,000 people have signed the petition and the number is increasing by the hour. To be fair, the idea may sound bizarre at first, but it makes perfect sense. After all, who could name a more epic duo other than Obi-Wan and high ground?
As the appeal reads:
“The mountain stands at 1,345 metres above sea level and is the highest mountain in the British Isles. Ben Nevis is a popular destination, attracting an estimated 100,000 ascents a year. The 700-metre (2,300 ft) cliffs of the north face are among the highest in Scotland, providing classic scrambles and rock climbs of all difficulties for climbers and mountaineers. Ironically the mountain is known to locals of the surrounding area as “the Ben”. The mountain is all that remains of a Devonian volcano that met a cataclysmic end in the Carboniferous period around 350 million years ago.
A statue of Obi Wan Kenobi would be rather fitting, given the mountain’s nickname, the volcanic past and its the highest ground of Ewan McGregor’s home county. He would literally have “the high ground”, watching over all of Scotland. It’s poetic in a way.”
We can’t exactly argue with that logic. Connor Heggie, the man who started this petition, also brainstorms the perfect welcome for climbers: a plaque that says “Hello There.” Of course, while we’d love to see both Ewan McGregor and Obi-Wan Kenobi honored in this manner, the petition is going to need a little more traction to get the attention of the higher-ups within John Muir Trust.