I meant to have this out for @jedijune’s first prompt, “There is no emotion, there is peace,” but oh, well.
Obi-Wan is sometimes accused of being somewhat repressed – not demonstrative enough, not emotional enough. On the other hand, he’s just as often characterized as an emotional wreck.
What struck me while going through some of the hardest moments of his life is how powerful his emotions actually are when he is faced with loss. More often than not, you can see the passion, the fear, or the heartbreak.
But far from being wrecked by those feelings, Obi-Wan deals with them with the endurance and steadfastness of a Jedi. Obi-Wan feels very deeply, there’s no question about that, but what makes it so poignant is how quiet his grief actually is, once the initial emotional reaction has passed.
Obi-Wan can’t help but feel deeply, that’s who he is. His instinctive emotions are just as strong as anyone else’s. But Obi-Wan’s grief – the bone-deep sorrow that lingers past the first emotional reaction, that carries years into a person’s life, the conscious pain brought forth by loss – is very soft. It’s clearly deep as well, but it’s contained, private.
It’s very Jedi of him, to feel so much, and yet to only allow himself to express it quietly – unobtrusively. To only choose to be calm and measured once he is in control of himself. To strive for peace.
I just love that aspect of him. Powerful, but quiet.
