Obi-Wan Kenobi: Hello there.

General Grievous: General Kenobi. You are a bold one.

Where does this quote come from? (Source)

This quote is from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005), also known as Episode III. Produced by Lucasfilm, the film is a part of the Star Wars universe.

• Movie: Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
• Movie Number: Episode III
• Production: Lucasfilm

Why we collected this quote

We had to include this legendary exchange because it became one of the biggest Star Wars memes ever. Obi-Wan’s calm, witty greeting right before chaos breaks out perfectly captures his confident personality. It is funny, iconic, and endlessly quotable.

What does this quote mean? (Meaning & Context)

Obi-Wan confronts General Grievous on Utapau and even though he is surrounded by enemies, he casually says “Hello there,” completely unfazed. Grievous responds with his own memorable line, turning the scene into an unforgettable fan-favorite moment.

Fun facts & Trivia

The “Hello There” Meme

The rise of the meme “Hello There” seems to be credited to a remix of Obi-Wan saying “Hello there” repeatedly by a YouTuber in 2008. Then in 2014, it went viral when a Tumblr user posted a gif set from the Revenge of the Sith movie and in later years it rose to fame together with other prequel memes. You can read more about the meme history on Know Your Meme.

As with all the memes, Hello there is a series of funny images using the scene screen caps to make a joke. GIFs are used as a greeting or reaction. And as with everything, it is now also a TikTok trend that started with reenacting the scenes from the movie.

“Hello There” as a greeting: The Ultimate Secret Handshake

What started as a simple greeting has turned into the ultimate “vibe check” for Star Wars fans worldwide. If you send someone a “Hello there” text, you’re likely testing their fan status.

It’s the perfect way to see if your friends are on the same wavelength! How the conversation usually goes:

Person A: Hello there.
Person B: General Kenobi!

For the true lore experts:

Person A: Hello there.
Person B: Come here, my little friend
Person A: It’s an old code, but it checks out.

Just be careful – the meme is so famous now that even non-fans might know the answer. You might need to test their Jedi knowledge further to be sure they aren’t just tricksy Sith!

The origin, callbacks & references = All the “Hello theres” across the Star Wars Universe

A Galactic Connection While most people associate this line with Ewan McGregor jumping down behind General Grievous in Revenge of the Sith, it was actually a deliberate scripted callback by George Lucas. The line first appeared in 1977’s A New Hope, where it was the very first thing Alec Guinness’s Obi-Wan said upon meeting R2-D2: “Hello there. Come here, my little friend. Don’t be afraid.” By giving Ewan the same line, Lucas created a bridge between the younger and older versions of the character.

The cycle continued in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, where Obi-Wan uses the greeting to introduce himself to a young Luke Skywalker.

Grievous Said It First? In a fun twist of canon, General Grievous actually says the line first chronologically! In The Clone Wars (Season 1, Episode 4), Grievous greets Obi-Wan with a cheeky “Hello there.” This was a meta-nod to the fans, making it a “little fun twist” that the droid general used the Jedi’s future signature move against him before the events of Episode III.

Image Quotes

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