Hello there

The initial instance of the line within Star Wars canon can be found in the 1977 movie Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. Within the film, Ben Kenobi uses the phrase to greet R2-D2 after saving Luke Skywalker from Tusken Raiders. Subsequently, it appears in the prequel film, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. During the Battle of Utapau sequence, Obi-Wan Kenobi surprises General Grievous by uttering the phrase. This particular instance led to the phrase's rise in popularity, resulting in its widespread use as both a running gag and an internet meme.

Several characters in the prequel-era animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars deliver the line at different moments. Grievous announces his presence to Obi-Wan Kenobi with the saying in "Destroy Malevolence," mirroring the scene from Revenge of the Sith. During the Senate hostage crisis in "Hostage Crisis," the bounty hunter Cad Bane says it to Padmé Amidala, and then again to a Naboo dockworker in "Crisis on Naboo." Before "Crisis on Naboo," Ziro Desilijic Tiure also greets Mama the Hutt with "hello there" in the episode "Hunt for Ziro." The last time it's said in The Clone Wars is during the unfinished—but canon—episode "Crystal Crisis," where Obi-Wan uses the phrase to greet an Amani while attempting a mind trick.

The line is also used frequently in the series Star Wars Rebels. Lando Calrissian uses it to greet Hera Syndulla in the special Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal. In "Brothers of the Broken Horn," Hondo Ohnaka says the phrase when introducing himself to Ezra Bridger, and the Seventh Sister uses it to reveal herself to Bridger in "Legacy." It appears for the final time in Rebels in "Crawler Commandeers," when Bridger says it to Seevor.

In the episode "Cornered" of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Omega utters the line.

In the Star Wars Galactic Pals webseries, M1-RE uses the phrase in the episode "Wookiee."

The Disney+ limited series Obi-Wan Kenobi included a single instance of the phrase. Obi-Wan says it to Luke in the series finale, "Part VI," as he introduces himself to the boy.

Lys Solay says the line in the Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures episodes "Forest Defenders" and "Bad Eggs".

The 2017 video game Star Wars Battlefront II also includes the phrase. Both Obi-Wan Kenobi and General Grievous have "Hello there" as a voice line and emote. The trailer for the game's Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker-based update and its Celebration Edition references the Revenge of the Sith scene where the phrase became popular.

Dennis Brännvall also says the phrase in every Community Update video showcasing upcoming Battlefront II content.

In Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Doma Dendra sometimes greets Cal Kestis with "Hello there," and other characters use the greeting at times. During a confrontation with Rayvis, Rayvis says to Kestis, "You are a bold one," echoing General Grievous' response to Obi-Wan's "Hello there" in Revenge of the Sith.

Comics have also featured the phrase. Obi-Wan Kenobi says it to raiders in Age of Republic - Obi-Wan Kenobi 1. In Obi-Wan 5, Kenobi says it again to JM-909, a stormtrooper.

In the 2003 novel Star Wars Galaxies: The Ruins of Dantooine, Lando Calrissian begins a conversation with Dusque Mistflier with "Well, hello there." In the 2022 young-adult novel Padawan, Kenobi says the phrase to Audj Seedol on Lenahra. Michael Siglain, Director of Creative Franchise at Disney–Lucasfilm Press, begins his introduction to the 2023 anthology novel The High Republic: Tales of Light and Life with "Hello there." In the 2024 novel The Living Force, Kenobi greets the disguised Houk criminal Ghor with the phrase on the transport Regal Zephyr. He uses the greeting again to Ghor and his allies Wungo and "The Lobber" during the attack on the Riftwalker Headquarters on Valboraan. Kenobi begins to say it to the trio one last time during the Defense of Kwenn, but the Lobber interrupts him.

From issue 214 onward, "A Message from the Editor," a recurring section in Star Wars Insider magazine, began with "Hello There!"

The Hello There Squad Pack is an expansion for the Star Wars: Shatterpoint tabletop game that includes figurines of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Commander Cody, and the 212th Attack Battalion. Both the core set and the expansion were released on June 2, 2023. A card in the pack with Kenobi's stats includes an ability also called "Hello There!"

Non-canon media has made extensive use of "Hello there." It is used repeatedly in The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special, including in a scene where three versions of Obi-Wan Kenobi from different times greet each other before fighting the forces of the dark side. In LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation, Kenobi says it again when he first speaks to Finn as a Force spirit. In "Part Two," the second episode of LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, Darth Rey and multiple Gial Ackbar clones say "Hello there" to Sig Greebling, Bobarian Afol, and Yesi Scala.

The video game LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga also uses the phrase repeatedly. The Revenge of the Sith scene is directly adapted from the movie. An abridged version of its use in A New Hope is also shown after the fight with Tusken Raiders. Both the young and old versions of Obi-Wan have the phrase as an idle quote, with the younger version having two variations. Old "Ben" Kenobi also says it in another idle quote, followed by "Don't be afraid."

In LEGO Fortnite Odyssey, characters from the Star Wars-themed update can say "Hello there" as one of their greetings to the player.

On June 29, 2005, StarWars.com used "Hello There" as the title for a Sith Snapshot that featured an image of Kenobi and explained how McGregor made the character more like Guinness's portrayal of the Jedi in Revenge of the Sith. StarWars.com also used "Hello There" as the title for a clip of the original Revenge of the Sith scene. Other articles on the website use the phrase in their titles, including announcements for Star Wars: Obi-Wan, an Obi-Wan Kenobi figure from Sideshow Collectibles, an Obi-Wan-themed cupcake recipe, the Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return documentary, and the addition of Revenge of the Sith-era Obi-Wan to Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes.

The official Star Wars (@StarWars) and Electronic Arts Star Wars (@EAStarWars) Twitter accounts have tweeted or mentioned the phrase many times. A letter promoting the then-upcoming novel The High Republic: Midnight Horizon as part of the Star Wars: The High Republic media initiative used the phrase as its greeting. During Celebration Anaheim in 2022, Ewan McGregor said the line immediately after taking the stage during the Lucasfilm Ltd. Studio Showcase. McGregor and Robin Roberts from Good Morning America also quoted the line at the beginning of their interview. Ewan McGregor played Obi-Wan Kenobi in a BBC comedy sketch for Comic Relief's Red Nose Day 2023 event on March 20, 2023, titled "Star-studded spin-off of The Traitors | Red Nose Day 2023 - BBC," introducing himself with the line "Hello there."

Ewan McGregor said in an interview that Alec Guinness first said the line in A New Hope, and he believes its popularity comes from its original use in that film. He also said that he "almost" didn't remember saying the line and that people often ask him to say it.

• Hello There on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
• " Classic Moment " — Star Wars Insider 130
• Hello There on StarWars.com (backup link)
• The Star Wars Show: We Brushed Kylo Ren's Hair at San Diego Comic-Con on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (July 24, 2019) (backup link)
• Star Wars Is on TikTok! on StarWars.com (February 15, 2023) (backup link)
• Star Wars: Shatterpoint — Hello There Squad Pack
• Phantom at 25 | These 25 Quotes from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Are So Wizard on StarWars.com (backup link)