One of the dozens of projects teased during last week’s star-studded Disney Investors Presentation was the highly-anticipated “Star Wars” series, “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” The show has been in development for a long time now and sees Ewan McGregor reprise his role as the title character. However, after months of wondering what this series is going to be about, it sounds like maybe we’re beginning to get a better idea.
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During the investors presentation, there were quite a few interesting comments from McGregor, series director Deborah Chow, and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. And depending on how you feel about prequels retconning some of what you already thought you knew, “Obi-Wan Kenobi” could be a must-see or a must-avoid. Particularly when it comes to the inclusion of Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader, which was also announced.
“There’s a hunger for this character to come back,” McGregor said. “The fans have been waiting long enough, you know?”
He added, “We start on Tatooine, and we go on a rollicking adventure.”
“Start on Tattooine” seems to allude to the series venturing off the desert planet and going to new worlds, right? Well, this is hardly shocking for a “Star Wars” story, which always ends up being about traveling between distant worlds and going on “a rollicking adventure.” But does that make sense for “Obi-Wan Kenobi?” Not really.
Remember, what we thought we knew about Obi-Wan before this series is that he went to Tattooine to be the silent guardian in the shadows of the young Luke Skywalker. For nearly two decades, he became an old man that fulfilled his purpose of watching over a kid that could turn into one of the best hopes for the rebellion. So, why would he leave Tattooine and his post? Why would this de facto monk break his vow of protection to go on a “rollicking adventure?” This could be a stickler for some “Star Wars” fans, depending on how the story is told.
Another sticking point for fans might be the inclusion of Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader. This is a revelation that wowed people who were watching the presentation and seemed like it could lead to something really cool in “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” Chow explained that adding Vader seemed like it had to be done, if you’re going to tell more in the story of Obi-Wan.
“We couldn’t tell the story of Obi-Wan Kenobi without addressing Anakin or Vader,” Chow said.
McGregor added, “The most beautiful thing of all is that it’s brought me back together with Hayden. It’ll be amazing to bring those characters back together again, very unexpectedly.”
You even have Kathleen Kennedy calling the return of Darth Vader in “Obi-Wan” as leading to “the rematch of the century.”
But does it make sense?
When it was announced, the shock was immediate and the idea of Christensen returning to “Star Wars” after his role in the prequels got people excited. But if you sit and think about it, does including Darth Vader make sense? And what the hell will Christensen actually do in the role?
For context, at the end of ‘Revenge of the Sith,’ we saw Christensen turn into the fully-formed, James Earl Jones-voiced Vader from the Original Trilogy. (Who can forget the infamous “NO!” scene?) And if “Obi-Wan Kenobi” takes place a decade later, why would they need Christensen in the role? Is he going to replace Jones as the voice of the character? That doesn’t make sense. Will Vader take off his mask and show Christensen’s face with Jones’ voice? That is a bit silly, right? Or maybe they will have a scene where Christensen’s Anakin/Vader is laying in a healing tub of some sort to help his wounds from the end of ‘Revenge of the Sith?’ Again, that would only mean Christensen is showing up for a cameo and doesn’t really make sense given what we know of Vader.
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All that to say, if you really stop and think about it, why does Christensen need to return? And is it anything more than just a cheap stunt to attract viewers? And is “Obi-Wan Kenobi” turning into the series that is going to push the limits of retconning in the “Star Wars” mythology to the breaking point? Lots of questions and we probably won’t get answers for another year.
